Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasilia and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in Brasilia and in Chiang Mai: $916 and $936 a month, rent and utilities included.

44

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$916

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $916 in Brasilia versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Brasilia $916
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,514 in Brasilia versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Brasilia $1,514
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,112 in Brasilia versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Brasilia $2,112
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Brasilia costs roughly 2% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasilia 33% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.44 R$45.15

$2.24 ฿75.7

276.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.71 R$196

$19.00 ฿642

93.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.98 R$42.72

$5.55 ฿188

43.78%

Cappuccino

$2.53 R$13.51

$1.67 ฿56.6

51.50%

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

$1.42 R$7.60

$0.64 ฿21.56

121.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.00 R$5.36

$0.31 ฿10.32

222.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.20 R$11.77

$2.36 ฿79.6

-6.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 R$20.10

$3.66 ฿124

2.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.45

$1.95 ฿65.8

-47.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.95 R$10.45

$1.44 ฿48.51

35.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.64

$1.33 ฿45.07

-6.77%

Eggs

$2.27 R$12.17

$2.28 ฿77.1

-0.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.17 R$59.8

$16.45 ฿556

-32.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.86 R$20.68

$2.78 ฿94.0

38.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.58 R$45.90

$9.31 ฿314

-7.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.31 R$12.34

$2.35 ฿79.5

-1.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 R$7.38

$0.97 ฿32.82

42.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.73

$1.60 ฿53.9

-21.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 R$8.14

$1.50 ฿50.7

1.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 R$5.95

$1.28 ฿43.15

-13.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.98 R$5.22

$1.10 ฿37.22

-10.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 R$4.04

$0.71 ฿23.84

7.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 R$5.00

$0.49 ฿16.38

89.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.36 R$12.65

$4.14 ฿140

-43.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.67 R$41.04

$17.52 ฿592

-56.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 R$6.64

$1.61 ฿54.5

-22.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 R$12.60

$2.78 ฿94.0

-15.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.73 R$3.90

$0.87 ฿29.33

-16.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.76 R$159

$54.1 ฿1,827

-44.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.01 R$5.43

$1.16 ฿39.08

-12.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 R$4.59

$0.53 ฿17.82

62.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.77 R$30.89

$2.42 ฿81.8

138.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 R$6.68

$1.45 ฿48.93

-13.79%

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

$22.0K R$117.5K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

4.24%

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

$31.9K R$170.4K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

18.23%

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

$92.1 R$493

$62.2 ฿2,100

48.17%

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

$11.85 R$63.4

$12.17 ฿411

-2.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.93 R$112

$20.12 ฿680

4.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.47 R$163

$37.31 ฿1,260

-18.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.29 R$141

$3.77 ฿127

597.35%

Cinema Ticket

$7.46 R$39.95

$6.49 ฿219

14.95%

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

$764 R$4,091

$736 ฿24.9K

3.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.7K R$84.1K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

6.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.6 R$282

$53.4 ฿1,802

-1.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.10 R$225

$24.64 ฿832

70.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 R$425

$91.5 ฿3,089

-13.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.6 R$447

$71.9 ฿2,429

16.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$517 R$2,767

$482 ฿16.3K

7.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$242 R$1,292

$309 ฿10.4K

-21.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 R$6,188

$1,006 ฿34.0K

14.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$580 R$3,102

$633 ฿21.4K

-8.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,398 R$12.8K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

1.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,678 R$8,979

$1,589 ฿53.7K

5.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$784 R$4,197

$590 ฿19.9K

33.00%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.12

5.57

117.59%

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

Last update for Brasilia: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasilia

$242 26.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 27.9% $67

Groceries & Markets

Brasilia

$201 21.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 16.9% $34

Eating Out

Brasilia

$150 16.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 48.3% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasilia

$125 13.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 24.4% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Brasilia

$116 12.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 6.3% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Brasilia

$45 5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 10.7% $4.9

Getting Around

Brasilia

$38 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 61.6% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $517 in Brasilia and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 33% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $37 in Brasilia vs $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $201 vs $234, with Brasilia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:00 9:00 AM

19:00 7:00 PM

10 h ahead of Brasilia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,817,381 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.96 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Brasilia Chiang Mai 16,490 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Brasilia
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

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

Brasilia and Chiang Mai differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($916 vs $936 including rent). Brasilia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 33% higher in Brasilia, 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: $517 in Brasilia versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $37 in Brasilia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $916 per month in Brasilia versus $936 in Chiang Mai – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Brasilia gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.