Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Lages

For one person, living is cheaper in Lages: $906 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $360 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Lages
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Lages Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Lages

🇧🇷 Brazil

$906

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $906 in Lages, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Lages $906

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,397 in Lages, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Lages $1,397

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,887 in Lages, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Lages $1,887

Chiang Mai costs about 3% more than Lages, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Lages are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Lages 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$7.56 R$41.08

-70.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$36.70 R$200

-48.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.56 R$35.69

-15.40%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$2.35 R$12.75

-28.94%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$1.26 R$6.87

-49.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.98 R$5.32

-68.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.29 R$12.43

3.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$2.75 R$14.96

33.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.98 R$5.33

98.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.61 R$8.76

-10.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$0.99 R$5.40

34.34%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.28 R$12.40

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$9.38 R$51.0

75.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$4.46 R$24.26

-37.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.05 R$49.21

2.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.29 R$12.43

2.62%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.41 R$7.65

-31.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.26 R$6.86

26.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.49 R$8.08

0.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.18 R$6.42

8.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$1.00 R$5.44

10.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.86 R$4.68

-17.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.77 R$4.20

-36.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.25 R$12.24

84.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$7.22 R$39.25

142.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.10 R$5.97

46.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.10 R$11.40

32.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.98 R$5.34

-11.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$47.99 R$261

12.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.24 R$6.72

-6.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.80 R$4.32

-33.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$7.80 R$42.42

-68.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.19 R$6.48

21.85%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$22.0K R$119.7K

-4.32%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$32.5K R$176.9K

-17.22%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$71.7 R$390

-13.34%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$11.61 R$63.1

4.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$20.72 R$113

-2.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$22.23 R$121

67.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$22.12 R$120

-82.96%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.93 R$37.68

-6.35%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$262 R$1,423

181.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$6,799 R$37.0K

117.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$46.44 R$252

14.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$54.7 R$297

-54.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$93.9 R$510

-2.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$73.7 R$400

-2.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$292 R$1,586

65.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$262 R$1,426

17.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$647 R$3,520

55.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$397 R$2,160

59.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$1,377 R$7,488

71.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$984 R$5,350

61.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.5

-51.57%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lages: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Lages

$262 29% 15.1% $47

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Lages

$191 21.1% 18.4% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Lages

$121 13.3% 11.3% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Lages

$104 11.5% 10.2% $9.6

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Lages

$134 14.8% 73% $57

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Lages

$57 6.3% 6.9% $4.2

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Lages

$36 4% 28.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $292 in Lages. 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 $37 in Lages. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $191 in Lages – so Lages wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Lages

🕒 Local time

16:26 4:26 PM

06:26 6:26 AM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

164,981

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.09 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Lages 16,730 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Lages

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 Lages: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 3% more than Lages, 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 $1,359 in Lages. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Lages, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $292 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $262 in Lages. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% 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 $906 in Lages, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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