Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Caxias do Sul

For one person, living is cheaper in Caxias do Sul: $817 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Caxias do Sul
Learn more

Caxias do Sul Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Caxias do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$817

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Caxias do Sul

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 Caxias do Sul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $817 in Caxias do Sul, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Caxias do Sul $817

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,379 in Caxias do Sul, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Caxias do Sul $1,379

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,941 in Caxias do Sul, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Caxias do Sul $1,941

Chiang Mai costs about 15% more than Caxias do Sul, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Caxias do Sul are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Caxias do Sul 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.7

$6.97 R$34.95

-67.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿644

$38.56 R$193

-50.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿188

$6.99 R$35.07

-20.03%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.9

$1.94 R$9.72

-11.34%

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

$0.64 ฿21.63

$1.42 R$7.10

-54.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.22

$1.10 R$5.52

-70.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.1

$2.25 R$11.31

4.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿131

$2.97 R$14.91

31.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.9

$0.89 R$4.46

130.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.89

$1.66 R$8.32

-15.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.14 R$5.71

12.28%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.6

$2.00 R$10.02

12.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿568

$10.22 R$51.3

65.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿92.0

$4.88 R$24.50

-43.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿314

$10.20 R$51.2

-8.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$1.56 R$7.85

53.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿34.05

$1.09 R$5.49

-7.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿54.1

$0.58 R$2.92

177.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.9

$1.66 R$8.33

-8.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.07

$0.98 R$4.90

30.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.36

$0.67 R$3.38

65.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.18

$0.79 R$3.95

-8.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.61

$0.73 R$3.68

-28.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$2.55 R$12.78

69.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿595

$3.96 R$19.89

347.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.6

$1.12 R$5.61

45.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.7

$2.24 R$11.24

27.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.42

$1.40 R$7.04

-39.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,808

$43.70 R$219

23.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.33

$1.27 R$6.39

-7.87%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.07

$0.81 R$4.08

-29.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.5

$8.08 R$40.52

-70.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.51

$1.30 R$6.54

11.54%

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

$20.5K ฿686.9K

$23.7K R$119.2K

-13.78%

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

$26.5K ฿889.5K

$33.5K R$168.0K

-20.82%

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

$62.3 ฿2,091

$71.6 R$359

-12.89%

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

$12.27 ฿412

$12.57 R$63.1

-2.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿670

$22.36 R$112

-10.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,272

$26.54 R$133

42.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$59.0 R$296

-93.63%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿225

$7.48 R$37.55

-10.29%

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

$797 ฿26.7K

$406 R$2,035

96.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$24.2K R$121.4K

-38.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,787

$50.4 R$253

5.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿840

$36.75 R$184

-31.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,074

$101 R$507

-9.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,465

$79.6 R$399

-7.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.6K

$272 R$1,364

70.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$184 R$923

65.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.7K

$701 R$3,518

30.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$429 R$2,151

28.85%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿64.1K

$1,769 R$8,876

8.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.3K

$1,226 R$6,154

17.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$565 R$2,833

5.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.5

-51.57%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Caxias do Sul: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Caxias do Sul

$184 22.5% 39.6% $121

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Caxias do Sul

$183 22.4% 23.1% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Caxias do Sul

$120 14.7% 10% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Caxias do Sul

$106 13% 12.6% $12

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Caxias do Sul

$127 15.6% 61% $48

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Caxias do Sul

$55 6.7% 10.9% $6.7

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Caxias do Sul

$42 5.1% 19.1% $9.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $272 in Caxias do Sul. 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 5% 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $39.00 in Caxias do Sul. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $183 in Caxias do Sul – so Caxias do Sul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Caxias do Sul

🕒 Local time

01:28 1:28 AM

15:28 3:28 PM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

463,501

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 33.55 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.62 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Caxias do Sul 16,780 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Caxias do Sul

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 Caxias do Sul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $938 in Chiang Mai, $817 in Caxias do Sul – roughly 15% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,226 in Caxias do Sul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Public transport costs about 23% less in Caxias do Sul. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $406 in Caxias do Sul. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Caxias do Sul, where all-in costs run around $817, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Caxias do Sul it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $817 in Caxias do Sul to $938 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Caxias do Sul. 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.