Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Duque de Caxias

For one person, living is cheaper in Duque de Caxias: $806 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Duque de Caxias
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Duque de Caxias Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Duque de Caxias

🇧🇷 Brazil

$806

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Duque de Caxias

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 Duque de Caxias actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $806 in Duque de Caxias, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Duque de Caxias $806

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,390 in Duque de Caxias, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Duque de Caxias $1,390

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,974 in Duque de Caxias, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Duque de Caxias $1,974

Chiang Mai costs about 15% more than Duque de Caxias, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Duque de Caxias are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Duque de Caxias 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$7.07 R$35.82

-67.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$39.30 R$199

-50.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$8.26 R$41.90

-32.08%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.26 R$11.44

-26.55%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$1.52 R$7.70

-53.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$1.04 R$5.26

-70.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$2.17 R$10.99

11.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$3.58 R$18.16

3.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.18 R$5.96

65.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$2.06 R$10.46

-31.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.14 R$5.76

14.91%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$2.24 R$11.37

-2.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$9.06 R$45.91

83.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$4.51 R$22.87

-38.80%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$9.98 R$50.6

-8.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$2.83 R$14.37

-15.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.76 R$8.94

-41.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.58 R$8.00

3.16%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.79 R$9.07

-16.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$1.20 R$6.06

7.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$1.06 R$5.38

4.72%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.76 R$3.85

-5.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.64 R$3.25

-17.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$2.83 R$14.32

52.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$8.10 R$41.07

121.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.18 R$5.96

33.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$2.49 R$12.61

14.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.98 R$4.97

-12.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$43.44 R$220

22.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$1.27 R$6.43

-4.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$1.41 R$7.14

-59.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$9.23 R$46.81

-74.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.26 R$6.38

14.29%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$23.4K R$118.8K

-11.55%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$34.1K R$172.8K

-21.38%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$42.43 R$215

46.90%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$10.65 R$54.0

13.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$18.29 R$92.7

9.02%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$25.58 R$130

44.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$27.88 R$141

-86.44%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$7.91 R$40.12

-17.83%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$424 R$2,150

86.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$7,540 R$38.2K

96.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$41.79 R$212

28.60%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$49.66 R$252

-50.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$95.7 R$485

-5.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$85.4 R$433

-16.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$297 R$1,505

53.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$169 R$857

76.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$789 R$4,000

15.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$443 R$2,248

24.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$1,286 R$6,519

50.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$570 R$2,891

153.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$302 R$1,530

95.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.12

-49.91%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Duque de Caxias: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Duque de Caxias

$169 21% 43.2% $129

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Duque de Caxias

$209 25.9% 11.2% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Duque de Caxias

$123 15.2% 13.4% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Duque de Caxias

$71 8.9% 24.4% $23

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Duque de Caxias

$137 17% 73.9% $58

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Duque de Caxias

$56 6.9% 8.4% $5.1

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Duque de Caxias

$41 5.1% 17.3% $8.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $297 in Duque de Caxias. 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 96% 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $39.00 in Duque de Caxias. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $209 in Duque de Caxias – so Duque de Caxias wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Duque de Caxias

🕒 Local time

20:17 8:17 PM

10:17 10:17 AM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

808,161

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Duque de Caxias 16,080 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Duque de Caxias

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 Duque de Caxias: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 15% more than Duque de Caxias, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,209 in Duque de Caxias. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $424 in Duque de Caxias. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Duque de Caxias, where all-in costs run around $806, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Duque de Caxias it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Duque de Caxias costs $806 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Duque de Caxias. 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.