Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Franco da Rocha

For one person, living is cheaper in Franco da Rocha: $890 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $550 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 Franco da Rocha
Learn more

Franco da Rocha Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Franco da Rocha

🇧🇷 Brazil

$890

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Franco da Rocha

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 Franco da Rocha actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $890 in Franco da Rocha, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Franco da Rocha $890

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,429 in Franco da Rocha, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Franco da Rocha $1,429

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,969 in Franco da Rocha, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Franco da Rocha $1,969

Chiang Mai costs about 5% more than Franco da Rocha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Franco da Rocha are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Franco da Rocha 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$6.52 R$34.87

-65.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$37.96 R$203

-49.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$8.26 R$44.18

-32.81%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$2.11 R$11.28

-20.85%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$1.57 R$8.40

-59.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$1.13 R$6.05

-72.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.57 R$13.77

-8.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$4.06 R$21.71

-9.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.17 R$6.28

66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.91 R$10.19

-24.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.07 R$5.73

24.30%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.47 R$13.21

-7.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$8.42 R$45.02

95.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$4.11 R$21.97

-32.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.26 R$54.9

-9.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.67 R$14.26

-11.99%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.74 R$9.30

-44.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.65 R$8.81

-3.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.68 R$8.98

-10.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.27 R$6.80

0.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$1.27 R$6.78

-13.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.85 R$4.53

-16.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.73 R$3.91

-32.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.63 R$14.06

57.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$8.20 R$43.86

113.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.53 R$8.17

5.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$4.30 R$22.97

-35.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.94 R$5.03

-7.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$41.14 R$220

31.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.25 R$6.70

-7.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$1.34 R$7.14

-60.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$9.00 R$48.10

-73.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.18 R$6.30

22.88%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$22.5K R$120.5K

-6.54%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$31.2K R$166.9K

-13.72%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$40.45 R$216

53.70%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$13.60 R$72.7

-10.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$16.88 R$90.3

19.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$24.01 R$128

55.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$28.68 R$153

-86.85%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.51 R$40.17

-13.58%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$405 R$2,164

81.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$7,204 R$38.5K

104.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$52.5 R$280

1.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$54.4 R$291

-54.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$88.5 R$473

3.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$78.7 R$421

-8.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$335 R$1,792

43.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$258 R$1,380

19.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$638 R$3,410

57.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$455 R$2,432

39.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$1,715 R$9,170

37.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,244 R$6,651

27.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Franco da Rocha: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Franco da Rocha

$258 29% 16.5% $51

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Franco da Rocha

$212 23.8% 9.8% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Franco da Rocha

$123 13.9% 13.5% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Franco da Rocha

$71 8% 24.9% $24

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Franco da Rocha

$134 15.1% 72.9% $57

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Franco da Rocha

$53 5.9% 13.9% $8.5

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Franco da Rocha

$39 4.4% 22.4% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $335 in Franco da Rocha. 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 $38 in Franco da Rocha. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $212 in Franco da Rocha – so Franco da Rocha wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Franco da Rocha

🕒 Local time

08:24 8:24 AM

22:24 10:24 PM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

144,849

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 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

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Franco da Rocha 16,430 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Franco da Rocha

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 Franco da Rocha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 5% more than Franco da Rocha, 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 $1,335 in Franco da Rocha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Franco da Rocha, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $335 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $405 in Franco da Rocha. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 11% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $890 in Franco da Rocha, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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