Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Imbituba

For one person, living is cheaper in Imbituba: $795 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,700 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Imbituba
Learn more

Imbituba Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Imbituba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$795

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $795 in Imbituba, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Imbituba $795

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,262 in Imbituba, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Imbituba $1,262

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,729 in Imbituba, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Imbituba $1,729

Chiang Mai costs about 18% more than Imbituba, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Imbituba are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Imbituba 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$4.73 R$25.94

-54.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿623

$28.27 R$155

-34.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿187

$6.38 R$35.00

-12.23%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.79 R$9.80

-7.26%

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

$0.65 ฿21.63

$1.06 R$5.80

-38.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.20

$0.49 R$2.67

-38.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.7

$2.20 R$12.10

5.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$2.26 R$12.38

62.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.4

$0.93 R$5.12

117.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.08

$1.15 R$6.32

22.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.54

$0.87 R$4.75

59.77%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.2

$2.05 R$11.24

15.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿552

$7.55 R$41.43

118.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.3

$2.95 R$16.16

-9.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$6.19 R$33.96

45.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.2

$1.47 R$8.07

63.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.82

$0.77 R$4.22

35.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.5

$1.14 R$6.28

45.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.1

$0.77 R$4.24

102.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.39

$0.72 R$3.98

72.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.34

$1.18 R$6.47

-7.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.47

$1.38 R$7.55

-44.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.19

$0.93 R$5.09

-45.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$3.01 R$16.52

36.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿600

$8.63 R$47.35

107.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$1.07 R$5.90

51.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.4

$2.99 R$16.42

-5.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.25

$0.92 R$5.07

1.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,769

$41.53 R$228

27.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.35

$1.89 R$10.39

-37.57%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.73

$1.51 R$8.29

-88.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.6

$9.12 R$50.1

-80.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.25

$1.22 R$6.69

20.49%

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

$21.0K ฿702.6K

$22.5K R$123.6K

-6.70%

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

$26.5K ฿886.7K

$31.6K R$173.2K

-15.98%

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

$62.6 ฿2,092

$57.4 R$315

9.08%

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

$11.60 ฿388

$10.64 R$58.4

9.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿679

$19.85 R$109

2.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,267

$24.31 R$133

55.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$25.89 R$142

-85.71%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$8.34 R$45.76

-21.94%

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$301 R$1,649

141.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿554.2K

$6,099 R$33.5K

171.74%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,790

$42.34 R$232

26.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿829

$85.8 R$471

-71.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,023

$84.1 R$461

7.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,407

$64.5 R$354

11.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$330 R$1,809

45.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$228 R$1,252

35.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.4K

$631 R$3,464

67.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

$441 R$2,420

49.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.8K

$1,549 R$8,497

56.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.8K

$1,156 R$6,342

39.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.5

-46.95%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Imbituba: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Imbituba

$228 28.7% 26.4% $82

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Imbituba

$159 20% 33% $78

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Imbituba

$125 15.7% 14.9% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Imbituba

$88 11.1% 7% $6.6

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Imbituba

$100 12.6% 30.7% $24

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Imbituba

$55 6.9% 6.8% $4

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Imbituba

$41 5.2% 19.5% $9.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $330 in Imbituba. 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 $28 in Imbituba. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $159 in Imbituba – so Imbituba wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Imbituba

🕒 Local time

09:10 9:10 AM

23:10 11:10 PM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

52,579

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 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 = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.54 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.16 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Imbituba

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 Imbituba: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 18% more than Imbituba, 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 $1,192 in Imbituba. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Imbituba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $330 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $301 in Imbituba. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 49% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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