Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Salvador

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Salvador: $938 and $977 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Salvador
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Salvador Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Salvador

🇧🇷 Brazil

$977

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $977 in Salvador, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Salvador $977

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,501 in Salvador, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Salvador $1,501

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,024 in Salvador, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Salvador $2,024

Chiang Mai is about 4% cheaper than Salvador, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Salvador are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Salvador 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$8.31 R$42.12

-72.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$36.15 R$183

-46.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$7.90 R$40.06

-29.24%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$2.59 R$13.15

-33.59%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.33 R$6.73

-51.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.88 R$4.46

-62.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$2.53 R$12.84

-6.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$4.02 R$20.40

-2.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.42 R$7.20

44.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.53 R$7.76

-8.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.26 R$6.38

1.59%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$2.11 R$10.70

6.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$9.44 R$47.86

79.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$4.53 R$22.98

-39.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$7.08 R$35.90

32.20%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$2.16 R$10.93

11.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.55 R$7.86

-34.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.17 R$5.94

37.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$1.38 R$6.99

10.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$1.09 R$5.55

17.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$1.33 R$6.75

-16.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.79 R$4.03

-8.86%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$1.11 R$5.65

-53.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$2.43 R$12.31

78.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$6.09 R$30.86

191.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.29 R$6.54

26.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.04 R$10.32

39.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$1.21 R$6.15

-29.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$59.7 R$303

-9.75%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$1.67 R$8.46

-29.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$1.19 R$6.02

-52.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$9.79 R$49.63

-75.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.34 R$6.77

8.21%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$23.4K R$118.5K

-12.42%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$33.3K R$168.8K

-20.39%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$94.2 R$478

-33.84%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$9.72 R$49.30

26.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$17.47 R$88.6

14.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$26.01 R$132

45.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$17.77 R$90.1

-78.84%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$7.50 R$38.01

-10.53%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$373 R$1,890

113.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$15.6K R$78.9K

-4.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$58.9 R$298

-9.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$35.45 R$180

-29.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$89.2 R$452

2.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$83.1 R$421

-11.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$526 R$2,669

-11.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$279 R$1,416

9.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$949 R$4,810

-3.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$456 R$2,310

21.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$2,145 R$10.9K

-10.86%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$1,372 R$6,956

4.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$397 R$2,010

50.08%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-44.30%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Salvador: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Salvador

$279 28.6% 8.3% $25

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Salvador

$192 19.7% 19.3% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Salvador

$120 12.3% 9.5% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Salvador

$121 12.4% 28.4% $27

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Salvador

$151 15.4% 90.9% $72

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Salvador

$72 7.4% 17.7% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Salvador

$41 4.2% 20.1% $10

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $526 in Salvador. 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 50% higher in Chiang Mai, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $36.00 in Salvador. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $192 in Salvador – so Salvador wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Salvador

🕒 Local time

20:31 8:31 PM

10:31 10:31 AM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

2,417,678

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Salvador 15,430 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Salvador

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 Salvador: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Salvador costs about 4% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. 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 $1,465 in Salvador. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, 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 $373 in Salvador. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 24% cheaper in Salvador – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Salvador at $977. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Salvador it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $977 in Salvador. 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Salvador makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.