Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Porto Seguro

For one person, living is cheaper in Porto Seguro: $737 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Porto Seguro
Learn more

Porto Seguro Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Porto Seguro

🇧🇷 Brazil

$737

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Porto Seguro

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $737 in Porto Seguro, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Porto Seguro $737

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,242 in Porto Seguro, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Porto Seguro $1,242

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,746 in Porto Seguro, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Porto Seguro $1,746

Chiang Mai costs about 27% more than Porto Seguro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Porto Seguro are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Porto Seguro 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$5.52 R$29.55

-59.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$18.53 R$99.2

2.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$6.64 R$35.51

-16.42%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.10 R$11.24

-20.48%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.10 R$5.87

-41.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.58 R$3.11

-46.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.66 R$8.88

42.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.97 R$15.88

23.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.29 R$6.89

51.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.39 R$7.42

3.60%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.37 R$7.33

-2.92%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$4.14 R$22.14

-44.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$8.86 R$47.41

85.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.11 R$21.98

-32.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.80 R$41.75

19.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.04 R$10.89

15.20%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.32 R$7.05

-26.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.09 R$5.82

46.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.45 R$7.75

3.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.39 R$7.42

-7.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.13 R$6.06

-2.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.68 R$3.65

4.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$1.32 R$7.06

-62.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.01 R$10.76

105.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$5.60 R$29.99

212.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.59 R$8.52

1.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.72 R$14.56

2.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$1.15 R$6.15

-24.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$42.39 R$227

27.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.24 R$6.64

-6.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.74 R$3.97

-28.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$6.90 R$36.94

-64.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.29 R$6.91

12.40%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$22.2K R$118.8K

-5.14%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$30.9K R$165.5K

-12.90%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$48.56 R$260

28.03%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$8.79 R$47.01

38.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$16.06 R$86.0

25.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$22.30 R$119

67.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$28.78 R$154

-86.90%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.63 R$35.48

-2.11%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$235 R$1,259

212.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$6,727 R$36.0K

119.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$51.4 R$275

3.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$46.88 R$251

-47.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$82.0 R$439

11.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$66.0 R$353

8.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$254 R$1,360

89.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$157 R$838

97.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$538 R$2,879

86.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$441 R$2,359

43.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,556 R$8,329

51.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,137 R$6,084

39.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$301 R$1,612

95.82%

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Porto Seguro: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Porto Seguro

$157 21.2% 49.3% $152

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Porto Seguro

$199 26.9% 15.3% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Porto Seguro

$111 15% 2% $2.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Porto Seguro

$73 10% 22.3% $21

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Porto Seguro

$110 15% 42.1% $33

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Porto Seguro

$52 7.1% 15.4% $9.4

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Porto Seguro

$36 4.8% 29.3% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $254 in Porto Seguro. 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 96% 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 $19 in Porto Seguro. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $199 in Porto Seguro – so Porto Seguro wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Porto Seguro

🕒 Local time

19:01 7:01 PM

09:01 9:01 AM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

168,326

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.96 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Porto Seguro 15,570 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Porto Seguro

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 Porto Seguro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 27% more than Porto Seguro, 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 $1,106 in Porto Seguro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Porto Seguro, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $254 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Public transport costs about 22% less in Porto Seguro. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 18% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

Families tend to lean toward Porto Seguro – 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 Porto Seguro. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.