Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Teresopolis

For one person, living is cheaper in Teresopolis: $661 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Teresopolis
Learn more

Teresopolis Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Teresopolis

🇧🇷 Brazil

$661

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $661 in Teresopolis, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Teresopolis $661

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,120 in Teresopolis, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Teresopolis $1,120

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,580 in Teresopolis, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Teresopolis $1,580

Chiang Mai costs about 40% more than Teresopolis, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Teresopolis are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Teresopolis 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$3.55 R$17.99

-35.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$28.21 R$143

-30.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$6.95 R$35.23

-19.28%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.76 R$8.95

-5.68%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$1.41 R$7.14

-50.35%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.62 R$3.13

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$1.22 R$6.20

97.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$5.02 R$25.45

-26.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$0.99 R$5.04

96.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.51 R$7.64

-6.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.37 R$6.93

-4.38%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$2.01 R$10.19

8.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$9.11 R$46.19

82.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$3.45 R$17.49

-20.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$8.16 R$41.36

11.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$1.87 R$9.47

27.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.20 R$6.09

-14.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$0.97 R$4.90

68.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.26 R$6.38

19.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.70 R$3.55

84.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.82 R$4.14

35.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.56 R$2.85

28.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.80 R$4.06

-33.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$1.60 R$8.12

169.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$6.03 R$30.55

197.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.40 R$7.10

12.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$1.42 R$7.21

100.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.92 R$4.65

-6.52%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$35.82 R$182

48.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$1.03 R$5.23

17.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$1.04 R$5.27

-45.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$2.43 R$12.30

-3.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.28 R$6.49

12.50%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$20.9K R$105.9K

-0.75%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$30.9K R$156.5K

-13.19%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$29.33 R$149

112.51%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$23.98 R$122

-49.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$18.63 R$94.5

7.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$29.64 R$150

25.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$20.16 R$102

-81.25%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$6.76 R$34.26

-3.85%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$145 R$737

445.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$2,629 R$13.3K

463.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$25.55 R$130

110.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$27.07 R$137

-9.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$67.4 R$342

34.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$47.75 R$242

48.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$360 R$1,824

26.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$158 R$800

88.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$533 R$2,701

70.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$398 R$2,017

39.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$1,181 R$5,988

63.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$489 R$2,478

20.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.67

-47.80%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Teresopolis: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Teresopolis

$158 23.9% 47% $140

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Teresopolis

$172 26% 27% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Teresopolis

$76 11.4% 30.2% $33

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Teresopolis

$72 10.9% 23.8% $22

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Teresopolis

$95 14.3% 20.5% $16

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Teresopolis

$46 6.9% 24.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Teresopolis

$43 6.5% 13.8% $6.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $360 in Teresopolis. 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 21% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $28.00 in Teresopolis. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $172 in Teresopolis – so Teresopolis wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Teresopolis

🕒 Local time

22:29 10:29 PM

12:29 12:29 PM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

165,123

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Teresopolis 16,050 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Teresopolis

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 Teresopolis: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 40% more than Teresopolis, 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $991 in Teresopolis. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Teresopolis, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $145 in Teresopolis. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 37% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Teresopolis, where all-in costs run around $661, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Teresopolis 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. Teresopolis costs $661 versus $925 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 Teresopolis. 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.