Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Porto Velho

For one person, living is cheaper in Porto Velho: $851 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Other living expenses 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 Porto Velho
Learn more

Porto Velho Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Porto Velho

🇧🇷 Brazil

$851

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $851 in Porto Velho, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Porto Velho $851

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,347 in Porto Velho, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Porto Velho $1,347

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,844 in Porto Velho, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Porto Velho $1,844

Chiang Mai costs about 10% more than Porto Velho, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Porto Velho are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Porto Velho 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$5.47 R$29.23

-59.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$37.80 R$202

-49.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$6.15 R$32.86

-9.76%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.78 R$9.53

-6.18%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.52 R$8.13

-57.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.49 R$2.60

-36.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.85 R$9.87

27.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.06 R$11.03

77.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.99 R$5.29

96.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.41 R$7.51

2.13%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.08 R$5.78

23.15%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.97 R$10.53

15.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$8.70 R$46.51

89.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.08 R$21.82

-31.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.61 R$46.03

8.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.03 R$10.87

15.76%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.24 R$6.65

-21.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.03 R$5.50

55.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.55 R$8.29

-3.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.27 R$6.80

0.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.10 R$5.89

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.63 R$3.39

12.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.82 R$4.39

-40.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.17 R$11.61

90.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$6.34 R$33.89

176.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.23 R$6.58

30.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.88 R$10.06

47.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.92 R$4.93

-5.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$41.03 R$219

31.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.29 R$6.89

-10.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.90 R$4.80

-41.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$7.50 R$40.09

-67.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.22 R$6.52

18.85%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$20.8K R$111.4K

1.09%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$33.7K R$180.1K

-20.01%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$79.3 R$424

-21.62%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$12.36 R$66.1

-1.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$19.71 R$105

2.08%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$24.42 R$131

52.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$25.57 R$137

-85.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.69 R$35.77

-2.99%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$227 R$1,215

223.98%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$7,657 R$40.9K

92.83%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$46.37 R$248

15.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$46.33 R$248

-46.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$84.1 R$450

8.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$66.5 R$356

8.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$355 R$1,901

35.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$257 R$1,376

20.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$629 R$3,366

59.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$463 R$2,477

36.75%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,810 R$9,676

30.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,256 R$6,718

26.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$388 R$2,075

51.96%

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 Velho: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Porto Velho

$257 30.3% 16.7% $51

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Porto Velho

$179 21% 23.6% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Porto Velho

$110 12.9% 0.8% $0.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Porto Velho

$111 13.1% 17.9% $17

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Porto Velho

$105 12.3% 35.3% $27

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Porto Velho

$51 5.9% 17.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Porto Velho

$38 4.4% 24.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $355 in Porto Velho. 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 52% 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 $38 in Porto Velho. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $179 in Porto Velho – so Porto Velho wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Porto Velho

🕒 Local time

03:39 3:39 AM

16:39 4:39 PM

11 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

460,434

💱 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 = 37.59 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 = 5.95 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Porto Velho 17,860 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Porto Velho

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 Velho: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 10% more than Porto Velho, 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 $1,276 in Porto Velho. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Porto Velho, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $355 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $227 in Porto Velho. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 31% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $851 in Porto Velho. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Porto Velho – 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 Velho. 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.