Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Brasilia

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Brasilia: $936 and $916 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Brasilia
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Brasilia Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

$916

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $916 in Brasilia.

Chiang Mai $936
Brasilia $916

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $1,514 in Brasilia.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Brasilia $1,514

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $2,112 in Brasilia.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Brasilia $2,112

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 2% more expensive than in Brasilia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Brasilia 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$8.44 R$45.15

-73.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$36.71 R$196

-48.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.98 R$42.72

-30.45%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.53 R$13.51

-33.99%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.42 R$7.60

-54.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$1.00 R$5.36

-69.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.20 R$11.77

7.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.76 R$20.10

-2.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.02 R$5.45

91.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.95 R$10.45

-26.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.24 R$6.64

7.26%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.27 R$12.17

0.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$11.17 R$59.8

47.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.86 R$20.68

-27.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.58 R$45.90

8.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.31 R$12.34

1.73%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.38 R$7.38

-29.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.26 R$6.73

26.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.52 R$8.14

-1.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.11 R$5.95

15.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.98 R$5.22

12.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.76 R$4.04

-6.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.93 R$5.00

-47.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.36 R$12.65

75.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$7.67 R$41.04

128.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.24 R$6.64

29.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.36 R$12.60

17.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.73 R$3.90

19.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$29.76 R$159

81.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.01 R$5.43

14.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.86 R$4.59

-38.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$5.77 R$30.89

-58.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.25 R$6.68

16.00%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$22.0K R$117.5K

-4.07%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$31.9K R$170.4K

-15.42%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$92.1 R$493

-32.51%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$11.85 R$63.4

2.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$20.93 R$112

-3.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$30.47 R$163

22.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$26.29 R$141

-85.66%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.46 R$39.95

-13.00%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$764 R$4,091

-3.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$15.7K R$84.1K

-6.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$52.6 R$282

1.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$42.10 R$225

-41.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$79.4 R$425

15.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$83.6 R$447

-13.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$517 R$2,767

-6.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$242 R$1,292

27.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$1,156 R$6,188

-13.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$580 R$3,102

9.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$2,398 R$12.8K

-1.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,678 R$8,979

-5.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$784 R$4,197

-24.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

12.12

-54.04%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Brasilia: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Brasilia

$242 26.4% 21.8% $67

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Brasilia

$201 21.9% 14.4% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Brasilia

$116 12.7% 6.7% $7.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Brasilia

$125 13.6% 32.2% $30

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Brasilia

$150 16.4% 93.3% $72

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Brasilia

$38 4.1% 38.1% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Brasilia

$45 5% 9.7% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $517 in Brasilia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasilia pays 33% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $37 in Brasilia. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $201, with Brasilia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Brasilia

🕒 Local time

19:00 7:00 PM

09:00 9:00 AM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

2,817,381 Capital

💱 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 = 37.58 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 = 5.96 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Brasilia 16,490 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Brasilia

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 Brasilia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai and Brasilia differ by about 2% in total monthly costs ($936 vs $916 including rent). Brasilia is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 25% 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 $517 in Brasilia. 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 $37 in Brasilia. 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 $916 in Brasilia – a 2% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Brasilia gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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.