Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Embu das Artes

For one person, living is cheaper in Embu das Artes: $849 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 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
41

Cost of Living Index in Embu das Artes
Learn more

Embu das Artes Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Embu das Artes

🇧🇷 Brazil

$849

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Embu das Artes

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 Embu das Artes actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $849 in Embu das Artes, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Embu das Artes $849

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,388 in Embu das Artes, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Embu das Artes $1,388

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,927 in Embu das Artes, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Embu das Artes $1,927

Chiang Mai costs about 10% more than Embu das Artes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Embu das Artes are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Embu das Artes 37% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.6

$6.50 R$35.76

-67.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿624

$37.23 R$205

-49.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$8.04 R$44.25

-30.35%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.8

$2.10 R$11.53

-20.95%

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

$0.65 ฿21.69

$1.37 R$7.51

-52.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.22

$0.86 R$4.72

-65.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.9

$2.50 R$13.77

-7.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$4.14 R$22.79

-11.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.6

$1.10 R$6.04

83.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.21

$1.69 R$9.32

-16.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.67

$1.10 R$6.07

26.36%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.4

$2.56 R$14.08

-7.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿554

$8.23 R$45.29

100.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.5

$4.06 R$22.33

-34.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$9.83 R$54.1

-8.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.4

$2.47 R$13.59

-2.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.91

$1.62 R$8.91

-35.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.37 R$7.53

21.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$1.73 R$9.55

-9.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.50

$1.27 R$7.00

-2.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.44

$1.20 R$6.59

-9.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.54

$0.90 R$4.96

-15.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.24

$0.69 R$3.80

-26.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$2.64 R$14.53

56.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿601

$8.23 R$45.28

117.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$1.59 R$8.75

1.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.6

$2.38 R$13.08

18.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.33

$0.99 R$5.43

-6.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,773

$36.02 R$198

46.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.45

$1.09 R$6.02

8.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.75

$0.89 R$4.91

-80.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.8

$6.79 R$37.39

-73.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.38

$1.18 R$6.49

24.58%

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

$21.0K ฿704.5K

$21.9K R$120.5K

-4.06%

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

$26.5K ฿889.1K

$31.2K R$171.8K

-15.05%

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

$62.6 ฿2,098

$45.20 R$249

38.41%

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

$11.60 ฿389

$14.04 R$77.3

-17.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿681

$17.46 R$96.1

16.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,270

$25.79 R$142

46.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$26.29 R$145

-85.93%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$7.15 R$39.35

-8.95%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$405 R$2,231

79.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿555.7K

$6,641 R$36.6K

149.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,795

$51.7 R$285

3.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿832

$53.6 R$295

-53.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,031

$90.1 R$496

0.28%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,413

$79.0 R$435

-8.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$297 R$1,634

62.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$232 R$1,278

33.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$638 R$3,513

65.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$456 R$2,509

44.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.1K

$1,705 R$9,385

41.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.9K

$1,009 R$5,552

59.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Embu das Artes: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Embu das Artes

$232 27.3% 25.1% $78

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Embu das Artes

$200 23.6% 15.3% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Embu das Artes

$123 14.5% 14% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Embu das Artes

$77 9% 18.8% $18

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Embu das Artes

$131 15.4% 71% $54

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Embu das Artes

$46 5.4% 22.4% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Embu das Artes

$40 4.7% 21.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $297 in Embu das Artes. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $37 in Embu das Artes. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $200 in Embu das Artes – so Embu das Artes wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Embu das Artes

🕒 Local time

01:54 1:54 AM

15:54 3:54 PM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

250,691

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.5 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.18 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Embu das Artes 16,440 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Embu das Artes

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 Embu das Artes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 10% more than Embu das Artes, 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 $1,274 in Embu das Artes. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Embu das Artes, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $297 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $405 in Embu das Artes. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $935 in Chiang Mai and $849 in Embu das Artes, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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