Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Maringa

For one person, living is cheaper in Maringa: $767 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Maringa
Learn more

Maringa Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Maringa

🇧🇷 Brazil

$767

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $767 in Maringa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Maringa $767

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,208 in Maringa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Maringa $1,208

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,649 in Maringa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Maringa $1,649

Chiang Mai costs about 22% more than Maringa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Maringa are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Maringa 44% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$5.72 R$30.78

-60.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$22.68 R$122

-16.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$8.14 R$43.78

-31.82%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.95 R$10.48

-14.36%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$1.14 R$6.16

-43.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.75 R$4.04

-58.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.52 R$8.18

55.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.48 R$13.33

47.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.11 R$5.97

75.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.22 R$6.57

18.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.20 R$6.46

10.83%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.93 R$10.37

18.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$7.28 R$39.15

125.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.40 R$18.27

-18.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.15 R$43.88

14.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.97 R$10.62

19.29%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.44 R$7.77

-32.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.86 R$4.63

86.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.47 R$7.91

2.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$1.06 R$5.73

20.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.92 R$4.95

19.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.90 R$4.85

-21.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.76 R$4.11

-35.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.90 R$10.20

117.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$7.28 R$39.18

140.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.73 R$3.92

120.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.47 R$7.93

89.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.91 R$4.90

-4.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$42.00 R$226

28.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$2.26 R$12.15

-48.67%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.71 R$3.80

-25.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$2.63 R$14.17

-7.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.22 R$6.59

18.85%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$33.7K R$181.2K

-37.47%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$30.3K R$163.2K

-11.18%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$78.0 R$420

-20.33%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$10.34 R$55.6

17.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$21.37 R$115

-5.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$20.37 R$110

83.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$45.95 R$247

-91.80%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.47 R$29.44

18.65%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$194 R$1,042

280.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$7,241 R$39.0K

103.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$40.22 R$216

32.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$55.8 R$300

-55.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$81.5 R$439

12.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$55.8 R$300

28.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$314 R$1,687

53.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$189 R$1,015

63.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$588 R$3,163

71.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$358 R$1,925

77.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,376 R$7,406

71.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$891 R$4,795

78.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$746 R$4,015

-20.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.5

-46.95%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Maringa: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Maringa

$189 24.6% 38.9% $120

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Maringa

$167 21.8% 28.6% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Maringa

$105 13.7% 3.3% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Maringa

$110 14.3% 16.2% $15

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Maringa

$114 14.8% 46.5% $36

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Maringa

$51 6.7% 16.2% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Maringa

$31 4.1% 37.7% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $314 in Maringa. 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 27% higher in Maringa, 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 $19 in Chiang Mai versus $23 in Maringa. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $167 in Maringa – so Maringa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Maringa

🕒 Local time

16:05 4:05 PM

06:05 6:05 AM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

409,657

💱 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 Maringa 16,960 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Maringa

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 Maringa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 22% more than Maringa, 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 $1,151 in Maringa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Maringa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $314 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $194 in Maringa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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