Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cabo Frio and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Cabo Frio: $625 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Cabo Frio
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Cabo Frio Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Cabo Frio

🇧🇷 Brazil

$625

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $625 per month in Cabo Frio vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cabo Frio $625
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,031 per month in Cabo Frio vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cabo Frio $1,031
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,438 per month in Cabo Frio vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cabo Frio $1,438
Chiang Mai $1,999

Cabo Frio is about 33% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Cabo Frio and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Cabo Frio 54% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.58 R$30.63

$2.13 ฿72.0

161.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.85 R$153

$18.62 ฿628

49.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.46 R$35.46

$5.60 ฿189

15.36%

Cappuccino

$1.62 R$8.90

$1.66 ฿56.1

-2.41%

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

$1.26 R$6.91

$0.65 ฿21.82

93.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 R$2.75

$0.30 ฿10.29

66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.13 R$6.20

$2.32 ฿78.3

-51.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.79 R$9.84

$3.67 ฿124

-51.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.77 R$4.22

$2.02 ฿68.0

-61.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 R$7.72

$1.41 ฿47.49

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.76 R$4.19

$1.39 ฿46.94

-45.32%

Eggs

$1.43 R$7.85

$2.37 ฿79.9

-39.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.20 R$39.49

$16.52 ฿557

-56.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.18 R$17.47

$2.67 ฿90.1

19.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.19 R$50.4

$9.02 ฿304

1.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 R$9.71

$2.40 ฿80.9

-26.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.10 R$6.06

$1.04 ฿35.12

5.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.90 R$4.95

$1.66 ฿56.0

-45.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.18 R$6.50

$1.56 ฿52.6

-24.36%

Potato (1kg)

$0.64 R$3.51

$1.24 ฿41.75

-48.39%

Onion (1kg)

$0.75 R$4.14

$1.09 ฿36.65

-31.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.53 R$2.92

$0.76 ฿25.70

-30.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 R$2.94

$0.51 ฿17.34

5.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.50 R$8.21

$4.12 ฿139

-63.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.50 R$30.20

$17.93 ฿605

-69.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 R$4.81

$1.62 ฿54.8

-45.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.32 R$7.24

$2.82 ฿95.2

-53.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.25 R$6.87

$0.93 ฿31.52

34.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$74.7 R$410

$52.9 ฿1,784

41.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.68

$1.18 ฿39.69

3.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 R$4.00

$0.17 ฿5.78

329.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.24 R$39.72

$1.81 ฿61.1

300.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.08 R$5.91

$1.47 ฿49.67

-26.53%

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

$19.7K R$108.2K

$21.0K ฿708.7K

-6.17%

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

$28.6K R$156.8K

$26.5K ฿894.4K

7.77%

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

$54.1 R$297

$62.6 ฿2,110

-13.55%

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

$7.04 R$38.66

$11.60 ฿391

-39.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.74 R$69.9

$20.30 ฿685

-37.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.35 R$112

$37.88 ฿1,278

-46.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$4.39 R$24.10

$6.51 ฿220

-32.57%

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

$135 R$740

$727 ฿24.5K

-81.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,436 R$13.4K

$16.6K ฿559.0K

-85.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.09 R$231

$53.5 ฿1,806

-21.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.34 R$205

$24.80 ฿836

50.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.9 R$285

$90.4 ฿3,049

-42.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.49 R$244

$72.0 ฿2,428

-38.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$418 R$2,295

$481 ฿16.2K

-13.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$108 R$594

$310 ฿10.5K

-65.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$611 R$3,355

$1,058 ฿35.7K

-42.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$262 R$1,439

$659 ฿22.2K

-60.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$256 R$1,407

$595 ฿20.1K

-56.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.67

5.57

91.56%

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

Last update for Cabo Frio: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cabo Frio

$151 24.1%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 57.1% $86

Accommodation & Living

Cabo Frio

$108 17.3%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 186% $202

Eating Out

Cabo Frio

$100 16%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 23.2% $23

Getting Around

Cabo Frio

$85 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 30.6% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Cabo Frio

$79 12.7%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 36.9% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cabo Frio

$74 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 27.9% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Cabo Frio

$29 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 74.7% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $418 in Cabo Frio 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.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $28 in Cabo Frio versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $151 in Cabo Frio vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Cabo Frio wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Cabo Frio

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:38 6:38 AM

16:38 4:38 PM

10 h ahead of Cabo Frio

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

222,161

127,240

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 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 = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Cabo Frio Chiang Mai 15,950 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Cabo Frio
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

Cabo Frio vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 50%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $938 per month in Cabo Frio and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cabo Frio, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $418 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $625 in Cabo Frio and $935 in Chiang Mai. That makes Cabo Frio about 33% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 29% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Families tend to lean toward Cabo Frio – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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