Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Caruaru

For one person, living is cheaper in Caruaru: $611 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Caruaru
Learn more

Caruaru Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Caruaru

🇧🇷 Brazil

$611

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $935 in Chiang Mai versus $611 in Caruaru.

Chiang Mai $935
Caruaru $611

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,467 in Chiang Mai versus $1,000 in Caruaru.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Caruaru $1,000

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,999 in Chiang Mai versus $1,388 in Caruaru.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Caruaru $1,388

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 53% more expensive than in Caruaru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Caruaru 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$5.36 R$29.29

-60.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$27.77 R$152

-32.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$7.57 R$41.36

-26.02%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$1.48 R$8.10

12.16%

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

$0.65 ฿21.83

$0.97 R$5.32

-32.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.60 R$3.25

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.4

$1.55 R$8.45

49.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$2.25 R$12.29

63.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.08 R$5.88

87.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.51

$1.03 R$5.61

36.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.96

$1.26 R$6.89

10.32%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$1.88 R$10.28

26.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$4.19 R$22.86

294.27%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$4.51 R$24.64

-40.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$6.99 R$38.19

29.04%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$1.26 R$6.89

90.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.13

$0.91 R$4.98

14.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.76 R$4.17

118.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$1.08 R$5.89

44.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.76

$1.49 R$8.16

-16.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.66

$1.18 R$6.45

-7.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.69 R$3.76

10.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.35

$0.77 R$4.19

-33.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$2.71 R$14.81

52.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$7.41 R$40.47

141.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.57 R$8.56

3.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$2.17 R$11.83

29.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.53

$0.80 R$4.35

16.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,785

$24.98 R$136

111.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.70

$1.07 R$5.84

10.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.79

$1.82 R$9.92

-90.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$2.88 R$15.75

-37.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.69

$1.22 R$6.68

20.49%

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

$21.0K ฿708.9K

$21.8K R$119.3K

-3.78%

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

$26.5K ฿894.6K

$30.4K R$166.2K

-12.87%

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

$62.6 ฿2,111

$51.8 R$283

20.70%

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

$11.60 ฿392

$7.32 R$39.99

58.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$9.16 R$50.1

121.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$13.86 R$75.7

173.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$27.91 R$152

-86.74%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$6.75 R$36.88

-3.56%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$102 R$558

611.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.2K

$6,162 R$33.7K

168.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,807

$36.72 R$200

45.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿837

$45.83 R$250

-45.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,050

$81.4 R$445

11.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$60.0 R$328

19.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$152 R$829

216.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$119 R$648

161.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$329 R$1,795

221.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$235 R$1,285

179.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

$238 R$1,302

149.53%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-49.36%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Caruaru: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Caruaru

$119 19.4% 61.7% $191

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Caruaru

$156 25.5% 34.2% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Caruaru

$101 16.5% 7% $7.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Caruaru

$68 11.2% 27.7% $26

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Caruaru

$102 16.7% 33.1% $25

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Caruaru

$38 6.3% 34.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Caruaru

$27 4.5% 46.2% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $481 in Chiang Mai and $152 in Caruaru. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays about 2.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $28 in Caruaru. Groceries flip the comparison at $237 vs $156, with Caruaru cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Caruaru

🕒 Local time

21:55 9:55 PM

11:55 11:55 AM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

377,911

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.11 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Caruaru 15,020 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Caruaru

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 Caruaru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Total monthly costs including rent come to $935 in Chiang Mai and $611 in Caruaru, so Caruaru is about 35% cheaper – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay in Chiang Mai is about 2.5 times higher, 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: $481 in Chiang Mai versus $152 in Caruaru. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $727 in Chiang Mai versus $102 in Caruaru. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 52% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Either city works on $1,200 a month, though Caruaru 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.

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