Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Braga and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,570 in Braga, rent and utilities included – about $7,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

76

Cost of Living Index in Braga
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Braga Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Braga

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,570

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,570 in Braga versus $938 in Chiang Mai.

Braga $1,570
Chiang Mai $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,246 in Braga versus $1,426 in Chiang Mai.

Braga $2,246
Chiang Mai $1,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,921 in Braga versus $1,914 in Chiang Mai.

Braga $2,921
Chiang Mai $1,914

Living in Braga is roughly 67% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Braga is 16% above, Chiang Mai is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.05 €9.83

$2.26 ฿75.4

388.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$47.37 €42.13

$19.18 ฿641

146.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.96 €7.97

$5.59 ฿187

60.29%

Cappuccino

$1.86 €1.65

$1.72 ฿57.6

8.14%

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

$2.15 €1.91

$0.64 ฿21.54

235.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.08

$0.33 ฿11.18

269.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.29 €2.92

$2.36 ฿78.7

39.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 €2.04

$3.90 ฿130

-41.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 €0.97

$2.05 ฿68.6

-46.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.13 €1.89

$1.40 ฿46.70

52.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 €1.55

$1.28 ฿42.89

35.94%

Eggs

$3.40 €3.03

$2.25 ฿75.3

51.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.33 €8.30

$16.94 ฿566

-44.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.64 €6.79

$2.74 ฿91.6

178.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.14 €13.47

$9.36 ฿313

61.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 €2.12

$2.40 ฿80.3

-0.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 €1.20

$1.01 ฿33.92

33.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.85 €1.64

$1.61 ฿53.9

14.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.54

$1.52 ฿50.7

87.50%

Potato (1kg)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.28 ฿42.90

56.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.65

$1.11 ฿37.22

66.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.21 €1.08

$0.72 ฿24.09

68.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.85

$0.52 ฿17.54

82.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.53 €5.81

$4.33 ฿145

50.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.39 €3.91

$17.73 ฿593

-75.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 €1.11

$1.63 ฿54.4

-23.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 €1.43

$2.85 ฿95.3

-43.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.68 €1.50

$0.85 ฿28.31

97.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.51 €20.03

$53.9 ฿1,801

-58.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.21 €3.74

$1.17 ฿39.18

259.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.74 €1.55

$0.57 ฿19.00

205.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.53 €14.71

$2.37 ฿79.2

597.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.45 ฿48.32

50.34%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

64.96%

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

$38.6K €34.4K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

45.66%

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

$109 €96.7

$62.3 ฿2,083

74.36%

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

$17.16 €15.26

$12.27 ฿410

39.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.94 €40.86

$19.97 ฿668

130.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.03 €39.17

$37.91 ฿1,267

16.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.00 €11.56

$3.76 ฿126

245.74%

Cinema Ticket

$9.17 €8.16

$6.71 ฿224

36.66%

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

$330 €293

$797 ฿26.6K

-58.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,772 €8,692

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-34.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.2 €58.0

$53.3 ฿1,780

22.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.54 €32.50

$25.05 ฿837

45.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.1 €74.8

$91.6 ฿3,062

-8.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.7 €86.9

$73.5 ฿2,455

32.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 €805

$464 ฿15.5K

94.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$744 €662

$305 ฿10.2K

144.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,408 €1,252

$915 ฿30.6K

53.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,048 €933

$552 ฿18.5K

89.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,496 €2,220

$1,912 ฿63.9K

30.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,865 €1,659

$1,438 ฿48.1K

29.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,273 €1,132

$595 ฿19.9K

113.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.55

5.57

-36.27%

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

Last update for Braga: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Braga

$744 47.4%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 59% $439

Groceries & Markets

Braga

$250 15.9%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 4.9% $12

Eating Out

Braga

$172 11%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 54.1% $93

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Braga

$172 10.9%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 44.9% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Braga

$128 8.1%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 14.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Braga

$62 4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 17.7% $11

Getting Around

Braga

$42 2.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 45.4% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $905 in Braga and $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Braga pays 114% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $47.00 in Braga vs $19.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $250 vs $238 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Braga

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

08:03 8:03 AM

6 h ahead of Braga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

193,349

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Braga Chiang Mai 10,000 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Braga
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

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

Braga and Chiang Mai differ by about 67% in total monthly costs ($1,570 vs $938 including rent). Chiang Mai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 114% higher in Braga, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $905 in Braga versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $330 in Braga versus $797 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 5% higher in Braga. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $938 in Chiang Mai versus $1,570 in Braga, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Braga. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

Safety-wise, Braga and Chiang Mai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 67% less than in Braga. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.