Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bagé

For one person, living is cheaper in Bagé: $823 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 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 Bagé
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Bagé Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Bagé

🇧🇷 Brazil

$823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $823 in Bagé.

Chiang Mai $936
Bagé $823

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $1,300 in Bagé.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Bagé $1,300

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $1,777 in Bagé.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Bagé $1,777

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$5.49 R$29.38

-59.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$25.60 R$137

-25.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$6.41 R$34.30

-13.42%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.10 R$11.23

-20.48%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.18 R$6.29

-45.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.84 R$4.48

-63.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.60 R$8.56

47.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.61 R$13.97

40.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.99 R$5.30

96.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.55 R$8.28

-7.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.16 R$6.23

14.66%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.01 R$10.76

13.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$8.78 R$46.93

87.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.04 R$21.61

-31.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.95 R$47.85

4.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.95 R$10.44

20.51%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.19 R$6.37

-18.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.02 R$5.45

56.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.54 R$8.24

-2.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.21 R$6.48

5.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.99 R$5.30

11.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.74 R$3.94

-4.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.83 R$4.44

-40.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.04 R$10.92

102.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$7.17 R$38.34

144.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.37 R$7.34

17.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.96 R$10.49

41.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.94 R$5.00

-7.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$36.39 R$195

48.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.39 R$7.44

-16.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.86 R$4.59

-38.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$7.98 R$42.65

-69.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.17 R$6.27

23.93%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$22.8K R$122.1K

-7.78%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$35.3K R$189.0K

-23.78%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$72.4 R$387

-14.09%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$11.56 R$61.8

5.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$19.41 R$104

3.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$24.35 R$130

53.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$29.62 R$158

-87.27%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.59 R$35.26

-1.52%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$263 R$1,404

180.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$7,560 R$40.4K

95.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$52.1 R$278

2.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$46.85 R$251

-47.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$83.0 R$444

10.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$67.0 R$358

7.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$331 R$1,767

45.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$231 R$1,234

33.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$642 R$3,432

56.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$448 R$2,396

41.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,569 R$8,391

50.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,152 R$6,159

37.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-49.36%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bagé: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Bagé

$231 28% 25.3% $78

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Bagé

$184 22.3% 21.6% $51

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Bagé

$112 13.6% 3.1% $3.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Bagé

$103 12.6% 9.4% $8.9

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Bagé

$110 13.3% 41.4% $32

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Bagé

$46 5.6% 25.3% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Bagé

$38 4.6% 25.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $331 in Bagé. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $26 in Bagé. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $184, with Bagé cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Bagé

🕒 Local time

03:27 3:27 AM

17:27 5:27 PM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

117,938

💱 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 →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Bagé 16,980 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bagé

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 Bagé: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bagé wins on cost – living expenses run 12% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bagé the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $1,234 in Bagé 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: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $331 in Bagé. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $736 in Chiang Mai versus $263 in Bagé. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 27% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Bagé is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.