Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Niteroi

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,003 in Niteroi, rent and utilities included – about $800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

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

Cost of Living Index in Niteroi
Learn more

Niteroi Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Niteroi

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,003

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,003 in Niteroi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Niteroi $1,003

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,593 in Niteroi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Niteroi $1,593

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,183 in Niteroi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Niteroi $2,183

Chiang Mai is about 7% cheaper than Niteroi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Niteroi are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Niteroi 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$7.07 R$37.82

-68.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$36.70 R$196

-48.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.16 R$38.29

-22.49%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$2.48 R$13.24

-32.66%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$1.39 R$7.45

-53.96%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.93 R$4.96

-66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.28 R$12.21

3.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$2.35 R$12.59

55.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.13 R$6.04

72.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.45 R$7.77

-0.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.31 R$7.02

1.53%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.95 R$10.44

16.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$9.59 R$51.3

71.53%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$4.03 R$21.55

-31.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.03 R$42.91

15.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.44 R$13.03

-3.69%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.64 R$8.77

-40.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.71 R$9.14

-6.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.79 R$9.57

-16.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.24 R$6.60

3.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.97 R$5.21

13.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.63 R$3.38

12.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.64 R$3.42

-23.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.32 R$17.78

24.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$5.95 R$31.81

194.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.22 R$6.54

31.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$1.89 R$10.08

47.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.99 R$5.31

-12.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$44.85 R$240

20.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.14 R$6.10

1.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$1.13 R$6.04

-53.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$7.34 R$39.26

-67.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.14 R$6.09

27.19%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$18.7K R$100.0K

12.56%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$28.6K R$152.7K

-5.69%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$112 R$599

-44.49%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$16.22 R$86.7

-24.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$18.22 R$97.4

10.43%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$34.66 R$185

7.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$30.93 R$165

-87.81%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$11.26 R$60.2

-42.36%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$493 R$2,637

49.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$4,682 R$25.0K

215.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$60.5 R$324

-11.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$40.55 R$217

-39.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$101 R$539

-9.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$85.8 R$459

-16.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$403 R$2,157

19.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$294 R$1,570

5.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$761 R$4,068

32.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$591 R$3,158

7.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$1,352 R$7,230

74.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,424 R$7,615

11.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$890 R$4,760

-33.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.7

-47.94%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Niteroi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Niteroi

$294 29.3% 4.9% $15

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Niteroi

$187 18.7% 20.1% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Niteroi

$129 12.9% 19.2% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Niteroi

$146 14.6% 55% $52

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Niteroi

$133 13.3% 71.7% $56

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Niteroi

$56 5.6% 9.4% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Niteroi

$57 5.7% 13.7% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $403 in Niteroi. 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 51% higher in Niteroi. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $37 in Niteroi. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $187 in Niteroi – so Niteroi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Niteroi

🕒 Local time

08:23 8:23 AM

22:23 10:23 PM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

481,749

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Niteroi 16,060 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Niteroi

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 Niteroi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Niteroi 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,504 in Niteroi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Niteroi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $403 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $493 in Niteroi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 20% cheaper in Niteroi – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,003 in Niteroi. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,003 in Niteroi. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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