Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Sao Joao da Boa Vista

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Joao da Boa Vista: $823 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 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 Sao Joao da Boa Vista
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Sao Joao da Boa Vista Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

🇧🇷 Brazil

$823

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Sao Joao da Boa Vista

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 Joao da Boa Vista actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $823 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Sao Joao da Boa Vista $823

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,320 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Sao Joao da Boa Vista $1,320

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,818 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Sao Joao da Boa Vista $1,818

Chiang Mai costs about 14% more than Sao Joao da Boa Vista, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Sao Joao da Boa Vista are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Sao Joao da Boa Vista 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.7

$5.62 R$28.22

-59.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿644

$23.03 R$116

-16.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿188

$7.07 R$35.45

-20.93%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.9

$2.05 R$10.29

-16.10%

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

$0.64 ฿21.63

$1.17 R$5.89

-45.30%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.22

$0.92 R$4.62

-64.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.1

$1.98 R$9.94

19.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿131

$2.06 R$10.32

89.32%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.9

$1.07 R$5.37

91.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.89

$1.64 R$8.23

-14.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.98 R$4.90

30.61%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.6

$2.37 R$11.90

-5.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿568

$10.01 R$50.2

69.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿92.0

$5.00 R$25.09

-45.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿314

$10.07 R$50.5

-7.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$1.95 R$9.80

23.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿34.05

$1.17 R$5.88

-13.68%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿54.1

$0.97 R$4.89

65.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.9

$1.56 R$7.85

-2.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.07

$0.83 R$4.15

54.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.36

$0.81 R$4.09

37.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.18

$0.78 R$3.90

-7.69%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.61

$0.77 R$3.87

-32.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$2.35 R$11.80

84.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿595

$6.09 R$30.55

191.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.6

$1.18 R$5.90

38.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.7

$1.98 R$9.93

43.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.42

$0.87 R$4.38

-2.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,808

$44.48 R$223

21.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.33

$1.57 R$7.89

-25.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.07

$1.57 R$7.87

-63.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.5

$8.19 R$41.10

-71.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.51

$1.07 R$5.35

35.51%

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

$20.5K ฿686.9K

$19.8K R$99.3K

3.48%

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

$26.5K ฿889.5K

$33.3K R$166.9K

-20.31%

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

$62.3 ฿2,091

$95.3 R$478

-34.60%

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

$12.27 ฿412

$9.88 R$49.55

24.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿670

$19.70 R$98.8

1.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,272

$28.59 R$143

32.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$31.76 R$159

-88.16%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿225

$5.49 R$27.56

22.22%

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

$797 ฿26.7K

$280 R$1,403

185.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$10.3K R$51.8K

43.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,787

$54.6 R$274

-2.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿840

$37.79 R$190

-33.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,074

$51.3 R$258

78.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,465

$60.7 R$304

21.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.6K

$349 R$1,753

32.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$203 R$1,018

50.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.7K

$678 R$3,402

35.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$465 R$2,333

18.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿64.1K

$1,581 R$7,931

20.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.3K

$1,031 R$5,175

39.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$659 R$3,307

-9.70%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Sao Joao da Boa Vista: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$203 24.7% 33.4% $102

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$193 23.4% 19% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$92 11.2% 16% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$125 15.2% 32% $30

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$113 13.8% 43.3% $34

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$57 7% 6.4% $3.9

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$40 4.8% 22.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $349 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista. 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 11% higher in Sao Joao da Boa Vista, 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 $23.00 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $193 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista – so Sao Joao da Boa Vista wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Sao Joao da Boa Vista

🕒 Local time

22:29 10:29 PM

12:29 12:29 PM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

92,547

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BRL = 0.199 USD

1 BRL = 0.178 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 14, 2026: 1 USD = 33.55 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 5.02 BRL (1 BRL = 0.199 USD). 1 EUR = 5.62 BRL (1 BRL = 0.178 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Sao Joao da Boa Vista 16,440 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Sao Joao da Boa Vista

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 Joao da Boa Vista: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 14% more than Sao Joao da Boa Vista, 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 $1,234 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sao Joao da Boa Vista, 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 $280 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sao Joao da Boa Vista, where all-in costs run around $823, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Sao Joao da Boa Vista 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. Sao Joao da Boa Vista costs $823 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 Sao Joao da Boa Vista. 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.