Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Serra

For one person, living is cheaper in Serra: $821 a month against $935 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Serra
Learn more

Serra Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Serra

🇧🇷 Brazil

$821

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $821 in Serra, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Serra $821

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,216 in Serra, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Serra $1,216

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,612 in Serra, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Serra $1,612

Chiang Mai costs about 14% more than Serra, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Serra are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Serra 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$4.68 R$25.67

-54.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$21.32 R$117

-12.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$7.26 R$39.82

-22.87%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$1.87 R$10.28

-11.23%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$1.19 R$6.56

-45.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.58 R$3.18

-48.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$1.88 R$10.29

23.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$2.77 R$15.19

32.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.04 R$5.70

94.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$1.74 R$9.57

-18.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$1.06 R$5.81

31.13%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$1.94 R$10.66

22.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$9.88 R$54.2

67.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$4.13 R$22.65

-35.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$8.05 R$44.17

12.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$2.64 R$14.47

-9.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$1.39 R$7.62

-25.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.66 R$9.13

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$1.52 R$8.33

2.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$1.13 R$6.22

9.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$1.04 R$5.71

4.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$1.18 R$6.50

-35.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$1.28 R$7.00

-60.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$2.33 R$12.79

76.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$5.15 R$28.28

248.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$0.96 R$5.25

68.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$3.05 R$16.72

-7.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

$0.84 R$4.61

10.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

$44.66 R$245

18.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$1.18 R$6.47

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$1.03 R$5.66

-83.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$7.39 R$40.55

-75.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$1.05 R$5.79

40.00%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$21.8K R$119.4K

-3.43%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$30.7K R$168.6K

-13.71%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$143 R$786

-56.30%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$11.42 R$62.7

1.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$19.71 R$108

2.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$23.79 R$131

59.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$26.19 R$144

-85.87%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$6.75 R$37.05

-3.56%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$171 R$939

325.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$6,729 R$36.9K

146.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$52.8 R$290

1.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$46.73 R$256

-46.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$84.5 R$464

6.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$65.7 R$361

9.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$233 R$1,277

106.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$142 R$780

118.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$415 R$2,278

154.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$202 R$1,108

226.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$902 R$4,952

167.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$514 R$2,822

212.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

$505 R$2,772

17.75%

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Serra: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Serra

$142 17.3% 54.1% $168

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Serra

$197 24% 16.9% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Serra

$112 13.7% 3.8% $4.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Serra

$174 21.2% 84.5% $80

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Serra

$104 12.6% 35.4% $27

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Serra

$54 6.6% 7.3% $4.3

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Serra

$37 4.5% 26.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $233 in Serra. 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 18% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $21 in Serra. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $197 in Serra – so Serra wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Serra

🕒 Local time

13:42 1:42 PM

03:42 3:42 AM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

520,653

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.72 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.14 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Serra 15,760 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Serra

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 Serra: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 14% more than Serra, 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 $1,231 in Serra. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Serra, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $233 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $171 in Serra. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 20% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Serra – 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 Serra. 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.