Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Feira de Santana

For one person, living is cheaper in Feira de Santana: $578 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Feira de Santana, Brazil
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$935
/mo nomad
Feira de Santana
🇧🇷 Brazil
$578
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Feira de Santana

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 Feira de Santana actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $578 in Feira de Santana, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $935
  • Feira de Santana $578

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $928 in Feira de Santana, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,467
  • Feira de Santana $928

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,279 in Feira de Santana, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,999
  • Feira de Santana $1,279

Chiang Mai costs about 62% more than Feira de Santana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Feira de Santana are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Feira de Santana 57% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Feira de Santana
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.13 ฿71.6
$4.61 R$25.39
-53.80%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.62 ฿624
$17.22 R$94.8
8.13%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.60 ฿188
$6.01 R$33.09
-6.82%
Cappuccino
$1.66 ฿55.8
$1.26 R$6.92
31.75%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.65 ฿21.69
$0.73 R$4.00
-10.96%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.30 ฿10.22
$0.48 R$2.66
-37.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.32 ฿77.9
$1.80 R$9.91
28.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.67 ฿123
$3.38 R$18.58
8.58%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Feira de Santana
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$2.02 ฿67.6
$1.02 R$5.63
98.04%
White Bread (500g)
$1.41 ฿47.21
$1.46 R$8.02
-3.42%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.39 ฿46.67
$1.16 R$6.38
19.83%
Eggs
$2.37 ฿79.4
$1.84 R$10.13
28.80%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.52 ฿554
$6.32 R$34.80
161.39%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.67 ฿89.5
$4.24 R$23.32
-37.03%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.02 ฿302
$6.55 R$36.05
37.71%
Apples (1kg)
$2.40 ฿80.4
$1.97 R$10.86
21.83%
Banana (1kg)
$1.04 ฿34.91
$1.38 R$7.58
-24.64%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.66 ฿55.6
$1.03 R$5.66
61.17%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.56 ฿52.3
$1.28 R$7.04
21.88%
Potato (1kg)
$1.24 ฿41.50
$1.00 R$5.52
24.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.09 ฿36.44
$1.27 R$7.00
-14.17%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.76 ฿25.54
$0.78 R$4.31
-2.56%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.51 ฿17.24
$1.03 R$5.69
-50.49%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.12 ฿138
$2.23 R$12.27
84.75%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.93 ฿601
$5.57 R$30.66
221.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.62 ฿54.4
$1.13 R$6.20
43.36%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.82 ฿94.6
$1.96 R$10.76
43.88%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Feira de Santana
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.93 ฿31.33
$0.92 R$5.08
1.09%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$52.9 ฿1,773
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.18 ฿39.45
$1.18 R$6.49
-
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.17 ฿5.75
$0.62 R$3.39
-72.58%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$1.81 ฿60.8
$5.79 R$31.86
-68.74%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.47 ฿49.38
$1.25 R$6.85
17.60%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.0K ฿704.5K
$21.5K R$118.2K
-2.13%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.5K ฿889.1K
$32.1K R$176.8K
-17.47%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Feira de Santana
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.6 ฿2,098
$27.34 R$150
128.82%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.60 ฿389
$5.42 R$29.85
114.02%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.30 ฿681
$16.41 R$90.3
23.71%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Feira de Santana
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.88 ฿1,270
$20.49 R$113
84.87%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.70 ฿124
$27.21 R$150
-86.40%
Cinema Ticket
$6.51 ฿218
$4.05 R$22.28
60.74%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Feira de Santana
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$727 ฿24.4K
$328 R$1,805
121.65%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.6K ฿555.7K
$5,609 R$30.9K
195.50%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Feira de Santana
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.5 ฿1,795
$60.9 R$335
-12.04%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.80 ฿832
$33.02 R$182
-24.89%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.4 ฿3,031
$79.4 R$437
13.78%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$72.0 ฿2,413
$75.2 R$414
-4.33%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Feira de Santana
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$481 ฿16.1K
$167 R$917
188.93%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$310 ฿10.4K
$122 R$673
153.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,058 ฿35.5K
$302 R$1,662
250.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$659 ฿22.1K
$226 R$1,241
192.03%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,418 ฿81.1K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,609 ฿53.9K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Feira de Santana
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$595 ฿19.9K
$274 R$1,509
116.98%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
10
-44.30%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Feira de Santana: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$310
Feira de Santana
$122 60.5% $188
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$237
Feira de Santana
$167 29.4% $70
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$108
Feira de Santana
$112 3.3% $3.5
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Feira de Santana
$49 48% $45
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$77
Feira de Santana
$91 18.3% $14
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$59
Feira de Santana
$8 * 86.4% $51
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$51
Feira de Santana
$29 43.8% $22

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $167 in Feira de Santana. 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 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $17 in Feira de Santana. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $167 – making Feira de Santana the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇧🇷 Feira de Santana
🕒 Local time
06:34 6:34 AM
20:34 8:34 PM
10 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
616,272
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.5 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Feira de Santana 15,460 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Feira de Santana

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 Feira de Santana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Feira de Santana?
Chiang Mai costs about 62% more than Feira de Santana, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Chiang Mai and in Feira de Santana?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $866 in Feira de Santana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or Feira de Santana?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Feira de Santana, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $167 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.
How do dining costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Feira de Santana?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $17 in Feira de Santana. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Chiang Mai or in Feira de Santana?
Groceries cost about 42% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Feira de Santana – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
Should I move to Chiang Mai or to Feira de Santana?
If budget matters most, go with Feira de Santana. 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.

Chiang Mai vs other spots: cost of living compared

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