Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Imperatriz

For one person, living is cheaper in Imperatriz: $854 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $970 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
40

Cost of Living Index in Imperatriz
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Imperatriz Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Imperatriz

🇧🇷 Brazil

$854

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $854 in Imperatriz, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Imperatriz $854

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,356 in Imperatriz, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Imperatriz $1,356

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,859 in Imperatriz, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Imperatriz $1,859

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$5.59 R$30.51

-61.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$32.30 R$176

-42.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$7.75 R$42.33

-27.74%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.85 R$10.08

-10.27%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$1.35 R$7.38

-51.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$0.45 R$2.45

-33.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$2.01 R$11.00

15.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$3.03 R$16.54

21.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$1.14 R$6.24

77.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$1.44 R$7.88

-2.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$1.27 R$6.92

9.45%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$2.32 R$12.64

2.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$7.41 R$40.43

122.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$3.52 R$19.23

-24.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$8.81 R$48.09

2.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$2.30 R$12.54

4.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$1.21 R$6.63

-14.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$0.93 R$5.06

78.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.42 R$7.75

9.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$1.11 R$6.09

11.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$1.14 R$6.25

-4.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$0.76 R$4.16

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$0.72 R$3.95

-29.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$1.96 R$10.72

110.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$6.48 R$35.38

176.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$1.08 R$5.87

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$1.90 R$10.39

48.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

$0.83 R$4.52

12.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

$43.87 R$240

20.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$1.23 R$6.71

-4.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.74 R$4.05

-77.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$7.59 R$41.45

-76.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$1.14 R$6.22

28.95%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$22.8K R$124.6K

-7.93%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$30.2K R$164.9K

-12.20%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$65.1 R$355

-3.84%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$12.79 R$69.8

-9.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$19.61 R$107

3.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

$23.65 R$129

60.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$24.82 R$136

-85.09%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$6.04 R$33.00

7.78%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$266 R$1,452

173.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$5,987 R$32.7K

176.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$45.69 R$249

17.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$46.81 R$256

-47.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$88.5 R$483

2.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$68.6 R$374

4.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$288 R$1,575

66.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$268 R$1,460

15.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$612 R$3,340

72.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$505 R$2,756

30.46%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

$1,613 R$8,809

49.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

$1,168 R$6,379

37.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-49.36%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Imperatriz: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Imperatriz

$268 31.3% 13.7% $42

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Imperatriz

$176 20.6% 25.8% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Imperatriz

$112 13.2% 3.7% $4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Imperatriz

$97 11.4% 3.2% $3

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Imperatriz

$113 13.3% 48.2% $37

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Imperatriz

$52 6.1% 11.1% $6.5

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Imperatriz

$36 4.2% 29.8% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $288 in Imperatriz. 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 $32 in Imperatriz. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $176 in Imperatriz – so Imperatriz wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Imperatriz

🕒 Local time

07:38 7:38 AM

21:38 9:38 PM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

273,110

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Imperatriz 16,090 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Imperatriz

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 Imperatriz: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 10% more than Imperatriz, 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 $1,281 in Imperatriz. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Imperatriz, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $288 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $266 in Imperatriz. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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