Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Manaus

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Manaus: $936 and $931 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Manaus
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Manaus Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Manaus

🇧🇷 Brazil

$931

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $931 in Manaus, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Manaus $931

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,368 in Manaus, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Manaus $1,368

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,806 in Manaus, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Manaus $1,806

Chiang Mai and Manaus have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Chiang Mai and Manaus are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Manaus 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$5.74 R$30.91

-60.98%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$25.62 R$138

-25.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.47 R$34.83

-14.22%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.19 R$11.81

-23.74%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.99 R$5.33

-35.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.73 R$3.94

-57.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.54 R$13.69

-7.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$5.05 R$27.16

-27.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.32 R$7.09

47.73%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.54 R$8.29

-6.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.14 R$6.11

16.67%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.46 R$13.25

-7.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$9.14 R$49.19

79.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.82 R$20.53

-27.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$6.70 R$36.04

38.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.23 R$12.02

5.38%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.54 R$8.27

-37.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.38 R$7.42

15.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.84 R$9.89

-18.48%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$1.12 R$6.05

14.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.15 R$6.19

-4.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.75 R$4.06

-5.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.62 R$3.36

-20.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.36 R$18.06

23.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$8.46 R$45.54

107.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.41 R$7.61

14.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.56 R$8.40

78.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.88 R$4.76

-1.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$36.80 R$198

46.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$0.92 R$4.94

26.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.87 R$4.66

-39.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$8.99 R$48.39

-73.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.23 R$6.63

17.89%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$21.6K R$116.4K

-2.66%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$32.4K R$174.3K

-16.83%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$112 R$601

-44.34%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$14.44 R$77.7

-15.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$23.86 R$128

-15.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$25.68 R$138

45.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$23.54 R$127

-83.98%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.41 R$34.47

1.25%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$212 R$1,140

247.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$4,775 R$25.7K

209.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$47.41 R$255

12.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$29.69 R$160

-17.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$56.3 R$303

62.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$63.9 R$344

12.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$747 R$4,021

-35.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$299 R$1,607

3.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,121 R$6,035

-10.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$451 R$2,428

40.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,543 R$8,302

53.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,257 R$6,767

26.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$491 R$2,641

20.19%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.33

-46.08%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Manaus: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Manaus

$299 32.1% 3.3% $10

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Manaus

$188 20.2% 19.8% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Manaus

$89 9.5% 18.3% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Manaus

$150 16.1% 58.8% $56

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Manaus

$121 13% 56.5% $44

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Manaus

$46 4.9% 25.7% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Manaus

$38 4.1% 23.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $747 in Manaus. 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 20% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $26 in Manaus. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $188 in Manaus – so Manaus wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Manaus

🕒 Local time

15:10 3:10 PM

04:10 4:10 AM

11 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

2,063,689

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.167 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.01 BRL (1 BRL = 0.167 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Manaus 17,140 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Manaus

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 Manaus: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,396 in Manaus. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $747 in Manaus.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $26 in Manaus. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 32% less in Manaus. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $931 in Manaus to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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