Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barretos and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Barretos: $845 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Barretos
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Barretos Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Barretos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$845

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $845 per month in Barretos vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Barretos $845
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,367 per month in Barretos vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Barretos $1,367
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,889 per month in Barretos vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Barretos $1,889
Chiang Mai $1,914

Barretos is about 10% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Barretos and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Barretos 37% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.01 R$35.52

$2.26 ฿75.4

210.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.95 R$121

$19.18 ฿641

24.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.09 R$30.86

$5.59 ฿187

8.94%

Cappuccino

$1.57 R$7.98

$1.72 ฿57.6

-8.72%

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

$1.34 R$6.81

$0.64 ฿21.54

109.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 R$2.89

$0.33 ฿11.18

72.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 R$12.56

$2.36 ฿78.7

5.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 R$15.02

$3.90 ฿130

-24.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 R$5.22

$2.05 ฿68.6

-49.76%

White Bread (500g)

$2.07 R$10.52

$1.40 ฿46.70

47.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 R$7.00

$1.28 ฿42.89

7.81%

Eggs

$2.58 R$13.10

$2.25 ฿75.3

14.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.95 R$55.5

$16.94 ฿566

-35.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.92 R$24.93

$2.74 ฿91.6

79.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.63 R$53.9

$9.36 ฿313

13.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.41 R$12.21

$2.40 ฿80.3

0.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 R$8.74

$1.01 ฿33.92

70.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 R$8.06

$1.61 ฿53.9

-1.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.12

$1.52 ฿50.7

-7.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 R$6.60

$1.28 ฿42.90

1.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.10

$1.11 ฿37.22

8.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 R$4.77

$0.72 ฿24.09

30.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.83 R$4.19

$0.52 ฿17.54

59.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.48 R$12.56

$4.33 ฿145

-42.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.99 R$40.51

$17.73 ฿593

-54.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.55 R$7.86

$1.63 ฿54.4

-4.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 R$13.18

$2.85 ฿95.3

-8.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 R$4.98

$0.85 ฿28.31

15.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.46 R$236

$53.9 ฿1,801

-13.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.19 R$6.02

$1.17 ฿39.18

1.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 R$3.87

$0.57 ฿19.00

33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.64 R$43.80

$2.37 ฿79.2

264.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.00 R$5.06

$1.45 ฿48.32

-31.03%

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

$23.5K R$119.2K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

14.81%

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

$31.9K R$161.9K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

20.44%

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

$30.25 R$153

$62.3 ฿2,083

-51.47%

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

$6.04 R$30.62

$12.27 ฿410

-50.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.91 R$80.7

$19.97 ฿668

-20.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.93 R$126

$37.91 ฿1,267

-34.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.30 R$143

$3.76 ฿126

652.66%

Cinema Ticket

$8.01 R$40.60

$6.71 ฿224

19.37%

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

$435 R$2,206

$797 ฿26.6K

-45.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K R$56.2K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-25.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.2 R$335

$53.3 ฿1,780

24.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.73 R$120

$25.05 ฿837

-5.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.8 R$450

$91.6 ฿3,062

-3.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.8 R$354

$73.5 ฿2,455

-5.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 R$1,739

$464 ฿15.5K

-26.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$245 R$1,242

$305 ฿10.2K

-19.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$715 R$3,625

$915 ฿30.6K

-21.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$492 R$2,494

$552 ฿18.5K

-10.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,620 R$8,215

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-15.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,235 R$6,259

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-14.15%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$569 R$2,883

$595 ฿19.9K

-4.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.81

5.57

94.08%

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

Last update for Barretos: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Barretos

$245 29%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 24.4% $60

Groceries & Markets

Barretos

$221 26.1%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 7.7% $17

Eating Out

Barretos

$119 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 33.7% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Barretos

$112 13.2%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 2% $2.3

Getting Around

Barretos

$55 6.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 10.7% $5.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barretos

$52 6.2%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 81.2% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Barretos

$41 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 25.4% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $343 in Barretos versus $464 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.

Salaries run about 5% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Barretos versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $221 in Barretos vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Barretos wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Barretos

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

08:49 8:49 AM

18:49 6:49 PM

10 h ahead of Barretos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

122,485

127,240

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Barretos Chiang Mai 16,620 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Barretos
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $845 in Barretos, $938 in Chiang Mai – roughly 11% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,268 per month in Barretos and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Barretos, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24.00 in Barretos and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $845 in Barretos and $938 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 11%.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Barretos, where all-in costs run around $845, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Barretos it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $845 in Barretos to $938 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Barretos. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.