Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Teresina

For one person, living is cheaper in Teresina: $704 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 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
34

Cost of Living Index in Teresina
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Teresina Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Teresina

🇧🇷 Brazil

$704

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $704 in Teresina, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Teresina $704

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,155 in Teresina, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Teresina $1,155

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,605 in Teresina, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Teresina $1,605

Chiang Mai costs about 33% more than Teresina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Teresina are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Teresina 48% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$5.39 R$29.45

-60.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$18.64 R$102

-0.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$5.85 R$31.94

-4.27%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$1.96 R$10.70

-15.31%

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

$0.65 ฿21.83

$0.98 R$5.37

-33.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.71 R$3.87

-57.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.4

$1.41 R$7.69

64.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$2.92 R$15.92

25.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.33 R$7.26

51.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.51

$2.14 R$11.70

-34.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.96

$1.39 R$7.59

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$3.94 R$21.50

-39.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$6.98 R$38.12

136.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$3.87 R$21.16

-31.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$6.18 R$33.74

45.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$1.74 R$9.50

37.93%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.13

$0.85 R$4.62

22.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.88 R$4.81

88.64%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$1.20 R$6.55

30.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.76

$1.06 R$5.77

16.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.66

$0.88 R$4.83

23.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.50 R$2.75

52.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.35

$1.41 R$7.71

-63.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$3.08 R$16.83

33.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$8.53 R$46.58

110.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.29 R$7.05

25.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$2.68 R$14.66

5.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.53

$0.87 R$4.77

6.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,785

$40.91 R$223

29.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.70

$1.50 R$8.19

-21.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.79

$0.78 R$4.24

-78.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$6.73 R$36.77

-73.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.69

$1.14 R$6.21

28.95%

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

$21.0K ฿708.9K

$21.4K R$116.9K

-1.80%

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

$26.5K ฿894.6K

$30.2K R$165.1K

-12.32%

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

$62.6 ฿2,111

$73.5 R$401

-14.83%

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

$11.60 ฿392

$9.78 R$53.4

18.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$16.34 R$89.2

24.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$19.75 R$108

91.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$12.07 R$65.9

-69.35%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$7.56 R$41.29

-13.89%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$538 R$2,938

35.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.2K

$6,591 R$36.0K

151.47%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,807

$39.57 R$216

35.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿837

$27.34 R$149

-9.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,050

$71.3 R$389

26.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$46.07 R$252

56.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$152 R$829

216.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$142 R$778

117.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$386 R$2,110

173.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$395 R$2,156

66.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.6K

$1,248 R$6,813

93.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$701 R$3,828

129.51%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

$366 R$2,001

62.31%

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 Teresina: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Teresina

$142 20.2% 54.1% $168

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Teresina

$191 27.1% 19.3% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Teresina

$83 11.8% 23.4% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Teresina

$100 14.1% 5.4% $5.1

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Teresina

$104 14.7% 35.6% $27

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Teresina

$50 7.1% 15.1% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Teresina

$35 5% 31.5% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $152 in Teresina. 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 62% 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 $19 in Teresina. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $191 in Teresina – so Teresina wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Teresina

🕒 Local time

21:25 9:25 PM

11:25 11:25 AM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

866,300

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.77 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.11 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Teresina 15,600 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Teresina

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 Teresina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 33% more than Teresina, 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 $1,057 in Teresina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Teresina, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $152 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Public transport costs about 23% less in Teresina. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $935 in Chiang Mai and $704 in Teresina, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Teresina – 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 Teresina. 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.