Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Valinhos

For one person, living is cheaper in Valinhos: $837 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Valinhos
Learn more

Valinhos Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Valinhos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$837

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $837 in Valinhos, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Valinhos $837

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,328 in Valinhos, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Valinhos $1,328

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,819 in Valinhos, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Valinhos $1,819

Chiang Mai costs about 12% more than Valinhos, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Valinhos are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Valinhos 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.6

$7.30 R$40.18

-70.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿624

$29.93 R$165

-37.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$6.59 R$36.25

-15.02%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.8

$2.21 R$12.18

-24.89%

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

$0.65 ฿21.69

$1.28 R$7.06

-49.22%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.22

$0.87 R$4.81

-65.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.9

$2.16 R$11.89

7.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$2.72 R$14.99

34.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.6

$1.00 R$5.51

102.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.21

$1.71 R$9.43

-17.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.67

$1.26 R$6.95

10.32%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.4

$2.24 R$12.34

5.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿554

$9.88 R$54.4

67.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.5

$4.35 R$23.95

-38.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$9.20 R$50.6

-1.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.4

$2.03 R$11.15

18.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.91

$1.19 R$6.52

-12.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.45 R$7.96

14.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$1.28 R$7.06

21.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.50

$1.17 R$6.43

5.98%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.44

$1.10 R$6.07

-0.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.54

$0.90 R$4.93

-15.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.24

$0.75 R$4.11

-32.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$2.24 R$12.34

83.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿601

$7.16 R$39.42

150.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$1.24 R$6.83

30.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.6

$1.83 R$10.06

54.10%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.33

$0.65 R$3.59

43.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,773

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.45

$1.04 R$5.72

13.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.75

$0.74 R$4.08

-77.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.8

$9.21 R$50.7

-80.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.38

$1.19 R$6.56

23.53%

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

$21.0K ฿704.5K

$21.9K R$120.8K

-4.23%

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

$26.5K ฿889.1K

$30.7K R$168.9K

-13.60%

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

$62.6 ฿2,098

$61.2 R$337

2.26%

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

$11.60 ฿389

$11.39 R$62.7

1.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿681

$21.37 R$118

-5.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,270

$17.32 R$95.3

118.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$7.17 R$39.49

-9.21%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$290 R$1,593

151.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿555.7K

$9,241 R$50.9K

79.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,795

$50.1 R$275

6.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿832

$34.33 R$189

-27.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,031

$90.1 R$496

0.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,413

$55.0 R$303

30.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$325 R$1,786

48.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$279 R$1,537

10.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$461 R$2,538

129.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$553 R$3,044

19.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

10.81

-48.47%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Valinhos: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Valinhos

$279 33.4% 9.9% $31

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Valinhos

$192 22.9% 18.8% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Valinhos

$103 12.3% 4.7% $5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Valinhos

$94 11.2% 0.6% $0.5

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Valinhos

$130 15.5% 69.2% $53

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Valinhos

$7.4 * 0.9% 87.5% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Valinhos

$32 3.8% 37.8% $19

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $325 in Valinhos. 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 $30 in Valinhos. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $192 in Valinhos – so Valinhos wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Valinhos

🕒 Local time

09:17 9:17 AM

23:17 11:17 PM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

126,373

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 7, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.47 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 5.5 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Valinhos 16,460 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Valinhos

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 Valinhos: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 12% more than Valinhos, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. 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 $1,256 in Valinhos. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Valinhos, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $325 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $30 in Valinhos. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% 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 $837 in Valinhos, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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