Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Assis

For one person, living is cheaper in Assis: $820 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Assis
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Assis Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Assis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$820

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $820 in Assis.

Chiang Mai $936
Assis $820

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $1,324 in Assis.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Assis $1,324

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $1,828 in Assis.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Assis $1,828

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 14% more expensive than in Assis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Assis 40% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$8.58 R$45.89

-73.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$37.19 R$199

-48.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$5.53 R$29.56

0.36%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.63 R$8.72

2.45%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.93 R$4.98

-31.18%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.71 R$3.78

-56.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.14 R$6.11

107.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.82 R$9.75

101.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.89 R$4.75

119.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.32 R$7.03

9.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.16 R$6.19

14.66%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.41 R$7.53

61.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$6.96 R$37.19

136.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.28 R$22.88

-35.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.94 R$42.48

17.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.21 R$11.79

6.33%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.15 R$6.14

-15.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.14 R$6.09

40.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.80 R$9.61

-16.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.26 R$6.73

1.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.89 R$4.78

23.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.85 R$4.57

-16.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.87 R$4.64

-43.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.24 R$12.00

84.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$5.88 R$31.43

197.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.13 R$6.03

42.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.80 R$9.62

54.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.82 R$4.41

6.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$44.55 R$238

21.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.32 R$7.08

-12.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.28 R$6.82

-58.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$7.26 R$38.84

-66.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.17 R$6.25

23.93%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$22.1K R$118.2K

-4.71%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$29.5K R$157.8K

-8.74%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$77.1 R$412

-19.40%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$11.25 R$60.2

8.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$17.37 R$92.9

15.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$24.32 R$130

53.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$26.25 R$140

-85.64%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.61 R$35.37

-1.82%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$197 R$1,051

274.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$7,362 R$39.4K

100.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$47.95 R$256

11.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$38.24 R$204

-35.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$78.9 R$422

16.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$49.62 R$265

44.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$338 R$1,808

42.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$234 R$1,249

32.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$626 R$3,345

60.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$457 R$2,444

38.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,707 R$9,127

38.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,161 R$6,209

36.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$557 R$2,979

5.84%

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 Assis: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Assis

$234 28.5% 24.4% $75

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Assis

$170 20.8% 27.4% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Assis

$97 11.8% 11.1% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Assis

$106 12.9% 12% $11

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Assis

$121 14.7% 55.6% $43

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Assis

$56 6.8% 9.5% $5.8

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Assis

$38 4.6% 25.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $338 in Assis. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 6% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $37 in Assis. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $170, with Assis cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Assis

🕒 Local time

06:12 6:12 AM

20:12 8:12 PM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

101,409

💱 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 28, 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 28, 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 →

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Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Assis

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 Assis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Assis is about 12% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 6% higher in Chiang Mai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $338 in Assis. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Assis runs roughly 18% less than in Chiang Mai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $736 in Chiang Mai versus $197 in Assis. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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