Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Rio Branco

For one person, living is cheaper in Rio Branco: $847 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Rio Branco
Learn more

Rio Branco Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Rio Branco

🇧🇷 Brazil

$847

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Rio Branco

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $847 in Rio Branco, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Rio Branco $847

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,331 in Rio Branco, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Rio Branco $1,331

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,815 in Rio Branco, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Rio Branco $1,815

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$6.68 R$35.74

-66.47%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$24.63 R$132

-22.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.16 R$38.29

-22.49%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.82 R$15.10

-40.78%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.28 R$6.86

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.72 R$3.83

-56.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.90 R$10.18

24.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.75 R$14.71

33.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.99 R$5.28

96.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.54 R$8.24

-6.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.16 R$6.20

14.66%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.99 R$10.64

14.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$8.67 R$46.34

89.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.08 R$21.81

-31.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.89 R$42.17

18.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.06 R$11.01

14.08%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.23 R$6.58

-21.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.09 R$5.84

46.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.46 R$7.78

2.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.13 R$6.05

13.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.01 R$5.39

8.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.77 R$4.11

-7.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.76 R$4.06

-35.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.28 R$12.20

81.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$7.30 R$39.02

140.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.04 R$5.54

54.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.92 R$10.25

44.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.63 R$3.36

38.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$42.25 R$226

28.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.24 R$6.62

-6.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.85 R$4.53

-37.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$7.55 R$40.34

-67.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.28 R$6.86

13.28%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$22.0K R$117.8K

-4.39%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$31.5K R$168.4K

-14.46%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$72.1 R$385

-13.75%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$11.32 R$60.6

7.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$19.70 R$105

2.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$24.58 R$131

51.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$25.43 R$136

-85.17%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.60 R$35.29

-1.67%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$264 R$1,410

179.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$6,146 R$32.9K

140.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$51.0 R$273

4.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$46.00 R$246

-46.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$85.0 R$454

7.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$66.8 R$357

7.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$343 R$1,831

40.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$233 R$1,248

32.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$623 R$3,332

61.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$453 R$2,420

39.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,562 R$8,351

51.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,550 R$8,288

2.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$238 R$1,271

148.09%

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 Rio Branco: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Rio Branco

$233 27.6% 24.4% $75

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Rio Branco

$178 21.1% 23.9% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Rio Branco

$112 13.2% 3.1% $3.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Rio Branco

$103 12.2% 9.1% $8.6

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Rio Branco

$132 15.6% 70% $54

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Rio Branco

$50 5.9% 18.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Rio Branco

$38 4.5% 24.8% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $343 in Rio Branco. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 2.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $25 in Rio Branco. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $178 in Rio Branco – so Rio Branco wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Rio Branco

🕒 Local time

06:48 6:48 AM

18:48 6:48 PM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

364,756

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Rio Branco 18,290 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Rio Branco

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 Rio Branco: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 10% more than Rio Branco, 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 $1,270 in Rio Branco. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Rio Branco, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $343 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $264 in Rio Branco. 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.

Families tend to lean toward Rio Branco – 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 Rio Branco. 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.