Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Arapiraca

For one person, living is cheaper in Arapiraca: $883 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $640 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Arapiraca
Learn more

Arapiraca Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Arapiraca

🇧🇷 Brazil

$883

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Arapiraca actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $883 in Arapiraca, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Arapiraca $883

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,384 in Arapiraca, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Arapiraca $1,384

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,885 in Arapiraca, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Arapiraca $1,885

Chiang Mai costs about 6% more than Arapiraca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Arapiraca are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Arapiraca 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$5.24 R$28.50

-57.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$35.66 R$194

-46.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$9.47 R$51.5

-41.39%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.43 R$13.23

-31.28%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$1.02 R$5.54

-37.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.60 R$3.26

-48.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.52 R$8.24

55.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.02 R$16.41

21.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.35 R$7.33

44.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$1.50 R$8.15

-4.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.54 R$8.37

-13.64%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.75 R$9.50

30.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$6.70 R$36.41

145.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$4.11 R$22.36

-32.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.36 R$40.00

26.49%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.33 R$7.23

76.69%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$1.24 R$6.75

-21.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.74 R$4.01

116.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.19 R$6.48

26.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$1.33 R$7.24

-3.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$1.00 R$5.43

10.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$0.45 R$2.43

57.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.83 R$4.50

-40.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.65 R$8.99

150.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$7.55 R$41.08

132.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.09 R$5.93

47.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.47 R$7.98

89.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.82 R$4.46

6.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$43.60 R$237

24.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$1.14 R$6.18

1.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$0.73 R$3.95

-27.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$3.19 R$17.35

-24.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.26 R$6.83

15.08%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$21.8K R$118.7K

-3.50%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$31.9K R$173.4K

-15.52%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$109 R$593

-42.96%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$12.43 R$67.6

-2.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$16.63 R$90.4

20.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$23.87 R$130

56.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$21.95 R$119

-82.82%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.64 R$36.09

-2.26%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$257 R$1,397

186.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$11.0K R$59.6K

34.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$42.31 R$230

26.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$47.42 R$258

-48.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$70.5 R$383

29.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$76.1 R$414

-5.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$293 R$1,592

64.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$262 R$1,425

17.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$636 R$3,457

58.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$499 R$2,715

26.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,800 R$9,789

31.25%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,158 R$6,294

37.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.75

-52.60%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Arapiraca: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Arapiraca

$262 29.7% 15.2% $47

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Arapiraca

$169 19.1% 28.1% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Arapiraca

$106 12% 2.1% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Arapiraca

$138 15.6% 46.1% $44

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Arapiraca

$120 13.5% 54.2% $42

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Arapiraca

$52 5.9% 15.8% $9.7

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Arapiraca

$37 4.2% 26.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $293 in Arapiraca. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $36 in Arapiraca. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $169 in Arapiraca – so Arapiraca wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Arapiraca

🕒 Local time

12:43 12:43 PM

02:43 2:43 AM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

234,696

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Arapiraca 15,140 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Arapiraca

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 Arapiraca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai, $883 in Arapiraca – Arapiraca comes out roughly 6% 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 $1,325 in Arapiraca. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Arapiraca, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $293 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $257 in Arapiraca. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% 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 $883 in Arapiraca, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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