Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Recife

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Recife: $938 and $924 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Recife
Learn more

Recife Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Recife

🇧🇷 Brazil

$924

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $924 in Recife, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Recife $924

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,523 in Recife, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Recife $1,523

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,121 in Recife, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Recife $2,121

Chiang Mai costs about 2% more than Recife, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Recife are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Recife 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$5.52 R$27.99

-59.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$38.47 R$195

-50.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$9.93 R$50.4

-43.71%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$2.58 R$13.08

-33.33%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.10 R$5.56

-41.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.63 R$3.21

-47.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$1.64 R$8.31

43.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$3.15 R$15.99

23.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.38 R$7.00

48.55%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.70 R$8.63

-17.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.68 R$8.51

-23.81%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.91 R$9.68

17.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$7.10 R$36.01

138.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$4.68 R$23.73

-41.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$8.08 R$40.97

15.84%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$1.42 R$7.22

69.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.39 R$7.02

-27.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$0.81 R$4.11

98.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$1.23 R$6.23

23.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$1.48 R$7.50

-13.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$1.09 R$5.50

1.83%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.52 R$2.65

38.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.90 R$4.59

-42.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$1.76 R$8.94

146.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$8.25 R$41.80

114.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.19 R$6.02

36.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$1.51 R$7.65

88.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.88 R$4.45

-3.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$38.02 R$193

41.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$1.28 R$6.50

-8.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.74 R$3.74

-22.97%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$3.63 R$18.42

-34.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.36 R$6.91

6.62%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$23.7K R$120.1K

-13.59%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$33.2K R$168.2K

-20.08%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$117 R$596

-46.95%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$13.49 R$68.4

-9.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$17.51 R$88.8

14.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$21.79 R$110

73.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$34.68 R$176

-89.16%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$8.54 R$43.28

-21.43%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$282 R$1,432

182.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$12.0K R$60.9K

23.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$46.34 R$235

14.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$51.2 R$259

-51.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$75.5 R$383

21.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$81.6 R$413

-9.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$509 R$2,578

-8.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$265 R$1,345

14.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$887 R$4,495

3.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$638 R$3,233

-13.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$2,005 R$10.2K

-4.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$1,070 R$5,425

34.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$437 R$2,214

36.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.75

-52.60%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Recife: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Recife

$265 28.7% 12.9% $39

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Recife

$184 19.9% 22.7% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Recife

$115 12.4% 4.6% $5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Recife

$148 16.1% 57% $54

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Recife

$126 13.7% 59.9% $47

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Recife

$47 5% 24.2% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Recife

$39 4.2% 24.3% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $509 in Recife. 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 36% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $38.00 in Recife. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $184 in Recife – so Recife wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Recife

🕒 Local time

15:03 3:03 PM

05:03 5:03 AM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,488,920

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Recife 14,900 km ≈ 19 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Recife

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 Recife: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 2% more than Recife, 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,386 in Recife. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Recife, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $282 in Recife. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% 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.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Recife, where all-in costs run around $924, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Recife it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Recife costs $924 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Recife. 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.