Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Mogi das Cruzes

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $989 in Mogi das Cruzes, rent and utilities included – about $770 less a year. The total is higher in Mogi das Cruzes despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Mogi das Cruzes
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Mogi das Cruzes Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Mogi das Cruzes

🇧🇷 Brazil

$989

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Mogi das Cruzes

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 Mogi das Cruzes actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $989 in Mogi das Cruzes, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Mogi das Cruzes $989

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,524 in Mogi das Cruzes, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Mogi das Cruzes $1,524

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,058 in Mogi das Cruzes, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Mogi das Cruzes $2,058

Chiang Mai is about 6% cheaper than Mogi das Cruzes, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Mogi das Cruzes are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Mogi das Cruzes 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$9.99 R$50.6

-77.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$29.66 R$150

-33.78%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$7.91 R$40.08

-29.08%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.53 R$7.76

8.50%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$1.32 R$6.71

-46.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.90 R$4.56

-65.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$2.42 R$12.29

-0.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$2.96 R$14.98

25.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.01 R$5.13

93.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.96 R$9.96

-28.06%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.34 R$6.78

-2.24%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$2.58 R$13.08

-15.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$10.14 R$51.4

64.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$4.96 R$25.16

-44.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$9.08 R$46.04

0.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$2.22 R$11.25

7.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.42 R$7.20

-27.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.26 R$6.37

29.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.37 R$6.97

9.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$1.27 R$6.42

1.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$1.23 R$6.24

-9.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.91 R$4.63

-20.88%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.63 R$3.20

-15.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$2.53 R$12.82

70.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$8.20 R$41.55

118.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.53 R$7.77

3.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$2.60 R$13.19

9.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$1.13 R$5.73

-23.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$84.5 R$428

-36.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$1.16 R$5.89

4.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.72 R$3.65

-20.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$5.04 R$25.54

-53.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.28 R$6.50

12.50%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$22.8K R$115.8K

-9.26%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$33.2K R$168.5K

-19.38%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$66.1 R$335

-5.65%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$14.76 R$74.8

-17.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$22.76 R$115

-12.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$30.35 R$154

22.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$10.76 R$54.6

-64.87%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$7.80 R$39.54

-16.67%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$255 R$1,293

210.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$5,936 R$30.1K

149.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$39.58 R$201

35.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$32.68 R$166

-24.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$86.6 R$439

4.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$68.9 R$349

3.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$390 R$1,977

16.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$288 R$1,460

3.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$637 R$3,229

42.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$496 R$2,516

11.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$1,553 R$7,875

24.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$1,249 R$6,333

15.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$337 R$1,711

75.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.81

-48.47%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Mogi das Cruzes: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Mogi das Cruzes

$288 29.1% 3.3% $9.9

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Mogi das Cruzes

$206 20.9% 12.4% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Mogi das Cruzes

$103 10.4% 5.2% $5.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Mogi das Cruzes

$104 10.5% 9.8% $9.2

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Mogi das Cruzes

$149 15.1% 89.5% $70

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Mogi das Cruzes

$94 9.5% 54.3% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Mogi das Cruzes

$46 4.7% 8.2% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $390 in Mogi das Cruzes. 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 75% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 Mogi das Cruzes. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $206 in Mogi das Cruzes – so Mogi das Cruzes wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Mogi das Cruzes

🕒 Local time

19:37 7:37 PM

09:37 9:37 AM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

451,505

💱 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

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Mogi das Cruzes 16,370 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Mogi das Cruzes

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 Mogi das Cruzes: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mogi das Cruzes costs about 7% more than Chiang Mai, 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,483 in Mogi das Cruzes. 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. 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 $255 in Mogi das Cruzes. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 14% cheaper in Mogi das Cruzes – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Mogi das Cruzes at $989. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Mogi das Cruzes it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $989 in Mogi das Cruzes. 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Mogi das Cruzes makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.