Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Sao Jose dos Campos

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,037 in Sao Jose dos Campos, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 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
50

Cost of Living Index in Sao Jose dos Campos
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Sao Jose dos Campos Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Sao Jose dos Campos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,037

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Sao Jose dos Campos

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 Jose dos Campos actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,037 in Sao Jose dos Campos, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Sao Jose dos Campos $1,037

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,613 in Sao Jose dos Campos, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Sao Jose dos Campos $1,613

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,189 in Sao Jose dos Campos, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Sao Jose dos Campos $2,189

Chiang Mai is about 10% cheaper than Sao Jose dos Campos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Sao Jose dos Campos are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Sao Jose dos Campos 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$6.55 R$35.63

-65.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$37.92 R$206

-49.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$8.27 R$44.97

-32.89%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.06 R$11.19

-18.93%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$1.58 R$8.60

-59.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$1.12 R$6.11

-72.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.54 R$13.81

-7.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.12 R$22.42

-11.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.16 R$6.30

68.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$1.90 R$10.36

-24.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.10 R$6.00

20.91%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.58 R$14.01

-11.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$8.51 R$46.25

93.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$4.23 R$23.02

-34.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.17 R$55.3

-8.46%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.55 R$13.88

-7.84%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$1.75 R$9.49

-44.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.72 R$9.37

-6.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.74 R$9.48

-13.79%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$1.31 R$7.15

-2.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$1.28 R$6.97

-14.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$0.90 R$4.90

-21.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.76 R$4.11

-35.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.63 R$14.28

57.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$8.41 R$45.72

108.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.55 R$8.44

3.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$4.13 R$22.44

-32.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$1.10 R$6.00

-20.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$36.63 R$199

47.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$1.19 R$6.45

-2.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$1.33 R$7.21

-60.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$8.66 R$47.10

-72.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.23 R$6.68

17.89%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$22.4K R$121.6K

-5.80%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$32.0K R$174.2K

-15.94%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$40.81 R$222

52.34%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$13.39 R$72.8

-9.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$17.24 R$93.7

16.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$27.28 R$148

36.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$32.55 R$177

-88.42%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.56 R$41.12

-14.15%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$404 R$2,196

82.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$7,234 R$39.3K

104.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$51.8 R$282

3.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$55.6 R$302

-55.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$90.2 R$491

1.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$79.9 R$434

-9.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$476 R$2,586

1.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$403 R$2,188

-23.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$845 R$4,594

19.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$666 R$3,620

-4.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,986 R$10.8K

18.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,434 R$7,799

10.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$765 R$4,159

-22.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.12

-49.91%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sao Jose dos Campos: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$403 38.8% 30.3% $94

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$213 20.6% 8.9% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$125 12% 15% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$71 6.9% 24.4% $23

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$134 12.9% 72.4% $56

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$49 4.7% 20.4% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Sao Jose dos Campos

$42 4.1% 15.7% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $476 in Sao Jose dos Campos. 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 30% higher in Sao Jose dos Campos. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $38 in Sao Jose dos Campos. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $213 in Sao Jose dos Campos – so Sao Jose dos Campos wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Sao Jose dos Campos

🕒 Local time

02:14 2:14 AM

16:14 4:14 PM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

697,054

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.165 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Sao Jose dos Campos 16,340 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Sao Jose dos Campos

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 Jose dos Campos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Jose dos Campos costs about 11% 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,556 in Sao Jose dos Campos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $482 in Chiang Mai and $476 in Sao Jose dos Campos. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $404 in Sao Jose dos Campos. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 9% cheaper in Sao Jose dos Campos – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,037 in Sao Jose dos Campos. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,037 in Sao Jose dos Campos. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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