Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Botucatu

For one person, living is cheaper in Botucatu: $629 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Botucatu
Learn more

Botucatu Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Botucatu

🇧🇷 Brazil

$629

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $629 in Botucatu.

Chiang Mai $936
Botucatu $629

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $1,009 in Botucatu.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Botucatu $1,009

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $1,388 in Botucatu.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Botucatu $1,388

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 49% more expensive than in Botucatu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Botucatu 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$5.50 R$29.61

-59.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$29.72 R$160

-36.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.50 R$34.96

-14.62%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$2.49 R$13.41

-32.93%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$1.26 R$6.81

-49.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.93 R$5.01

-66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.4

$2.44 R$13.14

-3.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$2.72 R$14.65

34.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.6

$0.87 R$4.67

124.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.39

$1.25 R$6.71

15.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.96

$0.92 R$4.93

44.57%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿76.9

$1.88 R$10.10

21.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$7.98 R$42.93

106.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.7

$3.72 R$20.01

-25.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.10 R$38.22

31.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$1.94 R$10.45

21.13%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.16 R$6.26

-16.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$0.90 R$4.84

77.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.14 R$6.14

31.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.05

$1.27 R$6.83

0.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.13

$0.95 R$5.13

15.79%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.78

$0.86 R$4.65

-17.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.82 R$4.41

-40.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.21 R$11.88

87.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$6.20 R$33.35

182.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.12 R$6.04

43.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$1.78 R$9.56

56.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.26

$0.87 R$4.68

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,822

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿38.99

$1.46 R$7.88

-20.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.77

$1.53 R$8.23

-65.36%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$16.65 R$89.6

-85.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.81

$1.13 R$6.10

28.32%

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

$21.1K ฿709.5K

$22.0K R$118.3K

-4.19%

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

$26.9K ฿907.7K

$31.5K R$169.6K

-14.50%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$24.47 R$132

154.07%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$9.21 R$49.59

32.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$15.17 R$81.6

32.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$8.45 R$45.47

-23.20%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$265 R$1,428

177.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.4K

$5,872 R$31.6K

151.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,798

$48.58 R$261

9.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$34.27 R$184

-28.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,082

$87.9 R$473

4.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$56.8 R$306

26.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.2K

$258 R$1,387

87.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$166 R$891

86.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$562 R$3,025

78.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$284 R$1,530

122.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$399 R$2,146

47.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

9.5

-41.37%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Botucatu: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Botucatu

$166 26.3% 46.4% $143

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Botucatu

$163 25.9% 30.6% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Botucatu

$102 16.3% 5.8% $6.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Botucatu

$49 7.8% 48.3% $46

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Botucatu

$120 19.1% 54.5% $42

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Botucatu

$13 * 2% 79.5% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Botucatu

$17 * 2.7% 66.4% $33

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $258 in Botucatu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 48% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $30 in Botucatu. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $163, with Botucatu cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Botucatu

🕒 Local time

05:07 5:07 AM

19:07 7:07 PM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

145,155

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 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 October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 33.69 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.03 BRL (1 BRL = 0.166 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Botucatu 16,610 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Botucatu

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 Botucatu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Botucatu wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Botucatu the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 48% 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 $258 in Botucatu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $736 in Chiang Mai versus $265 in Botucatu. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $30 in Botucatu. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $629 in Botucatu versus $936 in Chiang Mai, a $800 budget is realistic in Botucatu but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Botucatu the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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