Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Araxa and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Araxa: $828 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Araxa
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Araxa Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Araxa

🇧🇷 Brazil

$828

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Araxa 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 Araxa and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $828 in Araxa versus $935 in Chiang Mai.

Araxa $828
Chiang Mai $935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,316 in Araxa versus $1,467 in Chiang Mai.

Araxa $1,316
Chiang Mai $1,467

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,805 in Araxa versus $1,999 in Chiang Mai.

Araxa $1,805
Chiang Mai $1,999

Living in Araxa costs roughly 12% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Araxa 39% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.52 R$30.28

$2.13 ฿71.4

159.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.28 R$166

$18.62 ฿623

62.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.24 R$39.72

$5.60 ฿187

29.29%

Cappuccino

$1.84 R$10.10

$1.66 ฿55.6

10.84%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 R$6.62

$0.65 ฿21.63

86.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.69 R$3.81

$0.30 ฿10.20

130.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.84 R$10.08

$2.32 ฿77.7

-20.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 R$15.51

$3.67 ฿123

-22.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 R$5.48

$2.02 ฿67.4

-50.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.59 R$8.72

$1.41 ฿47.08

12.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 R$6.53

$1.39 ฿46.54

-14.39%

Eggs

$1.98 R$10.85

$2.37 ฿79.2

-16.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.70 R$47.73

$16.52 ฿552

-47.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.13 R$22.65

$2.67 ฿89.3

54.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.77 R$42.66

$9.02 ฿302

-13.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.11 R$11.57

$2.40 ฿80.2

-12.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.19 R$6.53

$1.04 ฿34.82

14.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 R$6.21

$1.66 ฿55.5

-31.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 R$8.19

$1.56 ฿52.1

-4.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.24

$1.24 ฿41.39

-8.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 R$5.50

$1.09 ฿36.34

-8.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 R$3.98

$0.76 ฿25.47

-3.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 R$3.98

$0.51 ฿17.19

41.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.30 R$12.61

$4.12 ฿138

-44.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.27 R$39.89

$17.93 ฿600

-59.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 R$6.70

$1.62 ฿54.3

-24.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 R$10.80

$2.82 ฿94.4

-30.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 R$5.01

$0.93 ฿31.25

-2.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.36 R$232

$52.9 ฿1,769

-19.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 R$6.81

$1.18 ฿39.35

5.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 R$4.65

$0.17 ฿5.73

400.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.61 R$41.75

$1.81 ฿60.6

320.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 R$6.67

$1.47 ฿49.25

-17.01%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$22.1K R$121.4K

$21.0K ฿702.6K

5.26%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$31.4K R$172.2K

$26.5K ฿886.7K

18.36%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$71.7 R$393

$62.6 ฿2,092

14.58%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$11.48 R$63.0

$11.60 ฿388

-1.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.98 R$110

$20.30 ฿679

-1.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.09 R$132

$37.88 ฿1,267

-36.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.10 R$143

$3.70 ฿124

605.41%

Cinema Ticket

$6.85 R$37.61

$6.51 ฿218

5.22%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$257 R$1,411

$727 ฿24.3K

-64.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,762 R$37.1K

$16.6K ฿554.2K

-59.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.9 R$279

$53.5 ฿1,790

-5.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.24 R$254

$24.80 ฿829

86.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.3 R$463

$90.4 ฿3,023

-6.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$65.8 R$361

$72.0 ฿2,407

-8.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$337 R$1,848

$481 ฿16.1K

-30.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 R$1,282

$310 ฿10.4K

-24.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$626 R$3,437

$1,058 ฿35.4K

-40.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$455 R$2,498

$659 ฿22.0K

-30.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,554 R$8,528

$2,418 ฿80.8K

-35.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,151 R$6,317

$1,609 ฿53.8K

-28.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$228 R$1,249

$595 ฿19.9K

-61.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

97.49%

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

Last update for Araxa: 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

Araxa

$234 28.2%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 32.7% $76

Groceries & Markets

Araxa

$180 21.7%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 31.6% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Araxa

$111 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 2.6% $2.9

Eating Out

Araxa

$110 13.3%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 30.6% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Araxa

$103 12.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 8.4% $8.7

Getting Around

Araxa

$51 6.2%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 13.9% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Araxa

$38 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 34.7% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $337 in Araxa and $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays about 2.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Araxa vs $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $180 vs $237, with Araxa cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Araxa

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:26 9:26 AM

19:26 7:26 PM

10 h ahead of Araxa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

111,691

127,240

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.16 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Araxa Chiang Mai 16,440 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Araxa
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

Araxa vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Araxa wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Araxa the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 62% lower in Araxa. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $337 in Araxa versus $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $828 per month in Araxa versus $935 in Chiang Mai – Araxa is about 12% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Araxa runs roughly 20% less than in Chiang Mai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Araxa is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Araxa wins on affordability, Chiang Mai on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.