Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Paulo Afonso

For one person, living is cheaper in Paulo Afonso: $823 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 Paulo Afonso
Learn more

Paulo Afonso Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Paulo Afonso

🇧🇷 Brazil

$823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Paulo Afonso

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $823 in Paulo Afonso, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Paulo Afonso $823

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,313 in Paulo Afonso, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Paulo Afonso $1,313

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,804 in Paulo Afonso, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Paulo Afonso $1,804

Chiang Mai costs about 14% more than Paulo Afonso, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Paulo Afonso are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Paulo Afonso 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$5.61 R$30.77

-62.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$30.09 R$165

-38.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$7.32 R$40.18

-23.50%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$1.84 R$10.08

-9.78%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$1.19 R$6.52

-45.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.71 R$3.87

-57.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$1.89 R$10.39

22.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$2.77 R$15.19

32.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$0.94 R$5.14

114.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$1.59 R$8.75

-11.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$1.16 R$6.38

19.83%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$2.06 R$11.32

15.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$8.75 R$48.03

88.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$3.95 R$21.70

-32.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$7.76 R$42.60

16.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$2.05 R$11.26

17.07%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$1.19 R$6.53

-12.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.13 R$6.20

46.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$1.46 R$8.02

6.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$1.12 R$6.14

10.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$1.00 R$5.47

9.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.73 R$3.98

4.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$0.78 R$4.26

-34.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$2.27 R$12.47

81.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$7.31 R$40.09

145.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.17 R$6.43

38.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$1.99 R$10.90

41.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

$0.98 R$5.36

-5.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

$41.38 R$227

27.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$1.24 R$6.80

-4.84%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$0.78 R$4.31

-78.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$7.58 R$41.58

-76.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$1.16 R$6.38

26.72%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$22.2K R$121.9K

-5.37%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$31.7K R$173.8K

-16.25%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$72.3 R$397

-13.50%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$11.46 R$62.9

1.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$19.41 R$107

4.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$24.60 R$135

53.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$25.69 R$141

-85.60%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$6.59 R$36.19

-1.21%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$263 R$1,442

176.65%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$6,731 R$36.9K

146.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$51.1 R$281

4.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$45.74 R$251

-45.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$84.7 R$465

6.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$66.1 R$363

8.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$338 R$1,853

42.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$230 R$1,262

34.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$629 R$3,452

68.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$457 R$2,510

44.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$1,562 R$8,571

54.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$1,155 R$6,340

39.28%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

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 Paulo Afonso: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Paulo Afonso

$230 27.9% 25.8% $80

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Paulo Afonso

$179 21.7% 24.5% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Paulo Afonso

$111 13.5% 2.9% $3.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Paulo Afonso

$103 12.5% 9.2% $8.7

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Paulo Afonso

$111 13.5% 45.5% $35

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Paulo Afonso

$50 6.1% 14% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Paulo Afonso

$38 4.6% 25.8% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $338 in Paulo Afonso. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $30 in Paulo Afonso. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $179 in Paulo Afonso – so Paulo Afonso wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Paulo Afonso

🕒 Local time

17:43 5:43 PM

07:43 7:43 AM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

112,870

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Paulo Afonso 15,300 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Paulo Afonso

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 Paulo Afonso: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 14% more than Paulo Afonso, 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 $1,234 in Paulo Afonso. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Paulo Afonso, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $338 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $263 in Paulo Afonso. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $823 in Paulo Afonso. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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