Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Braganca

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,014 in Braganca, rent and utilities included – about $940 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Braganca
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Braganca Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Braganca

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,014

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $1,014 in Braganca.

Chiang Mai $936
Braganca $1,014

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $1,532 in Braganca.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Braganca $1,532

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $2,049 in Braganca.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Braganca $2,049

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 8% less than in Braganca, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Braganca 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$11.30 €10.12

-80.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$39.85 €35.69

-52.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$9.21 €8.24

-39.74%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.43 €1.28

16.78%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.38 €1.24

-53.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$1.03 €0.93

-69.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.10 €0.98

114.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.29 €2.06

59.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.06 €0.95

83.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$1.72 €1.54

-16.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.51 €1.35

-11.92%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.22 €2.88

-29.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$9.38 €8.40

75.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$6.38 €5.72

-56.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$12.09 €10.83

-22.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.36 €2.12

-0.42%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.36 €1.22

-28.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.82 €1.63

-12.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.66 €2.38

-43.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.98 €1.77

-35.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$1.95 €1.74

-43.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.35 €1.21

-47.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.91 €0.81

-46.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.77 €5.17

-28.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$4.42 €3.96

296.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.16 €1.04

38.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.57 €1.41

77.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$11.33 €10.14

377.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$3.91 €3.50

-70.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.13 €1.01

-53.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$16.23 €14.53

-85.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$2.17 €1.94

-33.18%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$33.7K €30.2K

-37.52%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$37.5K €33.6K

-28.11%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$104 €93.0

-40.11%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$16.79 €15.04

-27.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$34.87 €31.23

-42.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$33.95 €30.40

9.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$5.65 €5.06

-33.27%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.50 €4.92

18.00%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$307 €275

139.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$9,170 €8,213

61.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$22.69 €20.32

135.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$22.62 €20.26

8.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$67.5 €60.4

35.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$98.7 €88.4

-27.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$400 €358

20.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$315 €282

-2.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$735 €658

36.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$474 €424

33.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,064 €953

122.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$853 €764

86.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,160 €1,039

-49.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.47

60.52%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Braganca: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Braganca

$315 31.1% 2.1% $6.4

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Braganca

$228 22.4% 2.9% $6.8

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Braganca

$95 9.4% 12.4% $13

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Braganca

$155 15.3% 64.6% $61

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Braganca

$155 15.3% 99.7% $77

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Braganca

$21 * 2.1% 66% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Braganca

$45 4.4% 10.6% $5.3

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 $400 in Braganca. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Braganca pays 97% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $40 in Braganca. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $228, with Braganca cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇵🇹 Braganca

🕒 Local time

08:37 8:37 AM

01:37 1:37 AM

7 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

34,589

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Braganca 9,860 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Braganca

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 Braganca: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,014 in Braganca, so Chiang Mai is about 8% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 49% lower in Chiang Mai. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $400 in Braganca. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Braganca runs roughly 79% less than in Chiang Mai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $736 in Chiang Mai versus $307 in Braganca. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Braganca are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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