Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Carapicuiba

For one person, living is cheaper in Carapicuiba: $844 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $970 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Carapicuiba
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Carapicuiba Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Carapicuiba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$844

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $844 in Carapicuiba, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Carapicuiba $844

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,360 in Carapicuiba, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Carapicuiba $1,360

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,875 in Carapicuiba, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Carapicuiba $1,875

Chiang Mai costs about 10% more than Carapicuiba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Carapicuiba are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Carapicuiba 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$7.13 R$36.16

-67.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$39.84 R$202

-50.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$8.99 R$45.59

-37.60%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.19 R$11.11

-24.20%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$1.38 R$6.99

-49.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.92 R$4.64

-66.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$2.73 R$13.85

-11.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$4.47 R$22.67

-17.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.25 R$6.36

56.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.85 R$9.40

-23.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.16 R$5.86

12.93%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$2.80 R$14.18

-22.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$8.75 R$44.35

90.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$4.51 R$22.86

-38.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$10.62 R$53.9

-14.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$2.83 R$14.33

-15.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.84 R$9.35

-44.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.55 R$7.83

5.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.81 R$9.17

-17.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$1.36 R$6.91

-5.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$1.39 R$7.03

-20.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.91 R$4.60

-20.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.94 R$4.76

-43.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$2.39 R$12.10

80.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$9.11 R$46.20

97.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.72 R$8.70

-8.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$2.60 R$13.17

9.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$1.08 R$5.46

-20.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$50.7 R$257

5.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$1.62 R$8.19

-25.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$1.03 R$5.21

-44.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$8.04 R$40.76

-70.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.32 R$6.68

9.09%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$23.6K R$119.6K

-12.12%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$34.0K R$172.6K

-21.27%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$64.8 R$328

-3.77%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$16.89 R$85.6

-28.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$18.26 R$92.5

9.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$19.66 R$99.7

88.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$27.59 R$140

-86.30%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$8.12 R$41.17

-19.95%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$435 R$2,203

82.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$7,747 R$39.3K

91.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$56.9 R$289

-5.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$58.2 R$295

-57.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$94.6 R$480

-3.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$84.6 R$429

-15.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$229 R$1,161

98.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$150 R$762

98.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$349 R$1,769

160.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$249 R$1,261

122.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$1,735 R$8,797

11.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$1,216 R$6,165

18.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$322 R$1,631

83.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.12

-49.91%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Carapicuiba: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Carapicuiba

$150 17.8% 49.5% $148

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Carapicuiba

$222 26.3% 5.8% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Carapicuiba

$132 15.7% 22.4% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Carapicuiba

$100 11.8% 5.9% $5.5

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Carapicuiba

$142 16.8% 80.8% $64

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Carapicuiba

$62 7.3% 1.6% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Carapicuiba

$36 4.3% 28.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $229 in Carapicuiba. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 84% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $40.00 in Carapicuiba. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $222 in Carapicuiba – so Carapicuiba wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Carapicuiba

🕒 Local time

14:38 2:38 PM

04:38 4:38 AM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

386,984

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Carapicuiba 16,440 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Carapicuiba

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 Carapicuiba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Chiang Mai is pricier by about 10%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,266 in Carapicuiba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Carapicuiba, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 6% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai and $40.00 in Carapicuiba. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Carapicuiba, where all-in costs run around $844, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Carapicuiba it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Carapicuiba – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Carapicuiba. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.