Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Caraguatatuba

For one person, living is cheaper in Caraguatatuba: $778 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Caraguatatuba
Learn more

Caraguatatuba Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Caraguatatuba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$778

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $778 in Caraguatatuba.

Chiang Mai $936
Caraguatatuba $778

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $1,259 in Caraguatatuba.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Caraguatatuba $1,259

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $1,739 in Caraguatatuba.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Caraguatatuba $1,739

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$6.94 R$37.36

-67.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$26.88 R$145

-29.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$8.24 R$44.37

-32.65%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.15 R$11.58

-22.33%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$1.10 R$5.91

-41.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.86 R$4.65

-63.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.25 R$12.11

4.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.94 R$15.81

24.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.00 R$5.38

95.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.50 R$8.07

-4.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.23 R$6.60

8.13%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.83 R$9.84

24.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$5.62 R$30.24

192.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.96 R$15.92

-6.08%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.28 R$39.20

27.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.94 R$10.43

21.13%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.58 R$8.50

-38.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.39 R$7.48

15.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.26 R$6.78

19.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$1.24 R$6.65

3.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.77 R$4.14

42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.67 R$3.60

5.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.77 R$4.16

-36.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.00 R$10.78

107.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$6.33 R$34.08

176.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.46 R$7.84

10.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.36 R$12.70

17.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.96 R$5.16

-9.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$21.53 R$116

151.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$1.08 R$5.84

7.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.66 R$3.56

-19.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$3.30 R$17.77

-26.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.21 R$6.52

19.83%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$14.3K R$77.0K

47.28%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$27.6K R$148.7K

-2.50%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$62.2 R$335

-0.03%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$12.19 R$65.6

-0.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$21.17 R$114

-4.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$20.15 R$108

85.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$15.02 R$80.9

-74.90%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.41 R$39.89

-12.42%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$207 R$1,111

256.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$3,944 R$21.2K

274.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$53.3 R$287

0.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$52.1 R$280

-52.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$72.4 R$390

26.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$55.4 R$298

29.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$396 R$2,132

21.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$218 R$1,175

41.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$790 R$4,254

27.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$484 R$2,606

30.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,610 R$8,666

46.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,166 R$6,277

36.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$308 R$1,658

91.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.15

-31.66%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Caraguatatuba: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Caraguatatuba

$218 28.1% 29.3% $91

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Caraguatatuba

$164 21% 30.2% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Caraguatatuba

$105 13.5% 3.4% $3.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Caraguatatuba

$96 12.3% 1.2% $1.1

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Caraguatatuba

$131 16.8% 68.9% $53

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Caraguatatuba

$30 3.8% 51.5% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Caraguatatuba

$35 4.5% 30.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $396 in Caraguatatuba. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays 91% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $27 in Caraguatatuba. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $164, with Caraguatatuba cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Caraguatatuba

🕒 Local time

18:44 6:44 PM

08:44 8:44 AM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

134,873

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.167 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 = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 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 = 0.167 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Caraguatatuba 16,300 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Caraguatatuba

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 Caraguatatuba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Caraguatatuba is about 17% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 91% 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 $396 in Caraguatatuba. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 43% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $27 in Caraguatatuba. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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