Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Timbo

For one person, living is cheaper in Timbo: $717 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Other living expenses 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 Timbo
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Timbo Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Timbo

🇧🇷 Brazil

$717

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $717 in Timbo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Timbo $717

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,165 in Timbo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Timbo $1,165

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,614 in Timbo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Timbo $1,614

Chiang Mai costs about 30% more than Timbo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Timbo are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Timbo 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$4.62 R$25.35

-53.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$36.83 R$202

-49.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$3.81 R$20.88

46.98%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$1.88 R$10.29

-11.70%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$0.99 R$5.45

-34.34%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.68 R$3.74

-55.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$1.80 R$9.87

28.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$2.19 R$11.99

67.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$0.81 R$4.44

149.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$1.43 R$7.85

-1.40%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$0.81 R$4.43

71.60%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$1.67 R$9.16

41.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$7.65 R$41.98

115.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$3.24 R$17.79

-17.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$6.93 R$38.05

30.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$1.68 R$9.24

42.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$0.67 R$3.70

55.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.77 R$4.23

115.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$1.29 R$7.08

20.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$0.81 R$4.45

53.09%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$0.75 R$4.11

45.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.63 R$3.46

20.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$0.78 R$4.28

-34.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$1.46 R$8.04

182.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$4.52 R$24.79

296.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.00 R$5.50

62.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$1.90 R$10.43

48.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

$0.94 R$5.18

-1.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

$41.54 R$228

27.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$1.18 R$6.48

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$0.78 R$4.25

-78.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$5.79 R$31.79

-68.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$0.92 R$5.04

59.78%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$21.4K R$117.3K

-1.69%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$25.5K R$140.1K

3.88%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$52.5 R$288

19.25%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$11.97 R$65.7

-3.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$21.39 R$117

-5.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$24.49 R$134

54.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$25.53 R$140

-85.51%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$5.52 R$30.28

17.93%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$225 R$1,235

222.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$2,629 R$14.4K

530.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$29.98 R$165

78.59%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$36.59 R$201

-32.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$56.4 R$310

60.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$45.64 R$250

57.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$340 R$1,866

41.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$231 R$1,266

34.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$625 R$3,430

69.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$443 R$2,430

48.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$1,569 R$8,610

54.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$1,128 R$6,193

42.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

$640 R$3,513

-7.06%

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 Timbo: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Timbo

$231 32.2% 25.6% $79

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Timbo

$148 20.6% 37.5% $89

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Timbo

$76 10.6% 30% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Timbo

$86 12% 9.2% $8.7

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Timbo

$91 12.7% 18.8% $14

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Timbo

$50 7% 14.1% $8.3

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Timbo

$36 5% 30.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $340 in Timbo. 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 8% higher in Timbo, 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 in Chiang Mai versus $37 in Timbo. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $148 in Timbo – so Timbo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Timbo

🕒 Local time

07:55 7:55 AM

21:55 9:55 PM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

46,099

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Timbo 16,650 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Timbo

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 Timbo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 30% more than Timbo, 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 $1,076 in Timbo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Timbo, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $340 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $225 in Timbo. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 60% 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 $717 in Timbo, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Timbo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.