Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bauru

For one person, living is cheaper in Bauru: $777 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Bauru
Learn more

Bauru Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Bauru

🇧🇷 Brazil

$777

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $777 in Bauru.

Chiang Mai $936
Bauru $777

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $1,191 in Bauru.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Bauru $1,191

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $1,606 in Bauru.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Bauru $1,606

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 20% more expensive than in Bauru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Bauru 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$4.78 R$26.01

-53.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$24.95 R$136

-23.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.12 R$38.71

-22.05%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.55 R$8.45

7.74%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$0.85 R$4.65

-24.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.50 R$2.71

-38.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.46 R$7.94

61.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.47 R$13.42

48.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.87 R$4.75

124.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$1.36 R$7.41

5.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.18 R$6.42

12.71%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.30 R$12.49

-0.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$7.27 R$39.51

126.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$4.13 R$22.43

-32.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$5.98 R$32.50

55.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.92 R$10.46

22.40%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$1.30 R$7.08

-25.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.19 R$6.45

34.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.71 R$9.31

-12.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$1.33 R$7.25

-3.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$1.17 R$6.37

-5.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$1.31 R$7.14

-45.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.90 R$4.92

-45.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.21 R$12.04

87.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$6.66 R$36.23

163.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.13 R$6.16

42.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.15 R$11.71

29.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.95 R$5.16

-8.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$27.87 R$152

94.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$1.78 R$9.69

-34.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$1.19 R$6.49

-55.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$3.66 R$19.88

-33.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.06 R$5.75

36.79%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$22.5K R$122.4K

-6.44%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$32.6K R$177.0K

-17.24%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$130 R$706

-52.12%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$9.51 R$51.7

27.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$18.40 R$100

9.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$17.47 R$95.0

113.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$21.60 R$117

-82.55%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.01 R$27.23

29.54%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$241 R$1,310

205.43%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$5,563 R$30.2K

165.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$64.0 R$348

-16.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$46.43 R$252

-46.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$103 R$560

-11.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$73.3 R$399

-1.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$227 R$1,232

112.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$154 R$839

100.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$430 R$2,336

134.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$285 R$1,549

122.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,517 R$8,250

55.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$669 R$3,637

137.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$355 R$1,929

66.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.59

-41.92%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bauru: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Bauru

$154 19.9% 50% $155

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Bauru

$173 22.3% 26.1% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Bauru

$129 16.6% 18.8% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Bauru

$158 20.3% 67% $63

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Bauru

$96 12.3% 23.6% $18

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Bauru

$39 5.1% 35.8% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Bauru

$27 3.5% 45.3% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $227 in Bauru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 66% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $25 in Bauru. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $173, with Bauru cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Bauru

🕒 Local time

21:01 9:01 PM

11:01 11:01 AM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

379,146

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.165 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Bauru 16,670 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bauru

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 Bauru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bauru wins on cost – living expenses run 17% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bauru the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 66% higher in Chiang Mai, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $227 in Bauru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $25 in Bauru. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $936 per month in Chiang Mai versus $777 in Bauru – Bauru is about 17% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.

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