Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Barcelos

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,186 in Barcelos, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Barcelos
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Barcelos Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Barcelos

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,186

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $1,186 in Barcelos.

Chiang Mai $936
Barcelos $1,186

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $1,891 in Barcelos.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Barcelos $1,891

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $2,597 in Barcelos.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Barcelos $2,597

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 21% less than in Barcelos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Barcelos 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$11.76 €10.53

-80.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$48.41 €43.35

-60.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$8.92 €7.99

-37.78%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.88 €1.69

-11.17%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$2.00 €1.79

-68.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$1.31 €1.17

-76.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$3.37 €3.02

-29.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.76 €2.47

32.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.09 €0.97

78.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$1.79 €1.60

-19.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.65 €1.48

-19.39%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.18 €2.85

-28.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$11.56 €10.35

42.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$8.11 €7.27

-65.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$14.79 €13.25

-37.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.95 €1.75

20.51%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.36 €1.22

-28.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.82 €1.63

-12.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.55 €2.29

-41.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.78 €1.59

-28.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$2.05 €1.83

-46.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.54 €1.38

-53.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.91 €0.82

-46.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.87 €6.16

-39.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$4.55 €4.07

285.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.23 €1.10

30.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.22 €1.98

25.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$2.18 €1.95

-60.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$22.57 €20.22

139.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$4.23 €3.79

-72.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.41 €1.27

-62.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$16.57 €14.84

-85.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$2.11 €1.89

-31.28%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$34.2K €30.6K

-38.35%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$37.7K €33.8K

-28.52%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$103 €91.9

-39.42%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$17.46 €15.64

-30.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$44.42 €39.78

-54.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$38.27 €34.27

-2.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$6.80 €6.09

-44.56%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$8.96 €8.02

-27.57%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$309 €276

138.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$6,324 €5,663

133.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$73.7 €66.0

-27.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$37.48 €33.57

-34.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$79.3 €71.0

15.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$105 €93.9

-31.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$494 €443

-2.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$359 €321

-13.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$901 €807

11.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$713 €639

-11.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$2,689 €2,408

-12.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,536 €1,375

3.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,076 €964

-45.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.7

50.54%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barcelos: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Barcelos

$359 30.3% 16.2% $50

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Barcelos

$252 21.2% 7.5% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Barcelos

$133 11.2% 22.3% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Barcelos

$165 13.9% 74.2% $70

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Barcelos

$179 15.1% 131% $101

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Barcelos

$43 3.6% 30.6% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Barcelos

$56 4.7% 11.7% $5.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $494 in Barcelos. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Barcelos pays 82% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $48 in Barcelos for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $252 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇹 Barcelos

🕒 Local time

18:49 6:49 PM

11:49 11:49 AM

7 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

116,766

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 31, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Barcelos 10,010 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Barcelos

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 Barcelos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai is about 21% cheaper overall, especially in eating out, utilities, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 45% lower in Chiang Mai. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $494 in Barcelos. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 7% higher in Barcelos. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $48 in Barcelos. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai 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.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Barcelos are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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