Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Caruaru and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Caruaru: $611 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Caruaru
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Caruaru Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Caruaru

🇧🇷 Brazil

$611

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $611 in Caruaru versus $935 in Chiang Mai.

Caruaru $611
Chiang Mai $935

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,000 in Caruaru versus $1,467 in Chiang Mai.

Caruaru $1,000
Chiang Mai $1,467

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,388 in Caruaru versus $1,999 in Chiang Mai.

Caruaru $1,388
Chiang Mai $1,999

Living in Caruaru costs roughly 35% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Caruaru 55% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.36 R$29.16

$2.13 ฿71.9

151.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.77 R$151

$18.62 ฿628

49.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.57 R$41.18

$5.60 ฿189

35.18%

Cappuccino

$1.48 R$8.06

$1.66 ฿56.0

-10.84%

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

$0.97 R$5.30

$0.65 ฿21.80

49.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.60 R$3.24

$0.30 ฿10.28

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.55 R$8.41

$2.32 ฿78.3

-33.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 R$12.24

$3.67 ฿124

-38.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 R$5.85

$2.02 ฿67.9

-46.53%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 R$5.59

$1.41 ฿47.45

-26.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.86

$1.39 ฿46.90

-9.35%

Eggs

$1.88 R$10.23

$2.37 ฿79.8

-20.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.19 R$22.76

$16.52 ฿557

-74.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.51 R$24.53

$2.67 ฿90.0

68.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.99 R$38.02

$9.02 ฿304

-22.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.86

$2.40 ฿80.8

-47.50%

Banana (1kg)

$0.91 R$4.95

$1.04 ฿35.09

-12.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.76 R$4.15

$1.66 ฿55.9

-54.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.87

$1.56 ฿52.5

-30.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R$8.13

$1.24 ฿41.71

20.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R$6.43

$1.09 ฿36.62

8.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 R$3.75

$0.76 ฿25.67

-9.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 R$4.17

$0.51 ฿17.33

50.98%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.71 R$14.74

$4.12 ฿139

-34.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.41 R$40.29

$17.93 ฿604

-58.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.57 R$8.52

$1.62 ฿54.7

-3.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 R$11.78

$2.82 ฿95.1

-23.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 R$4.33

$0.93 ฿31.49

-13.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.98 R$136

$52.9 ฿1,782

-52.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 R$5.82

$1.18 ฿39.65

-9.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.82 R$9.88

$0.17 ฿5.78

970.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.88 R$15.68

$1.81 ฿61.1

59.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 R$6.66

$1.47 ฿49.63

-17.01%

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

$21.8K R$118.7K

$21.0K ฿708.1K

3.93%

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

$30.4K R$165.4K

$26.5K ฿893.6K

14.77%

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

$51.8 R$282

$62.6 ฿2,108

-17.15%

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

$7.32 R$39.81

$11.60 ฿391

-36.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.16 R$49.83

$20.30 ฿684

-54.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.86 R$75.4

$37.88 ฿1,277

-63.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.91 R$152

$3.70 ฿125

654.32%

Cinema Ticket

$6.75 R$36.72

$6.51 ฿219

3.69%

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

$102 R$556

$727 ฿24.5K

-85.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,162 R$33.5K

$16.6K ฿558.5K

-62.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.72 R$200

$53.5 ฿1,804

-31.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.83 R$249

$24.80 ฿836

84.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.4 R$443

$90.4 ฿3,046

-9.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.0 R$326

$72.0 ฿2,425

-16.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$152 R$825

$481 ฿16.2K

-68.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$119 R$645

$310 ฿10.4K

-61.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$329 R$1,787

$1,058 ฿35.7K

-68.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 R$1,280

$659 ฿22.2K

-64.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$238 R$1,296

$595 ฿20.0K

-59.92%

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 Caruaru: October 31, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Caruaru

$156 25.5%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 51.9% $81

Accommodation & Living

Caruaru

$119 19.4%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 161% $191

Eating Out

Caruaru

$102 16.7%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 24.9% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Caruaru

$101 16.5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 7.5% $7.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Caruaru

$68 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 38.3% $26

Getting Around

Caruaru

$38 6.3%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 53.1% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Caruaru

$27 4.5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 86% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $152 in Caruaru and $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $28 in Caruaru vs $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $156 vs $237, with Caruaru cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Caruaru

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:12 9:12 AM

19:12 7:12 PM

10 h ahead of Caruaru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

377,911

127,240

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.09 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Caruaru Chiang Mai 15,020 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Caruaru
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

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

Total monthly costs including rent come to $611 in Caruaru and $935 in Chiang Mai, so Caruaru is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 60% lower in Caruaru. 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: $152 in Caruaru versus $481 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $102 in Caruaru versus $727 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 52% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Caruaru 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.

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