Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Barra do Garças

For one person, living is cheaper in Barra do Garças: $792 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Barra do Garças, Brazil
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Barra do Garças
🇧🇷 Brazil
$792
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Barra do Garças

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 Barra do Garças actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $792 in Barra do Garças, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $936
  • Barra do Garças $792

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,300 in Barra do Garças, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,457
  • Barra do Garças $1,300

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,807 in Barra do Garças, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,979
  • Barra do Garças $1,807

Chiang Mai costs about 18% more than Barra do Garças, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Barra do Garças are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Barra do Garças 42% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Barra do Garças
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.24 ฿75.7
$5.48 R$29.33
-59.12%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.00 ฿642
$32.13 R$172
-40.87%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.55 ฿188
$7.46 R$39.92
-25.60%
Cappuccino
$1.67 ฿56.6
$1.82 R$9.74
-8.24%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿21.56
$1.28 R$6.85
-50.00%
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
$1.91 R$10.21
23.56%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 ฿124
$2.77 R$14.83
32.13%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Barra do Garças
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ฿65.8
$0.98 R$5.26
98.98%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 ฿48.51
$1.61 R$8.60
-10.56%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 ฿45.07
$1.20 R$6.43
10.83%
Eggs
$2.28 ฿77.1
$2.07 R$11.07
10.14%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.45 ฿556
$8.73 R$46.73
88.43%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.78 ฿94.0
$4.07 R$21.79
-31.70%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.31 ฿314
$8.05 R$43.10
15.65%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ฿79.5
$2.13 R$11.39
10.33%
Banana (1kg)
$0.97 ฿32.82
$1.22 R$6.55
-20.49%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 ฿53.9
$1.11 R$5.95
44.14%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.7
$1.47 R$7.85
2.04%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿43.15
$1.18 R$6.29
8.47%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 ฿37.22
$1.03 R$5.51
6.80%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿23.84
$0.73 R$3.90
-2.74%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.38
$0.82 R$4.37
-40.24%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.14 ฿140
$2.09 R$11.18
98.09%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.52 ฿592
$7.29 R$39.02
140.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 ฿54.5
$1.17 R$6.27
37.61%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿94.0
$2.01 R$10.73
38.31%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Barra do Garças
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 ฿29.33
$0.93 R$4.95
-6.45%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.1 ฿1,827
$40.82 R$218
32.51%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.16 ฿39.08
$1.39 R$7.45
-16.55%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 ฿17.82
$0.92 R$4.95
-42.39%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.42 ฿81.8
$6.74 R$36.08
-64.09%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.93
$1.21 R$6.47
19.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ฿711.2K
$24.8K R$132.6K
-14.99%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿909.8K
$28.2K R$150.7K
-4.31%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Barra do Garças
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.2 ฿2,100
$69.2 R$370
-10.15%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.17 ฿411
$10.88 R$58.2
11.86%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.12 ฿680
$17.00 R$91.0
18.35%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Barra do Garças
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.31 ฿1,260
$20.98 R$112
77.84%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.77 ฿127
$23.28 R$125
-83.81%
Cinema Ticket
$6.49 ฿219
$6.41 R$34.29
1.25%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Barra do Garças
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$736 ฿24.9K
$222 R$1,188
231.55%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿498.6K
$6,619 R$35.4K
123.07%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Barra do Garças
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 ฿1,802
$55.5 R$297
-3.82%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.64 ฿832
$51.8 R$277
-52.41%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 ฿3,089
$81.7 R$437
11.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.9 ฿2,429
$65.6 R$351
9.75%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Barra do Garças
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$482 ฿16.3K
$316 R$1,690
52.71%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ฿10.4K
$203 R$1,086
52.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,006 ฿34.0K
$603 R$3,225
66.90%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$633 ฿21.4K
$453 R$2,426
39.72%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,363 ฿79.8K
$1,496 R$8,004
58.00%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,589 ฿53.7K
$1,101 R$5,892
44.32%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Barra do Garças
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$590 ฿19.9K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
11
-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 Barra do Garças: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$309
Barra do Garças
$203 34.3% $106
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$234
Barra do Garças
$182 22.3% $52
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$109
Barra do Garças
$115 5.4% $5.9
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Barra do Garças
$97 2.8% $2.6
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$78
Barra do Garças
$111 43.2% $34
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Barra do Garças
$51 17.6% $11
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$50
Barra do Garças
$34 32.8% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $316 in Barra do Garças. 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 $32 in Barra do Garças. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $182 in Barra do Garças – so Barra do Garças wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇧🇷 Barra do Garças
🕒 Local time
19:11 7:11 PM
08:11 8:11 AM
11 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
69,210
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 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 = 5.96 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Barra do Garças 16,950 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Barra do Garças

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 Barra do Garças: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Chiang Mai and in Barra do Garças compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai, $792 in Barra do Garças – roughly 18% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.
What salary covers living expenses in Chiang Mai compared to Barra do Garças?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,188 in Barra do Garças. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Chiang Mai and Barra do Garças?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Barra do Garças, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $316 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.
How do commuting costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Barra do Garças?
Public transport costs about 25% less in Barra do Garças. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Chiang Mai and Barra do Garças?
Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $222 in Barra do Garças. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How far does $1,200 go in Chiang Mai compared to Barra do Garças?
$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $792 in Barra do Garças, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Where should families live: Chiang Mai or Barra do Garças?
Families tend to lean toward Barra do Garças – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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