Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Barreiras

For one person, living is cheaper in Barreiras: $829 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Barreiras
Learn more

Barreiras Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Barreiras

🇧🇷 Brazil

$829

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $935 in Chiang Mai versus $829 in Barreiras.

Chiang Mai $935
Barreiras $829

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,467 in Chiang Mai versus $1,316 in Barreiras.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Barreiras $1,316

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,999 in Chiang Mai versus $1,803 in Barreiras.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Barreiras $1,803

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 13% more expensive than in Barreiras, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Barreiras 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$5.60 R$30.76

-61.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$29.98 R$165

-37.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$7.35 R$40.34

-23.81%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$1.90 R$10.44

-12.63%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$1.26 R$6.89

-48.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.74 R$4.06

-59.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$1.90 R$10.43

22.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$2.82 R$15.48

30.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.01 R$5.54

100.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$1.59 R$8.72

-11.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$1.21 R$6.63

14.88%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$2.09 R$11.46

13.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$8.82 R$48.40

87.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$4.14 R$22.71

-35.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$7.98 R$43.82

13.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$2.14 R$11.74

12.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$1.24 R$6.80

-16.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.12 R$6.14

48.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$1.47 R$8.06

6.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$1.17 R$6.44

5.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$1.04 R$5.69

4.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.77 R$4.21

-1.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$0.77 R$4.21

-33.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$2.38 R$13.05

73.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$7.34 R$40.26

144.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.18 R$6.47

37.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$1.94 R$10.67

45.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

$0.95 R$5.19

-2.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

$41.14 R$226

28.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$1.18 R$6.45

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$0.81 R$4.43

-79.01%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$7.58 R$41.58

-76.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$1.22 R$6.72

20.49%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$21.8K R$119.7K

-3.64%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$31.6K R$173.3K

-16.03%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$71.6 R$393

-12.56%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$11.56 R$63.4

0.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$19.43 R$107

4.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$24.02 R$132

57.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$26.08 R$143

-85.81%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$6.95 R$38.14

-6.33%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$259 R$1,423

180.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$6,653 R$36.5K

149.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$51.0 R$280

4.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$47.31 R$260

-47.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$83.3 R$457

8.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$67.3 R$369

7.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$331 R$1,818

45.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$231 R$1,270

33.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$629 R$3,450

68.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$444 R$2,437

48.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$1,572 R$8,630

53.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$1,128 R$6,189

42.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Barreiras: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Barreiras

$231 27.9% 25.3% $79

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Barreiras

$183 22% 22.9% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Barreiras

$112 13.5% 3.4% $3.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Barreiras

$103 12.4% 8.5% $8.1

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Barreiras

$113 13.6% 47.4% $36

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Barreiras

$50 6% 14.5% $8.5

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Barreiras

$38 4.6% 25.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $481 in Chiang Mai and $331 in Barreiras. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $30 in Barreiras. Groceries flip the comparison at $237 vs $183, with Barreiras cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Barreiras

🕒 Local time

16:37 4:37 PM

06:37 6:37 AM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

159,734

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Barreiras 16,090 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Barreiras

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 Barreiras: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Barreiras is about 11% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, leisure, and transport. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $1,244 in Barreiras 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: $481 in Chiang Mai versus $331 in Barreiras. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $727 in Chiang Mai versus $259 in Barreiras. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 30% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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.