Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Barretos

For one person, living is cheaper in Barretos: $784 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Barretos
Learn more

Barretos Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Barretos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$784

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $784 in Barretos, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Barretos $784

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,282 in Barretos, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Barretos $1,282

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,781 in Barretos, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Barretos $1,781

Chiang Mai costs about 19% more than Barretos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$6.65 R$35.53

-66.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$22.29 R$119

-14.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$5.63 R$30.10

-1.42%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.46 R$7.83

14.38%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.21 R$6.44

-47.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.53 R$2.85

-41.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.21 R$11.84

6.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.80 R$14.98

30.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.93 R$5.00

109.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.87 R$9.98

-22.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.28 R$6.86

3.91%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.38 R$12.70

-4.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$10.25 R$54.8

60.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.58 R$24.48

-39.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.77 R$52.2

-4.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.24 R$11.99

4.91%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.53 R$8.18

-36.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.45 R$7.76

10.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.27 R$6.78

18.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.22 R$6.50

4.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.16 R$6.21

-5.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.93 R$4.96

-23.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.81 R$4.32

-39.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.33 R$12.46

77.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$7.64 R$40.88

129.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.44 R$7.72

11.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.42 R$12.96

14.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$1.00 R$5.34

-13.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$41.49 R$222

30.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.10 R$5.87

5.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.67 R$3.59

-20.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$8.11 R$43.35

-70.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$0.85 R$4.55

70.59%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$21.4K R$114.7K

-1.80%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$31.2K R$166.7K

-13.60%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$27.55 R$147

125.66%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$5.49 R$29.38

121.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$15.02 R$80.3

33.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$22.80 R$122

63.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$26.27 R$140

-85.65%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.39 R$39.52

-12.18%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$412 R$2,201

78.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$10.1K R$54.0K

46.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$59.9 R$320

-10.90%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$22.43 R$120

9.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$83.2 R$445

9.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$66.2 R$354

8.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$289 R$1,547

66.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$228 R$1,220

35.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$727 R$3,888

38.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$486 R$2,598

30.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,430 R$7,646

65.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,019 R$5,449

55.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$518 R$2,770

13.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.81

-48.47%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Barretos: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Barretos

$228 29.1% 26.1% $81

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Barretos

$205 26.1% 12.6% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Barretos

$104 13.3% 4% $4.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Barretos

$48 6.1% 49.1% $46

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Barretos

$111 14.2% 43.4% $34

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Barretos

$50 6.4% 18.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Barretos

$38 4.8% 25.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $289 in Barretos. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 14% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $22 in Barretos. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $205 in Barretos – so Barretos wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Barretos

🕒 Local time

04:36 4:36 AM

18:36 6:36 PM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

122,485

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Barretos 16,620 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Barretos

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 Barretos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai, $784 in Barretos – Barretos comes out roughly 16% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,176 in Barretos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Barretos, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $289 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $22 in Barretos. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $784 in Barretos. That makes Barretos about 16% cheaper.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $784 in Barretos, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Barretos – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Barretos. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.