Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Macaé

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Macaé: $925 and $887 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Macaé
Learn more

Macaé Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Macaé

🇧🇷 Brazil

$887

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $887 in Macaé, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Macaé $887

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,495 in Macaé, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Macaé $1,495

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,102 in Macaé, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Macaé $2,102

Chiang Mai costs about 4% more than Macaé, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Macaé are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Macaé 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$5.43 R$27.54

-57.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$29.78 R$151

-34.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$6.91 R$35.00

-18.81%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.72 R$8.73

-3.49%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$1.39 R$7.04

-49.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.63 R$3.18

-50.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$1.21 R$6.16

99.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$2.79 R$14.16

32.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$0.96 R$4.85

103.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.56 R$7.91

-9.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.38 R$6.99

-5.07%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.94 R$9.85

12.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$9.12 R$46.21

82.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$3.34 R$16.92

-17.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$9.69 R$49.10

-5.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$1.86 R$9.40

28.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.20 R$6.11

-14.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$0.96 R$4.85

69.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.23 R$6.21

21.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.64 R$3.23

101.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.81 R$4.09

37.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.54 R$2.73

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.52 R$2.64

1.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$1.56 R$7.88

176.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$6.09 R$30.86

194.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$0.95 R$4.82

66.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$1.25 R$6.35

127.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$1.61 R$8.16

-46.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$83.9 R$425

-36.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$1.41 R$7.14

-14.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.79 R$4.03

-27.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$7.92 R$40.16

-70.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.29 R$6.53

11.63%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$21.5K R$109.0K

-3.60%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$31.2K R$158.2K

-14.10%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$100.0 R$507

-37.64%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$10.21 R$51.7

18.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$18.76 R$95.1

6.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$39.82 R$202

-6.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$34.04 R$173

-88.90%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$6.79 R$34.44

-4.27%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$648 R$3,283

22.41%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$7,012 R$35.5K

111.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$63.1 R$320

-14.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$32.02 R$162

-23.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$66.9 R$339

35.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$46.66 R$237

52.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$370 R$1,873

23.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$241 R$1,221

23.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$886 R$4,490

2.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$669 R$3,392

-17.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$1,270 R$6,436

52.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$800 R$4,054

80.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$799 R$4,049

-26.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.67

-47.80%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Macaé: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Macaé

$241 27.2% 19.1% $57

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Macaé

$169 19.1% 28.1% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Macaé

$94 10.6% 13.2% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Macaé

$129 14.5% 36.6% $35

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Macaé

$105 11.8% 33.1% $26

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Macaé

$96 10.8% 57.5% $35

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Macaé

$53 6% 6.7% $3.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $370 in Macaé. 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 35% higher in Macaé, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $30.00 in Macaé. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $169 in Macaé – so Macaé wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Macaé

🕒 Local time

23:56 11:56 PM

13:56 1:56 PM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

246,391

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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 Macaé 15,940 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Macaé

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 Macaé: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 4% more than Macaé, 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,330 in Macaé. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $648 in Macaé. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 39% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Macaé, where all-in costs run around $887, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Macaé 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. Macaé costs $887 versus $925 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 Macaé. 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.