Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Itajai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,002 in Itajai, rent and utilities included – about $770 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Itajai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Itajai
Learn more

Itajai Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Itajai

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,002

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,002 in Itajai, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Itajai $1,002

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,225 in Itajai, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Itajai $1,225

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,448 in Itajai, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Itajai $1,448

Chiang Mai is about 6% cheaper than Itajai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Itajai are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Itajai 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$5.87 R$29.75

-61.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$40.47 R$205

-52.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$9.05 R$45.86

-38.23%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$2.52 R$12.77

-31.75%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.16 R$5.88

-44.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.96 R$4.87

-65.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$2.73 R$13.83

-13.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$3.08 R$15.63

26.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$0.97 R$4.93

111.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.57 R$7.95

-10.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.03 R$5.22

24.27%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$2.19 R$11.12

2.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$9.78 R$49.60

73.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$4.51 R$22.87

-39.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$7.78 R$39.44

20.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$1.84 R$9.30

30.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$0.96 R$4.84

5.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.00 R$5.09

61.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$1.36 R$6.92

11.76%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.83 R$4.20

54.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.58 R$2.95

91.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.75 R$3.79

-4.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.78 R$3.94

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$2.95 R$14.97

46.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$7.31 R$37.03

142.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$0.85 R$4.30

91.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$1.90 R$9.65

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.88 R$4.45

-3.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$1.28 R$6.46

-8.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.83 R$4.21

-31.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$6.10 R$30.93

-61.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.34 R$6.81

8.21%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$23.6K R$119.8K

-13.36%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$33.4K R$169.3K

-20.63%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$101 R$514

-38.47%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$11.17 R$56.6

9.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$23.25 R$118

-14.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$27.46 R$139

38.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$7.69 R$38.96

-12.74%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$283 R$1,435

181.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$5,139 R$26.1K

188.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$72.7 R$369

-26.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$74.0 R$375

-66.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$97.9 R$496

-6.38%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$80.9 R$410

-9.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$498 R$2,524

-6.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$357 R$1,812

-14.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$1,427 R$7,232

-35.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$2,324 R$11.8K

-17.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$632 R$3,201

-5.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.68

-47.85%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Itajai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Itajai

$357 35.7% 17.3% $53

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Itajai

$178 17.8% 25.2% $60

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Itajai

$146 14.6% 33.8% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Itajai

$136 13.6% 43.5% $41

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Itajai

$133 13.2% 67.9% $54

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Itajai

$8.9 * 0.9% 85.4% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Itajai

$43 4.3% 16.6% $8.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $498 in Itajai. 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 6% higher in Itajai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $40.00 in Itajai. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $178 in Itajai – so Itajai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Itajai

🕒 Local time

12:01 12:01 PM

02:01 2:01 AM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

264,054

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Itajai 16,590 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Itajai

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 Itajai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Itajai costs about 7% more than Chiang Mai, 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,503 in Itajai. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $40.00 in Itajai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 34% cheaper in Itajai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Itajai at $1,002. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Itajai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,002 in Itajai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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