Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Sao Caetano do Sul

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Sao Caetano do Sul: $935 and $954 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Sao Caetano do Sul
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Sao Caetano do Sul Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Sao Caetano do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$954

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Sao Caetano do Sul

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 Sao Caetano do Sul actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $954 in Sao Caetano do Sul, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Sao Caetano do Sul $954

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,581 in Sao Caetano do Sul, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Sao Caetano do Sul $1,581

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,207 in Sao Caetano do Sul, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Sao Caetano do Sul $2,207

Chiang Mai and Sao Caetano do Sul have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Chiang Mai and Sao Caetano do Sul are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Sao Caetano do Sul 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.6

$8.18 R$45.05

-73.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿624

$36.81 R$203

-49.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$8.24 R$45.33

-32.04%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.8

$2.21 R$12.15

-24.89%

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

$0.65 ฿21.69

$1.28 R$7.02

-49.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.22

$0.80 R$4.41

-62.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.9

$2.15 R$11.83

7.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$3.66 R$20.16

0.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.6

$1.15 R$6.34

75.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.21

$1.78 R$9.80

-20.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.67

$1.40 R$7.69

-0.71%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.4

$2.47 R$13.60

-4.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿554

$9.79 R$53.9

68.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.5

$4.83 R$26.56

-44.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$10.02 R$55.1

-9.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.4

$2.22 R$12.23

8.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.91

$1.60 R$8.81

-35.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.40 R$7.69

18.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$1.58 R$8.68

-1.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.50

$1.30 R$7.17

-4.62%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.44

$1.11 R$6.13

-1.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.54

$0.89 R$4.91

-14.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.24

$0.75 R$4.15

-32.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$2.31 R$12.72

78.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿601

$9.12 R$50.2

96.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$1.60 R$8.81

1.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.6

$2.34 R$12.89

20.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.33

$0.62 R$3.40

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,773

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.45

$1.03 R$5.69

14.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.75

$0.91 R$4.99

-81.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.8

$9.21 R$50.7

-80.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.38

$1.24 R$6.85

18.55%

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

$21.0K ฿704.5K

$22.2K R$122.3K

-5.43%

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

$26.5K ฿889.1K

$31.8K R$174.9K

-16.55%

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

$62.6 ฿2,098

$92.7 R$510

-32.48%

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

$11.60 ฿389

$13.62 R$75.0

-14.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿681

$21.17 R$117

-4.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,270

$36.06 R$198

5.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$42.28 R$233

-91.25%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$9.06 R$49.88

-28.15%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$435 R$2,393

67.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿555.7K

$10.3K R$56.7K

60.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,795

$58.9 R$324

-9.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿832

$52.5 R$289

-52.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,031

$93.5 R$515

-3.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,413

$85.9 R$473

-16.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$392 R$2,155

22.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$278 R$1,532

11.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$921 R$5,070

14.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$650 R$3,576

1.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.1K

$2,039 R$11.2K

18.56%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.9K

$1,629 R$8,966

-1.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$836 R$4,602

-28.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.81

-48.47%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sao Caetano do Sul: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$278 29.2% 10.2% $32

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$212 22.2% 10.3% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$131 13.7% 20.8% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$127 13.4% 34.9% $33

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$143 15% 86.8% $66

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$8 * 0.8% 86.3% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Sao Caetano do Sul

$54 5.7% 6.5% $3.3

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $392 in Sao Caetano do Sul. 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 41% higher in Sao Caetano do Sul. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $37 in Sao Caetano do Sul. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $212 in Sao Caetano do Sul – so Sao Caetano do Sul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Sao Caetano do Sul

🕒 Local time

06:39 6:39 AM

20:39 8:39 PM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

165,655

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.5 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Sao Caetano do Sul 16,410 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Sao Caetano do Sul

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 Sao Caetano do Sul: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,431 in Sao Caetano do Sul. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sao Caetano do Sul, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $392 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Sao Caetano do Sul – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $37 in Sao Caetano do Sul. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $954 in Sao Caetano do Sul. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $935 in Chiang Mai to $954 in Sao Caetano do Sul. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Sao Caetano do Sul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.