Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Criciuma

For one person, living is cheaper in Criciuma: $711 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
34

Cost of Living Index in Criciuma
Learn more

Criciuma Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Criciuma

🇧🇷 Brazil

$711

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $711 in Criciuma, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Criciuma $711

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,060 in Criciuma, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Criciuma $1,060

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,410 in Criciuma, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Criciuma $1,410

Chiang Mai costs about 32% more than Criciuma, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Criciuma are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Criciuma 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$5.38 R$29.53

-60.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$20.36 R$112

-8.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$5.48 R$30.07

2.19%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$1.23 R$6.75

34.96%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$1.04 R$5.71

-37.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.68 R$3.73

-55.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$1.50 R$8.24

54.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$1.83 R$10.02

100.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$0.84 R$4.62

140.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$1.35 R$7.43

4.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$1.02 R$5.61

36.27%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$1.90 R$10.42

24.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$7.59 R$41.68

117.65%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$3.38 R$18.55

-21.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$8.00 R$43.88

12.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$1.96 R$10.78

22.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$1.08 R$5.95

-3.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.94 R$5.18

76.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$1.48 R$8.15

5.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$1.15 R$6.33

7.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$1.03 R$5.66

5.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.74 R$4.06

2.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$0.61 R$3.33

-16.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$2.35 R$12.88

75.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$4.38 R$24.05

309.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.08 R$5.94

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$1.33 R$7.32

112.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

$0.95 R$5.19

-2.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

$36.40 R$200

45.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$0.45 R$2.49

162.22%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$0.72 R$3.97

-76.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$2.27 R$12.43

-20.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$1.22 R$6.68

20.49%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$21.7K R$119.1K

-3.14%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$28.5K R$156.3K

-6.92%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$66.5 R$365

-5.91%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$11.38 R$62.5

1.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$20.08 R$110

1.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$26.76 R$147

41.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$37.06 R$203

-90.02%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$6.77 R$37.14

-3.84%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$154 R$846

371.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$2,747 R$15.1K

503.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$46.99 R$258

13.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$27.95 R$153

-11.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$75.9 R$417

19.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$40.62 R$223

77.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$222 R$1,216

117.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$192 R$1,054

61.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$378 R$2,075

179.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$248 R$1,362

165.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$1,096 R$6,015

120.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$594 R$3,261

170.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

$288 R$1,580

106.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.74

-48.14%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Criciuma: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Criciuma

$192 27% 38% $118

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Criciuma

$157 22.2% 33.5% $79

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Criciuma

$86 12.1% 20.4% $22

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Criciuma

$98 13.8% 3.7% $3.5

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Criciuma

$92 13% 20.5% $16

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Criciuma

$44 6.2% 24.5% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Criciuma

$40 5.7% 20.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $222 in Criciuma. 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 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $20 in Criciuma. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $157 in Criciuma – so Criciuma wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Criciuma

🕒 Local time

15:56 3:56 PM

05:56 5:56 AM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

214,493

💱 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 Criciuma 16,620 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Criciuma

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 Criciuma: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 32% more than Criciuma, 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 $1,066 in Criciuma. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Criciuma, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $222 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $154 in Criciuma. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 50% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Criciuma – 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 Criciuma. 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.