Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Castanhal

For one person, living is cheaper in Castanhal: $838 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Castanhal
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Castanhal Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Castanhal

🇧🇷 Brazil

$838

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $838 in Castanhal.

Chiang Mai $936
Castanhal $838

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $1,350 in Castanhal.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Castanhal $1,350

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $1,862 in Castanhal.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Castanhal $1,862

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 12% more expensive than in Castanhal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Castanhal 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$5.63 R$30.61

-60.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$32.17 R$175

-40.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.37 R$40.07

-24.69%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$1.91 R$10.41

-12.57%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$1.19 R$6.47

-46.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.70 R$3.78

-55.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.84 R$10.01

28.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$2.75 R$14.93

33.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.83 R$4.50

134.94%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.49 R$8.10

-3.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.14 R$6.22

16.67%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.00 R$10.85

14.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$7.88 R$42.82

108.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.94 R$21.39

-29.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.87 R$48.20

4.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.20 R$11.97

6.82%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.26 R$6.83

-23.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.25 R$6.80

28.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.67 R$9.06

-10.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.09 R$5.92

17.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.91 R$4.97

20.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.76 R$4.14

-6.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.78 R$4.22

-37.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.20 R$11.97

88.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$7.31 R$39.77

139.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.10 R$6.00

46.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$1.89 R$10.25

47.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.99 R$5.37

-12.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$40.44 R$220

33.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.18 R$6.42

-1.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.84 R$4.55

-36.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$6.65 R$36.15

-63.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.15 R$6.25

26.09%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$19.0K R$103.1K

11.06%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$31.6K R$172.0K

-14.84%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$72.3 R$393

-14.03%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$9.79 R$53.2

24.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$22.03 R$120

-8.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$23.85 R$130

56.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$21.97 R$119

-82.84%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.80 R$36.99

-4.56%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$288 R$1,566

155.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$6,516 R$35.4K

126.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$51.8 R$282

2.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$46.71 R$254

-47.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$83.5 R$454

9.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$67.7 R$368

6.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$350 R$1,901

37.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$243 R$1,324

26.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$651 R$3,537

54.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$506 R$2,750

25.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$1,564 R$8,504

51.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,119 R$6,083

42.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Castanhal: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Castanhal

$243 29% 21.2% $65

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Castanhal

$179 21.3% 23.7% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Castanhal

$112 13.4% 3.4% $3.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Castanhal

$104 12.4% 10.2% $9.7

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Castanhal

$112 13.4% 44.8% $35

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Castanhal

$50 5.9% 18.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Castanhal

$37 4.5% 25.5% $13

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $350 in Castanhal. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $32 in Castanhal. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $179, with Castanhal cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Castanhal

🕒 Local time

14:25 2:25 PM

04:25 4:25 AM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

192,256

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 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 = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.09 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Castanhal 15,920 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Castanhal

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 Castanhal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Castanhal wins on cost – living expenses run 10% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Castanhal the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $1,258 in Castanhal to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $350 in Castanhal. 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 $32 in Castanhal. 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 $838 in Castanhal – Castanhal is about 10% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Castanhal 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.