Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Florianopolis

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,171 in Florianopolis, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in Florianopolis
Learn more

Florianopolis Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Florianopolis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,171

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,171 in Florianopolis, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Florianopolis $1,171

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,913 in Florianopolis, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Florianopolis $1,913

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,656 in Florianopolis, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Florianopolis $2,656

Chiang Mai is about 20% cheaper than Florianopolis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Florianopolis are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Florianopolis 14% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$9.03 R$48.29

-75.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$41.13 R$220

-53.81%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.39 R$39.52

-24.90%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.32 R$12.43

-28.02%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.24 R$6.61

-48.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$1.01 R$5.38

-69.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.87 R$15.34

-17.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.39 R$18.13

7.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.97 R$5.19

101.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.48 R$7.90

-2.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.19 R$6.39

11.76%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.41 R$12.86

-5.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$8.97 R$47.98

83.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.78 R$20.20

-26.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.40 R$50.3

-0.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.20 R$11.78

6.82%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.16 R$6.18

-16.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.43 R$7.62

11.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.55 R$8.30

-3.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.02 R$5.46

25.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.90 R$4.82

22.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.75 R$3.99

-5.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.65 R$3.45

-24.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.77 R$14.83

49.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$9.07 R$48.51

93.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.39 R$7.41

15.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.78 R$14.89

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$1.28 R$6.82

-32.03%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$76.7 R$410

-29.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.47 R$7.87

-21.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.46 R$7.80

-63.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$11.30 R$60.4

-78.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.21 R$6.48

19.83%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$21.9K R$117.3K

-3.98%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$32.7K R$174.8K

-17.60%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$78.1 R$418

-20.38%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$11.83 R$63.3

2.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$20.45 R$109

-1.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$30.09 R$161

23.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$17.59 R$94.0

-78.57%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.53 R$40.25

-13.81%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$719 R$3,846

2.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$10.3K R$54.9K

43.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$59.5 R$318

-10.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$65.5 R$350

-62.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$104 R$557

-12.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$63.7 R$341

12.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$640 R$3,419

-24.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$450 R$2,405

-31.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$1,240 R$6,627

-18.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,001 R$5,352

-36.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$2,696 R$14.4K

-12.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,617 R$8,647

-1.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$958 R$5,125

-38.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.61

-47.50%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Florianopolis: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Florianopolis

$450 38.4% 45.6% $141

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Florianopolis

$191 16.3% 18.7% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Florianopolis

$132 11.3% 21.4% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Florianopolis

$110 9.4% 16.8% $16

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Florianopolis

$152 13% 96.5% $75

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Florianopolis

$91 7.7% 47.6% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Florianopolis

$45 3.9% 10.2% $5.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $640 in Florianopolis. 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 63% higher in Florianopolis. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $41 in Florianopolis. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $191 in Florianopolis – so Florianopolis wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Florianopolis

🕒 Local time

08:02 8:02 AM

22:02 10:02 PM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

537,211

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Florianopolis 16,570 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Florianopolis

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 Florianopolis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Florianopolis costs about 25% more than Chiang Mai, 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,756 in Florianopolis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $640 in Florianopolis.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $719 in Florianopolis. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 19% cheaper in Florianopolis – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,171 in Florianopolis. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,171 in Florianopolis. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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