Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Belem

For one person, living is cheaper in Belem: $877 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $710 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Belem
Learn more

Belem Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Belem

🇧🇷 Brazil

$877

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $877 in Belem.

Chiang Mai $936
Belem $877

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $1,329 in Belem.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Belem $1,329

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $1,781 in Belem.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Belem $1,781

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 7% more expensive than in Belem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Belem 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$4.66 R$25.08

-51.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$18.25 R$98.2

4.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.54 R$35.22

-15.14%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.72 R$9.28

-2.91%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.99 R$5.34

-35.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.44 R$2.35

-29.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.50 R$8.10

57.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.17 R$11.70

68.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.29 R$6.92

51.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$2.33 R$12.54

-38.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.25 R$6.70

6.40%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.98 R$10.67

15.15%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$8.44 R$45.44

94.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$4.12 R$22.16

-32.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.25 R$39.00

28.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.24 R$12.05

4.91%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.32 R$7.12

-26.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.39 R$7.48

15.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.56 R$8.37

-3.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.97 R$5.21

31.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.54 R$2.89

103.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.26 R$6.80

-43.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$1.37 R$7.36

-64.23%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.45 R$13.19

68.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$9.32 R$50.2

87.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.33 R$7.18

21.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.52 R$24.35

-38.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.90 R$4.85

-3.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$31.93 R$172

69.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$1.10 R$5.93

5.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.10 R$5.90

-51.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$7.92 R$42.64

-69.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.15 R$6.21

26.09%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$21.8K R$117.5K

-3.52%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$30.0K R$161.6K

-10.26%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$93.5 R$503

-33.52%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$10.82 R$58.3

12.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$29.78 R$160

-32.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$20.33 R$109

83.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$36.96 R$199

-89.80%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.46 R$40.15

-13.00%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$104 R$561

606.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$3,250 R$17.5K

354.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$30.81 R$166

73.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$41.86 R$225

-41.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$75.6 R$407

20.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$61.4 R$330

17.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$503 R$2,709

-4.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$267 R$1,436

15.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$837 R$4,506

20.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$485 R$2,611

30.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,865 R$10.0K

26.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,302 R$7,005

22.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$386 R$2,079

52.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.48

-51.48%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Belem: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Belem

$267 30.4% 13.6% $42

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Belem

$209 23.8% 10.8% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Belem

$94 10.8% 13.1% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Belem

$134 15.3% 42% $40

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Belem

$95 10.9% 22.7% $18

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Belem

$42 4.8% 31.4% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Belem

$35 4% 29.9% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $503 in Belem. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 53% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $18 in Belem for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $209 per month, with Belem cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Belem

🕒 Local time

10:59 10:59 AM

00:59 12:59 AM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,303,403

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.166 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 = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.01 BRL (1 BRL = 0.166 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Belem 15,980 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Belem

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 Belem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Belem is about 6% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 53% 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 $503 in Belem. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Belem runs roughly 41% less than in Chiang Mai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $736 in Chiang Mai versus $104 in Belem. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

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