Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Patos de Minas

For one person, living is cheaper in Patos de Minas: $825 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Patos de Minas
Learn more

Patos de Minas Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Patos de Minas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$825

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Patos de Minas

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 Patos de Minas actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $825 in Patos de Minas, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Patos de Minas $825

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,311 in Patos de Minas, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Patos de Minas $1,311

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,796 in Patos de Minas, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Patos de Minas $1,796

Chiang Mai costs about 13% more than Patos de Minas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Patos de Minas are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Patos de Minas 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$5.61 R$30.81

-62.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿623

$29.43 R$161

-36.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿187

$7.33 R$40.22

-23.60%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.85 R$10.14

-10.27%

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

$0.65 ฿21.63

$1.21 R$6.64

-46.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.20

$0.76 R$4.15

-60.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.7

$1.81 R$9.91

28.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$2.84 R$15.56

29.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.4

$0.95 R$5.23

112.63%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.08

$1.54 R$8.45

-8.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.54

$1.20 R$6.57

15.83%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.2

$2.01 R$11.03

17.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿552

$8.55 R$46.91

93.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.3

$3.92 R$21.53

-31.89%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$7.88 R$43.22

14.47%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.2

$2.12 R$11.62

13.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.82

$1.25 R$6.84

-16.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.5

$1.07 R$5.87

55.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.1

$1.47 R$8.04

6.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.39

$1.18 R$6.46

5.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.34

$1.01 R$5.53

7.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.47

$0.71 R$3.89

7.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.19

$0.71 R$3.91

-28.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$2.28 R$12.53

80.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿600

$7.47 R$40.97

140.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$1.22 R$6.68

32.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.4

$1.89 R$10.39

49.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.25

$1.00 R$5.49

-7.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,769

$42.28 R$232

25.09%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.35

$1.18 R$6.48

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.73

$0.78 R$4.28

-78.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.6

$7.28 R$39.96

-75.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.25

$1.20 R$6.60

22.50%

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

$21.0K ฿702.6K

$22.2K R$121.8K

-5.33%

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

$26.5K ฿886.7K

$31.0K R$170.2K

-14.50%

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

$62.6 ฿2,092

$72.5 R$398

-13.70%

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

$11.60 ฿388

$11.46 R$62.9

1.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿679

$19.44 R$107

4.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,267

$24.29 R$133

55.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$25.89 R$142

-85.71%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$6.93 R$38.00

-6.06%

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$260 R$1,425

179.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿554.2K

$6,611 R$36.3K

150.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,790

$51.7 R$284

3.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿829

$46.22 R$254

-46.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,023

$82.3 R$451

9.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,407

$67.4 R$370

6.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$334 R$1,831

44.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$231 R$1,268

34.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.4K

$630 R$3,457

67.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

$451 R$2,472

46.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.8K

$1,566 R$8,591

54.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.8K

$1,155 R$6,338

39.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$379 R$2,077

57.15%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-49.36%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Patos de Minas: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Patos de Minas

$231 28% 25.4% $79

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Patos de Minas

$178 21.6% 24.7% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Patos de Minas

$111 13.5% 2.9% $3.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Patos de Minas

$103 12.5% 9.4% $8.9

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Patos de Minas

$112 13.5% 45.8% $35

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Patos de Minas

$51 6.2% 12.4% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Patos de Minas

$38 4.6% 25.1% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $334 in Patos de Minas. 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 57% 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 $29 in Patos de Minas. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $178 in Patos de Minas – so Patos de Minas wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Patos de Minas

🕒 Local time

00:10 12:10 AM

14:10 2:10 PM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

159,235

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.16 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Patos de Minas 16,390 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Patos de Minas

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 Patos de Minas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 13% more than Patos de Minas, 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 $1,238 in Patos de Minas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Patos de Minas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $334 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $260 in Patos de Minas. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $935 in Chiang Mai and $825 in Patos de Minas, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

If budget matters most, go with Patos de Minas. 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.