Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Jacareí

For one person, living is cheaper in Jacareí: $869 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $830 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
43

Cost of Living Index in Jacareí
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Jacareí Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Jacareí

🇧🇷 Brazil

$869

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $869 in Jacareí, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Jacareí $869

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,385 in Jacareí, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Jacareí $1,385

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,900 in Jacareí, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Jacareí $1,900

Chiang Mai costs about 8% more than Jacareí, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Jacareí are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Jacareí 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.7

$7.15 R$35.89

-68.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿644

$31.77 R$159

-39.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿188

$7.06 R$35.42

-20.82%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.9

$2.18 R$10.93

-21.10%

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

$0.64 ฿21.63

$1.57 R$7.86

-59.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.22

$0.92 R$4.63

-64.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.1

$2.67 R$13.40

-11.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿131

$2.97 R$14.92

31.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.9

$1.26 R$6.32

62.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.89

$1.86 R$9.33

-24.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.17 R$5.85

9.40%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.6

$2.44 R$12.24

-7.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿568

$9.25 R$46.41

83.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿92.0

$4.51 R$22.65

-39.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿314

$9.63 R$48.30

-2.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$2.63 R$13.19

-8.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿34.05

$1.88 R$9.44

-46.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿54.1

$1.84 R$9.21

-12.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.9

$1.87 R$9.39

-18.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.07

$1.38 R$6.90

-7.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.36

$1.31 R$6.60

-15.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.18

$0.99 R$4.96

-27.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.61

$0.76 R$3.80

-31.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$2.38 R$11.96

81.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿595

$7.98 R$40.02

122.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.6

$1.66 R$8.33

-1.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.7

$2.95 R$14.82

-3.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.42

$1.04 R$5.23

-18.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,808

$49.52 R$248

8.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.33

$1.28 R$6.42

-8.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.07

$1.43 R$7.20

-60.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.5

$9.44 R$47.37

-74.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.51

$1.26 R$6.31

15.08%

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

$20.5K ฿686.9K

$23.7K R$118.7K

-13.47%

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

$26.5K ฿889.5K

$33.3K R$167.0K

-20.34%

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

$62.3 ฿2,091

$42.87 R$215

45.39%

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

$12.27 ฿412

$12.19 R$61.2

0.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿670

$22.01 R$110

-9.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,272

$23.26 R$117

62.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$29.25 R$147

-87.15%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿225

$7.89 R$39.59

-14.96%

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

$797 ฿26.7K

$286 R$1,434

178.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$7,746 R$38.9K

91.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,787

$56.3 R$283

-5.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿840

$37.60 R$189

-33.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,074

$95.7 R$480

-4.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,465

$59.9 R$301

22.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.6K

$342 R$1,715

35.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$229 R$1,150

32.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.7K

$721 R$3,616

27.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$405 R$2,034

36.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿64.1K

$1,873 R$9,396

2.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.3K

$1,131 R$5,675

27.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

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 13, 2026

Last update for Jacareí: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Jacareí

$229 26.4% 24.8% $76

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Jacareí

$216 24.8% 9.3% $22

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Jacareí

$112 12.9% 2.5% $2.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Jacareí

$77 8.9% 18.5% $18

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Jacareí

$134 15.4% 69.4% $55

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Jacareí

$62 7.2% 1.4% $0.8

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Jacareí

$39 4.5% 24% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $342 in Jacareí. 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $32.00 in Jacareí. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $216 in Jacareí – so Jacareí wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Jacareí

🕒 Local time

21:26 9:26 PM

11:26 11:26 AM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

240,275

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 33.55 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.62 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Jacareí 16,350 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Jacareí

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 Jacareí: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 8% more than Jacareí, 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,304 in Jacareí. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Jacareí, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $286 in Jacareí. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Jacareí, where all-in costs run around $869, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Jacareí it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Jacareí costs $869 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. 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 Jacareí. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.