Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Contagem

For one person, living is cheaper in Contagem: $724 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Contagem
Learn more

Contagem Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Contagem

🇧🇷 Brazil

$724

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $724 in Contagem, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Contagem $724

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,164 in Contagem, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Contagem $1,164

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,605 in Contagem, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Contagem $1,605

Chiang Mai costs about 29% more than Contagem, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Contagem are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Contagem 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$5.54 R$30.39

-61.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$27.69 R$152

-32.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$6.65 R$36.51

-15.79%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$1.63 R$8.94

1.84%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$1.28 R$7.00

-49.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.58 R$3.16

-48.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$1.22 R$6.68

90.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$2.28 R$12.51

60.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$0.88 R$4.80

129.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$1.61 R$8.85

-12.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$1.28 R$7.02

8.59%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$1.87 R$10.28

26.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$8.96 R$49.16

84.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$3.14 R$17.25

-14.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$7.17 R$39.36

25.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$1.82 R$9.98

31.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$1.15 R$6.29

-9.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.90 R$4.92

84.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$1.51 R$8.30

3.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$1.04 R$5.71

19.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$0.99 R$5.42

10.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.74 R$4.07

2.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$0.72 R$3.93

-29.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$1.48 R$8.13

178.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$5.47 R$30.05

227.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$0.90 R$4.94

80.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$1.32 R$7.27

113.64%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

$1.38 R$7.59

-32.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

$72.7 R$399

-27.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$1.04 R$5.70

13.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$0.82 R$4.48

-79.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$5.82 R$31.92

-68.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$1.16 R$6.37

26.72%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$21.8K R$119.7K

-3.63%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$29.5K R$162.2K

-10.26%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$70.5 R$387

-11.29%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$9.22 R$50.6

25.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$17.33 R$95.1

17.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$24.57 R$135

54.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$22.42 R$123

-83.50%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$6.80 R$37.31

-4.26%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$136 R$744

436.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$2,460 R$13.5K

573.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$55.4 R$304

-3.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$44.74 R$246

-44.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$62.5 R$343

44.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$44.16 R$242

62.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$208 R$1,139

131.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$147 R$804

111.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$433 R$2,375

144.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$305 R$1,673

116.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$1,863 R$10.2K

29.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$922 R$5,059

74.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

$237 R$1,300

151.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.67

-47.80%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Contagem: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Contagem

$147 20.3% 52.7% $163

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Contagem

$163 22.6% 30.9% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Contagem

$93 12.9% 14.1% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Contagem

$97 13.4% 2.8% $2.6

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Contagem

$102 14.1% 33% $25

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Contagem

$83 11.5% 42.1% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Contagem

$38 5.3% 25% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $208 in Contagem. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $28 in Contagem. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $163 in Contagem – so Contagem wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Contagem

🕒 Local time

15:29 3:29 PM

05:29 5:29 AM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

621,863

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Contagem 16,150 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Contagem

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 Contagem: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 29% more than Contagem, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,085 in Contagem. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Contagem, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $208 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $136 in Contagem. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 45% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

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