Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Trancoso

For one person, living is cheaper in Trancoso: $775 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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
37

Cost of Living Index in Trancoso
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Trancoso Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Trancoso

🇧🇷 Brazil

$775

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $775 in Trancoso, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Trancoso $775

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,242 in Trancoso, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Trancoso $1,242

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,708 in Trancoso, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Trancoso $1,708

Chiang Mai costs about 21% more than Trancoso, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Trancoso are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Trancoso 43% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.2

$5.55 R$30.35

-61.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿622

$27.37 R$150

-31.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿187

$6.28 R$34.34

-10.83%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.5

$1.73 R$9.46

-4.05%

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

$0.65 ฿21.59

$1.13 R$6.18

-42.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.18

$0.64 R$3.50

-53.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.5

$1.84 R$10.04

26.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿122

$2.71 R$14.83

35.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.3

$1.01 R$5.52

100.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.00

$1.48 R$8.11

-4.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.46

$1.14 R$6.22

21.93%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.0

$2.01 R$10.97

17.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿551

$8.20 R$44.78

101.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.1

$3.70 R$20.20

-27.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿301

$7.54 R$41.21

19.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.1

$2.13 R$11.66

12.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.76

$1.29 R$7.07

-19.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.4

$1.19 R$6.50

39.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.0

$1.45 R$7.91

7.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.31

$1.14 R$6.23

8.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.27

$1.08 R$5.93

0.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.43

$0.72 R$3.95

5.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.16

$0.61 R$3.33

-16.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$2.08 R$11.35

98.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿598

$7.68 R$41.96

133.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.2

$1.18 R$6.47

37.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.2

$2.11 R$11.53

33.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.19

$0.88 R$4.81

5.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,766

$39.01 R$213

35.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.28

$1.11 R$6.05

6.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.72

$0.76 R$4.18

-77.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.5

$6.46 R$35.30

-71.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.16

$1.05 R$5.72

40.00%

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

$21.0K ฿701.4K

$21.0K R$114.8K

-0.03%

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

$26.5K ฿885.1K

$28.2K R$153.9K

-5.87%

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

$62.6 ฿2,088

$61.3 R$335

2.07%

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

$11.60 ฿387

$13.29 R$72.6

-12.72%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿678

$18.63 R$102

8.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,264

$22.55 R$123

67.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿123

$21.64 R$118

-82.90%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿217

$6.28 R$34.29

3.66%

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$285 R$1,558

154.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿553.2K

$6,558 R$35.8K

152.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,787

$47.24 R$258

13.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿828

$43.04 R$235

-42.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,017

$76.5 R$418

18.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,402

$63.2 R$345

13.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$309 R$1,688

55.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.3K

$215 R$1,175

44.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.3K

$582 R$3,182

81.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

$435 R$2,377

51.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.7K

$1,463 R$7,992

65.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.7K

$1,033 R$5,643

55.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.92

-48.99%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Trancoso: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Trancoso

$215 27.8% 30.6% $95

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Trancoso

$175 22.6% 26.1% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Trancoso

$104 13.4% 4.4% $4.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Trancoso

$93 12% 1.3% $1.3

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Trancoso

$106 13.6% 38.1% $29

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Trancoso

$47 6.1% 19.1% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Trancoso

$35 4.5% 31% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $309 in Trancoso. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $27 in Trancoso. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $175 in Trancoso – so Trancoso wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Trancoso

🕒 Local time

08:17 8:17 AM

22:17 10:17 PM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

18,618

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 BRL = 0.183 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.38 THB (100 THB = 3 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.13 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Trancoso 15,580 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Trancoso

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 Trancoso: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 21% more than Trancoso, 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 $1,163 in Trancoso. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Trancoso, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $309 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $285 in Trancoso. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.