Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Pelotas

For one person, living is cheaper in Pelotas: $699 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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
33

Cost of Living Index in Pelotas
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Pelotas Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Pelotas

🇧🇷 Brazil

$699

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $699 in Pelotas, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Pelotas $699

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,085 in Pelotas, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Pelotas $1,085

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,470 in Pelotas, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Pelotas $1,470

Chiang Mai costs about 34% more than Pelotas, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Pelotas are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Pelotas 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.9

$5.64 R$30.67

-62.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$16.66 R$90.6

11.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$6.23 R$33.89

-10.11%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.38 R$12.96

-30.25%

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

$0.65 ฿21.80

$1.24 R$6.74

-47.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.28

$0.69 R$3.78

-56.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$1.35 R$7.33

71.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$1.51 R$8.20

143.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.9

$0.87 R$4.71

132.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.45

$1.05 R$5.73

34.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.90

$0.81 R$4.38

71.60%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.8

$2.11 R$11.49

12.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$9.13 R$49.61

80.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.0

$4.40 R$23.91

-39.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$9.35 R$50.8

-3.53%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.8

$2.23 R$12.14

7.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.09

$1.07 R$5.84

-2.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.25 R$6.78

32.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.5

$1.09 R$5.91

43.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.71

$1.15 R$6.28

7.83%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.62

$0.95 R$5.15

14.74%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.67

$0.83 R$4.52

-8.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.33

$0.48 R$2.62

6.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$2.16 R$11.77

90.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿604

$6.83 R$37.12

162.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.7

$0.63 R$3.42

157.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.1

$0.91 R$4.94

209.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.49

$1.09 R$5.90

-14.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,782

$48.56 R$264

8.92%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.65

$1.35 R$7.34

-12.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$0.77 R$4.20

-77.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$7.71 R$41.92

-76.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.63

$1.22 R$6.65

20.49%

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

$21.0K ฿708.1K

$21.8K R$118.4K

-3.48%

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

$26.5K ฿893.6K

$31.1K R$169.1K

-14.74%

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

$62.6 ฿2,108

$71.3 R$388

-12.28%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$7.04 R$38.29

64.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿684

$18.33 R$99.6

10.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,277

$18.63 R$101

103.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$18.10 R$98.4

-79.56%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$4.39 R$23.89

48.29%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$510 R$2,772

42.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿558.5K

$22.8K R$123.9K

-27.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,804

$32.10 R$175

66.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$28.07 R$153

-11.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,046

$54.3 R$295

66.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,425

$72.5 R$394

-0.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$215 R$1,170

123.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$153 R$834

102.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$368 R$1,999

187.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$288 R$1,568

128.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$1,429 R$7,767

69.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.2K

$731 R$3,976

119.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$413 R$2,247

43.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.5

-51.57%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Pelotas: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Pelotas

$153 21.9% 50.5% $157

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Pelotas

$169 24.2% 28.4% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Pelotas

$84 12% 22.3% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Pelotas

$97 13.8% 2.3% $2.2

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Pelotas

$110 15.7% 43.6% $33

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Pelotas

$58 8.3% 0.9% $0.5

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Pelotas

$27 3.9% 46.1% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $215 in Pelotas. 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 44% 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 $17 in Pelotas. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $169 – making Pelotas the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Pelotas

🕒 Local time

23:42 11:42 PM

13:42 1:42 PM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

325,685

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.09 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Pelotas 16,810 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Pelotas

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 Pelotas: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 34% more than Pelotas, 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 $1,049 in Pelotas. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pelotas, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $215 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $510 in Pelotas. 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.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $935 in Chiang Mai and $699 in Pelotas, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Pelotas – 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 Pelotas. 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.