Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Castanhal and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Castanhal: $879 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $550 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Castanhal
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Castanhal Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Castanhal

🇧🇷 Brazil

$879

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $879 in Castanhal versus $925 in Chiang Mai.

Castanhal $879
Chiang Mai $925

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,407 in Castanhal versus $1,414 in Chiang Mai.

Castanhal $1,407
Chiang Mai $1,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,936 in Castanhal versus $1,903 in Chiang Mai.

Castanhal $1,936
Chiang Mai $1,903

Living in Castanhal costs roughly 5% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Castanhal 35% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.18 R$31.34

$2.29 ฿76.5

169.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.20 R$163

$19.64 ฿656

63.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.74 R$39.25

$5.61 ฿188

37.97%

Cappuccino

$2.09 R$10.59

$1.66 ฿55.6

25.90%

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

$1.34 R$6.79

$0.70 ฿23.40

91.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.12

$0.31 ฿10.24

161.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 R$10.21

$2.41 ฿80.4

-16.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 R$14.88

$3.71 ฿124

-20.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.01 R$5.13

$1.95 ฿65.3

-48.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.71 R$8.67

$1.41 ฿47.03

21.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.30 R$6.60

$1.31 ฿43.62

-0.76%

Eggs

$2.16 R$10.95

$2.18 ฿72.9

-0.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.34 R$47.34

$16.65 ฿556

-43.90%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.18 R$21.20

$2.76 ฿92.2

51.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.34 R$42.29

$9.11 ฿304

-8.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.22 R$11.26

$2.39 ฿80.0

-7.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.43

$1.03 ฿34.26

23.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.24

$1.63 ฿54.4

-24.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 R$8.14

$1.50 ฿50.0

7.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.21

$1.29 ฿43.13

-4.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.12 R$5.69

$1.11 ฿37.03

0.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.83 R$4.21

$0.72 ฿24.08

15.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.11

$0.53 ฿17.59

52.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.47 R$12.53

$4.31 ฿144

-42.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.14 R$41.24

$17.95 ฿600

-54.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.28 R$6.48

$1.58 ฿52.9

-18.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 R$10.54

$2.84 ฿95.0

-26.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 R$5.08

$0.86 ฿28.86

16.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.66 R$221

$53.3 ฿1,780

-18.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 R$6.48

$1.21 ฿40.29

5.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R$4.66

$0.57 ฿18.99

61.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.96 R$40.34

$2.35 ฿78.6

238.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 R$6.41

$1.44 ฿47.96

-12.50%

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

$24.0K R$121.8K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

15.93%

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

$33.3K R$168.6K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

24.09%

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

$77.1 R$391

$62.3 ฿2,083

23.73%

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

$12.19 R$61.8

$12.11 ฿405

0.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.78 R$105

$19.94 ฿666

4.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.24 R$133

$37.07 ฿1,239

-29.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.03 R$142

$3.78 ฿126

641.53%

Cinema Ticket

$7.37 R$37.38

$6.50 ฿217

13.38%

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

$285 R$1,445

$793 ฿26.5K

-64.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,284 R$36.9K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-50.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 R$279

$53.7 ฿1,796

2.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.8 R$258

$24.62 ฿823

106.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 R$463

$90.9 ฿3,036

0.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.0 R$370

$71.1 ฿2,378

2.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$358 R$1,817

$455 ฿15.2K

-21.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$238 R$1,206

$298 ฿9,954

-20.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$685 R$3,475

$908 ฿30.4K

-24.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$481 R$2,437

$554 ฿18.5K

-13.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,704 R$8,639

$1,931 ฿64.5K

-11.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,188 R$6,021

$1,445 ฿48.3K

-17.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

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 Castanhal: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Castanhal

$238 27.1%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 25.2% $60

Groceries & Markets

Castanhal

$192 21.9%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 22.3% $43

Eating Out

Castanhal

$122 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 35.7% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Castanhal

$122 13.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 11% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Castanhal

$110 12.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 14.3% $16

Getting Around

Castanhal

$54 6.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 13.5% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Castanhal

$41 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 22.1% $9.1

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $358 in Castanhal and $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $32.00 in Castanhal vs $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $192 vs $235, with Castanhal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Castanhal

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

16:33 4:33 PM

02:33 2:33 AM

10 h ahead of Castanhal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

192,256

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 22, 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 22, 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

Castanhal Chiang Mai 15,920 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Castanhal
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

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

Castanhal wins on cost – living expenses run 5% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Castanhal the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $1,318 in Castanhal and $1,388 in Chiang Mai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $358 in Castanhal versus $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Castanhal – a meal for two runs $32.00 versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $879 per month in Castanhal versus $925 in Chiang Mai – a 5% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $879 in Castanhal versus $925 in Chiang Mai, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Castanhal but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Castanhal the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Castanhal delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $879 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Castanhal hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Castanhal 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 Castanhal gentler on the wallet – expenses run 5% less than in Chiang Mai. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.