Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Petropolis

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Petropolis: $936 and $945 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Petropolis
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Petropolis Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Petropolis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$945

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $945 in Petropolis, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Petropolis $945

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,417 in Petropolis, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Petropolis $1,417

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,888 in Petropolis, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Petropolis $1,888

Chiang Mai and Petropolis have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$5.72 R$30.78

-60.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$26.56 R$143

-28.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.47 R$34.84

-14.22%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.64 R$8.85

1.83%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$1.29 R$6.94

-50.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.57 R$3.07

-45.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.09 R$5.89

116.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.20 R$22.61

-12.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.89 R$4.79

119.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.47 R$7.89

-2.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.33 R$7.17

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.89 R$10.20

20.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$8.55 R$46.04

92.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.85 R$20.72

-27.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.16 R$49.29

1.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.61 R$8.66

45.96%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.06 R$5.73

-8.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.84 R$4.54

90.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.18 R$6.33

27.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.64 R$3.47

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.74 R$3.99

48.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.49 R$2.66

44.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.57 R$3.05

-14.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.00 R$10.75

107.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$5.48 R$29.51

219.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.98 R$5.29

64.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.27 R$6.83

118.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$1.03 R$5.55

-15.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$46.23 R$249

17.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$1.06 R$5.72

9.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.89 R$4.78

-40.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$7.37 R$39.64

-67.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.15 R$6.21

26.09%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$19.7K R$105.9K

7.06%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$29.5K R$159.0K

-8.80%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$67.4 R$363

-7.79%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$9.36 R$50.4

30.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$17.93 R$96.5

12.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$30.74 R$165

21.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$29.15 R$157

-87.07%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.34 R$34.12

2.37%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$344 R$1,853

113.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$9,986 R$53.7K

47.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$52.8 R$284

1.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$47.16 R$254

-47.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$83.9 R$451

9.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$64.4 R$347

11.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$487 R$2,620

-0.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$370 R$1,993

-16.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$809 R$4,353

24.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$582 R$3,133

8.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$2,562 R$13.8K

-7.76%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,907 R$10.3K

-16.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$574 R$3,088

2.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.87

-53.07%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Petropolis: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Petropolis

$370 39.2% 19.9% $61

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Petropolis

$163 17.3% 30.4% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Petropolis

$112 11.8% 2.8% $3.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Petropolis

$95 10% 0.3% $0.3

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Petropolis

$106 11.2% 36.9% $29

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Petropolis

$56 5.9% 9% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Petropolis

$43 4.6% 13.6% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $487 in Petropolis. 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 3% 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 $27 in Petropolis. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $163 in Petropolis – so Petropolis wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Petropolis

🕒 Local time

02:47 2:47 AM

16:47 4:47 PM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

278,881

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.166 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.83 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.03 BRL (1 BRL = 0.166 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Petropolis 16,070 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Petropolis

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 Petropolis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,418 in Petropolis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $482 in Chiang Mai and $487 in Petropolis. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $27 in Petropolis. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 15% less in Petropolis. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $945 in Petropolis. 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 $945 in Petropolis. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.