Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Aracatuba

For one person, living is cheaper in Aracatuba: $793 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in Aracatuba
Learn more

Aracatuba Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Aracatuba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$793

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Aracatuba

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in Aracatuba actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $793 in Aracatuba, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Aracatuba $793

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,265 in Aracatuba, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Aracatuba $1,265

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,737 in Aracatuba, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Aracatuba $1,737

Chiang Mai costs about 18% more than Aracatuba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Aracatuba are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Aracatuba 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$3.70 R$19.77

-39.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$18.45 R$98.7

2.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$6.50 R$34.74

-14.62%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.28 R$6.83

30.47%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.93 R$4.99

-31.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.68 R$3.61

-54.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.09 R$5.83

116.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.90 R$10.18

92.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.89 R$4.75

119.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.55 R$8.29

-7.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.22 R$6.50

9.02%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.19 R$11.73

4.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$9.28 R$49.64

77.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.22 R$22.56

-34.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.36 R$44.72

11.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.53 R$13.51

-7.11%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.26 R$6.74

-23.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.48 R$7.92

8.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.87 R$10.02

-19.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.27 R$6.78

0.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.97 R$5.21

13.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.06 R$5.68

-33.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.88 R$4.72

-44.32%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.30 R$12.30

80.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$8.61 R$46.01

103.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.19 R$6.39

35.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.82 R$9.73

52.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.98 R$5.23

-11.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$48.13 R$257

12.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.34 R$7.15

-13.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.28 R$6.86

-58.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$7.36 R$39.37

-67.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.16 R$6.19

25.00%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$21.8K R$116.6K

-3.40%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$29.5K R$157.5K

-8.55%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$76.6 R$410

-18.86%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$11.24 R$60.1

8.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$17.52 R$93.7

14.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$25.68 R$137

45.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$22.41 R$120

-83.18%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.70 R$30.46

13.86%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$194 R$1,037

279.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$7,323 R$39.2K

101.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$46.76 R$250

14.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$38.00 R$203

-35.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$79.9 R$427

14.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$51.2 R$273

40.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$305 R$1,629

58.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$218 R$1,167

41.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$710 R$3,794

41.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$492 R$2,631

28.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,539 R$8,228

53.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,226 R$6,555

29.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$349 R$1,868

68.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

12.38

-55.01%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Aracatuba: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Aracatuba

$218 27.5% 29.3% $91

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Aracatuba

$195 24.6% 16.8% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Aracatuba

$97 12.3% 10.6% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Aracatuba

$105 13.3% 11.6% $11

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Aracatuba

$80 10.1% 3.2% $2.5

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Aracatuba

$60 7.5% 2.6% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Aracatuba

$37 4.7% 26.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $305 in Aracatuba. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 69% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $18 in Aracatuba. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $195 – making Aracatuba the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Aracatuba

🕒 Local time

07:14 7:14 AM

21:14 9:14 PM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

200,124

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Aracatuba 16,810 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Aracatuba

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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai, $793 in Aracatuba – Aracatuba comes out roughly 15% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,189 in Aracatuba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Aracatuba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $305 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $194 in Aracatuba. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $793 in Aracatuba, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Aracatuba – 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 Aracatuba. 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.