Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Pouso Alegre

For one person, living is cheaper in Pouso Alegre: $742 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Pouso Alegre
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Pouso Alegre Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Pouso Alegre

🇧🇷 Brazil

$742

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Pouso Alegre

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $742 in Pouso Alegre, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Pouso Alegre $742

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,179 in Pouso Alegre, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Pouso Alegre $1,179

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,615 in Pouso Alegre, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Pouso Alegre $1,615

Chiang Mai costs about 26% more than Pouso Alegre, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Pouso Alegre are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Pouso Alegre 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$3.69 R$19.89

-39.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$22.31 R$120

-14.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.54 R$35.22

-15.14%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.91 R$10.27

-12.57%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.79 R$4.23

-18.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.55 R$2.96

-43.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.91 R$10.25

23.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.24 R$12.07

63.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.82 R$4.44

137.80%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.14 R$6.13

26.32%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.27 R$6.85

4.72%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.75 R$9.41

30.29%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$7.49 R$40.33

119.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.56 R$19.14

-21.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.58 R$46.19

8.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.99 R$10.72

18.09%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.16 R$6.24

-16.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.84 R$9.89

-13.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.73 R$9.30

-13.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$1.28 R$6.86

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.20 R$6.48

-8.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.72 R$3.85

-1.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.68 R$3.64

-27.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.26 R$12.18

83.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$6.13 R$32.99

185.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.82 R$4.42

96.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.78 R$9.58

56.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.63 R$3.40

38.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$36.27 R$195

49.13%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$1.46 R$7.87

-20.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.47 R$7.93

-63.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$7.55 R$40.62

-67.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.08 R$5.83

34.26%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$22.0K R$118.5K

-4.34%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$30.5K R$164.2K

-11.70%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$43.86 R$236

41.75%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$7.95 R$42.76

53.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$17.93 R$96.5

12.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$24.52 R$132

52.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$27.96 R$150

-86.52%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.68 R$30.55

14.26%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$263 R$1,416

179.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$9,517 R$51.2K

55.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$51.4 R$276

3.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$34.74 R$187

-29.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$75.0 R$404

21.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$56.0 R$301

28.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$339 R$1,825

42.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$232 R$1,247

33.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$624 R$3,358

61.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$445 R$2,394

42.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,472 R$7,923

60.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,075 R$5,786

47.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$405 R$2,177

45.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

12.79

-56.45%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Pouso Alegre: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Pouso Alegre

$232 31.2% 25% $77

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Pouso Alegre

$168 22.6% 28.4% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Pouso Alegre

$98 13.2% 10.1% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Pouso Alegre

$70 9.4% 26.2% $25

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Pouso Alegre

$91 12.3% 17.9% $14

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Pouso Alegre

$48 6.4% 22.4% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Pouso Alegre

$36 4.8% 28.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $339 in Pouso Alegre. 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 46% 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 $22 in Pouso Alegre. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $168 in Pouso Alegre – so Pouso Alegre wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Pouso Alegre

🕒 Local time

12:45 12:45 PM

02:45 2:45 AM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

152,217

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.01 BRL (1 BRL = 0.166 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Pouso Alegre 16,350 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Pouso Alegre

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 Pouso Alegre: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 26% more than Pouso Alegre, 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 $1,113 in Pouso Alegre. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pouso Alegre, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $339 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $263 in Pouso Alegre. 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.

Families tend to lean toward Pouso Alegre – 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 Pouso Alegre. 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.