Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Araras and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Araras: $831 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Araras, Brazil
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Araras
🇧🇷 Brazil
$831
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$935
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Araras and in Chiang Mai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Araras and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $831 per month in Araras vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Araras $831
  • Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,358 per month in Araras vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Araras $1,358
  • Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,884 per month in Araras vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Araras $1,884
  • Chiang Mai $1,999

Araras is about 11% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Araras and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Araras 39% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Araras
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$5.27 R$28.94
$2.13 ฿72.0
147.42%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$36.99 R$203
$18.62 ฿628
98.66%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$8.21 R$45.06
$5.60 ฿189
46.61%
Cappuccino
$2.05 R$11.26
$1.66 ฿56.1
23.49%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.58 R$8.66
$0.65 ฿21.82
143.08%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.13 R$6.20
$0.30 ฿10.29
276.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.19 R$12.00
$2.32 ฿78.3
-5.60%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.02 R$22.04
$3.67 ฿124
9.54%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Araras
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.95 R$5.23
$2.02 ฿68.0
-52.97%
White Bread (500g)
$1.50 R$8.23
$1.41 ฿47.49
6.38%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.72 R$3.95
$1.39 ฿46.94
-48.20%
Eggs
$1.89 R$10.38
$2.37 ฿79.9
-20.25%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.57 R$47.02
$16.52 ฿557
-48.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.11 R$22.55
$2.67 ฿90.1
53.93%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.99 R$54.8
$9.02 ฿304
10.75%
Apples (1kg)
$2.25 R$12.34
$2.40 ฿80.9
-6.25%
Banana (1kg)
$1.17 R$6.40
$1.04 ฿35.12
12.50%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.70 R$3.86
$1.66 ฿56.0
-57.83%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.77 R$9.69
$1.56 ฿52.6
13.46%
Potato (1kg)
$0.75 R$4.12
$1.24 ฿41.75
-39.52%
Onion (1kg)
$0.68 R$3.72
$1.09 ฿36.65
-37.61%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.90 R$4.95
$0.76 ฿25.70
18.42%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.45 R$2.48
$0.51 ฿17.34
-11.76%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.54 R$13.95
$4.12 ฿139
-38.35%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.16 R$44.76
$17.93 ฿605
-54.49%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.62 R$3.42
$1.62 ฿54.8
-61.73%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.18 R$11.95
$2.82 ฿95.2
-22.70%
🚌 Getting Around
Araras
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.93 R$5.12
$0.93 ฿31.52
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$42.62 R$234
$52.9 ฿1,784
-19.42%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.20 R$6.61
$1.18 ฿39.69
1.69%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.29 R$7.06
$0.17 ฿5.78
658.82%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$9.00 R$49.38
$1.81 ฿61.1
397.24%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.97 R$5.33
$1.47 ฿49.67
-34.01%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$22.2K R$121.8K
$21.0K ฿708.7K
5.63%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.9K R$163.9K
$26.5K ฿894.4K
12.66%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Araras
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$37.59 R$206
$62.6 ฿2,110
-39.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.23 R$72.6
$11.60 ฿391
14.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.24 R$94.6
$20.30 ฿685
-15.07%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Araras
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.43 R$233
$37.88 ฿1,278
12.01%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$26.25 R$144
$3.70 ฿125
609.46%
Cinema Ticket
$5.56 R$30.49
$6.51 ฿220
-14.59%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Araras
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$414 R$2,270
$727 ฿24.5K
-43.10%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,046 R$38.7K
$16.6K ฿559.0K
-57.49%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Araras
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$51.0 R$280
$53.5 ฿1,806
-4.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$55.8 R$306
$24.80 ฿836
125.12%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$89.2 R$490
$90.4 ฿3,049
-1.29%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$80.0 R$439
$72.0 ฿2,428
11.13%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Araras
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$213 R$1,171
$481 ฿16.2K
-55.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$233 R$1,276
$310 ฿10.5K
-24.98%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$644 R$3,534
$1,058 ฿35.7K
-39.15%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$451 R$2,473
$659 ฿22.2K
-31.58%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,560 R$8,564
$2,418 ฿81.5K
-35.46%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,139 R$6,253
$1,609 ฿54.3K
-29.19%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Araras
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$595 ฿20.1K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.12
5.57
99.64%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Araras: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Araras
$233
Chiang Mai
$310 33.3% $77
Groceries & Markets
Araras
$177
Chiang Mai
$237 33.3% $59
Clothing & Footwear
Araras
$124
Chiang Mai
$108 12.8% $16
Eating Out
Araras
$121
Chiang Mai
$77 36.8% $45
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Araras
$68
Chiang Mai
$94 38.8% $26
Getting Around
Araras
$54
Chiang Mai
$59 8.6% $4.7
Sport & Entertainment
Araras
$54
Chiang Mai
$51 4.9% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $213 in Araras versus $481 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37 in Araras versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $177 in Araras vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Araras wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇧🇷 Araras
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
03:29 3:29 AM
13:29 1:29 PM
10 h ahead of Araras
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
130,866
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.14 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Araras Chiang Mai 16,500 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Araras
  • Chiang Mai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index
Araras vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Araras or Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai costs about 13% more than Araras, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Araras and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,247 per month in Araras and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Araras or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Araras, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $213 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.
How expensive is transport in Araras compared to Chiang Mai?
Public transport costs about 19% less in Araras. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
How do childcare costs compare in Araras and in Chiang Mai?
Kindergarten costs $414 per month in Araras and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Can you live on $800/month in Araras or in Chiang Mai?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $831 in Araras and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Araras – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Araras vs other spots: cost of living compared

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