Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Araras

For one person, living is cheaper in Araras: $831 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Araras
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Araras Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Araras

🇧🇷 Brazil

$831

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $831 in Araras, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Araras $831

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,358 in Araras, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Araras $1,358

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,884 in Araras, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Araras $1,884

Chiang Mai costs about 13% more than Araras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Araras are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Araras 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$5.27 R$28.94

-59.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$36.99 R$203

-49.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$8.21 R$45.06

-31.79%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$2.05 R$11.26

-19.02%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$1.58 R$8.66

-58.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$1.13 R$6.20

-73.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$2.19 R$12.00

5.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$4.02 R$22.04

-8.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$0.95 R$5.23

112.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$1.50 R$8.23

-6.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$0.72 R$3.95

93.06%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$1.89 R$10.38

25.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$8.57 R$47.02

92.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$4.11 R$22.55

-35.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$9.99 R$54.8

-9.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$2.25 R$12.34

6.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$1.17 R$6.40

-11.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.70 R$3.86

137.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$1.77 R$9.69

-11.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$0.75 R$4.12

65.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$0.68 R$3.72

60.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.90 R$4.95

-15.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$0.45 R$2.48

13.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$2.54 R$13.95

62.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$8.16 R$44.76

119.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$0.62 R$3.42

161.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$2.18 R$11.95

29.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

$0.93 R$5.12

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

$42.62 R$234

24.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$1.20 R$6.61

-1.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$1.29 R$7.06

-86.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$9.00 R$49.38

-79.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$0.97 R$5.33

51.55%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$22.2K R$121.8K

-5.33%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$29.9K R$163.9K

-11.23%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$37.59 R$206

66.43%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$13.23 R$72.6

-12.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$17.24 R$94.6

17.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$42.43 R$233

-10.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$26.25 R$144

-85.90%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$5.56 R$30.49

17.09%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$414 R$2,270

75.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$7,046 R$38.7K

135.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$51.0 R$280

5.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$55.8 R$306

-55.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$89.2 R$490

1.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$80.0 R$439

-10.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$213 R$1,171

125.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$233 R$1,276

33.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$644 R$3,534

64.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$451 R$2,473

46.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$1,560 R$8,564

54.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$1,139 R$6,253

41.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.12

-49.91%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Araras: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Araras

$233 28% 25% $77

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Araras

$177 21.4% 25% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Araras

$124 15% 14.7% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Araras

$68 8.2% 28% $26

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Araras

$121 14.6% 58.3% $45

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Araras

$54 6.5% 8% $4.7

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Araras

$54 6.4% 5.2% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $213 in Araras. 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 $37 in Araras. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $177 in Araras – so Araras wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Araras

🕒 Local time

13:42 1:42 PM

03:42 3:42 AM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

130,866

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.14 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Araras 16,500 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Araras

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 Araras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 13% more than Araras, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,247 in Araras. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Araras, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $213 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Public transport costs about 19% less in Araras. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $414 in Araras. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $831 in Araras. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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