Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Vila Velha

For one person, living is cheaper in Vila Velha: $904 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $370 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Vila Velha
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Vila Velha Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Vila Velha

🇧🇷 Brazil

$904

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Vila Velha

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $904 in Vila Velha, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Vila Velha $904

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,478 in Vila Velha, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Vila Velha $1,478

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,053 in Vila Velha, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Vila Velha $2,053

Chiang Mai costs about 4% more than Vila Velha, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Vila Velha are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Vila Velha 33% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$8.52 R$46.50

-75.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$36.74 R$201

-49.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$7.29 R$39.82

-23.18%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$2.18 R$11.93

-23.85%

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

$0.65 ฿21.83

$1.31 R$7.17

-50.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.50 R$2.72

-40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.4

$1.88 R$10.29

23.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$2.75 R$15.00

33.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$0.99 R$5.42

104.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.51

$1.45 R$7.91

-2.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.96

$1.81 R$9.90

-23.20%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$2.13 R$11.64

11.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$8.33 R$45.48

98.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$4.19 R$22.90

-36.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$8.59 R$46.91

5.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$1.83 R$10.01

31.15%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.13

$0.87 R$4.72

19.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.13 R$6.17

46.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$1.22 R$6.66

27.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.76

$1.18 R$6.43

5.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.66

$1.27 R$6.94

-14.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.43 R$2.32

76.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.35

$0.73 R$3.98

-30.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$3.06 R$16.73

34.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$8.40 R$45.86

113.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.64 R$8.96

-1.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$2.11 R$11.53

33.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.53

$0.94 R$5.13

-1.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,785

$48.22 R$263

9.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.70

$1.27 R$6.93

-7.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.79

$0.75 R$4.11

-77.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$11.85 R$64.7

-84.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.69

$1.17 R$6.40

25.64%

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

$21.0K ฿708.9K

$31.5K R$172.1K

-33.31%

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

$26.5K ฿894.6K

$30.9K R$168.8K

-14.22%

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

$62.6 ฿2,111

$105 R$573

-40.34%

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

$11.60 ฿392

$16.33 R$89.2

-28.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$14.03 R$76.6

44.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$25.21 R$138

50.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$26.03 R$142

-85.79%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$6.58 R$35.91

-1.06%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$400 R$2,182

81.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.2K

$13.6K R$74.3K

21.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,807

$72.2 R$394

-25.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿837

$48.23 R$263

-48.58%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,050

$79.8 R$436

13.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$70.9 R$387

1.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$285 R$1,557

68.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$230 R$1,256

34.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$541 R$2,953

95.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$533 R$2,913

23.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.6K

$1,892 R$10.3K

27.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$1,937 R$10.6K

-16.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

$386 R$2,106

54.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.33

-50.84%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Vila Velha: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Vila Velha

$230 25.5% 25.8% $80

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Vila Velha

$183 20.2% 22.8% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Vila Velha

$122 13.5% 12.6% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Vila Velha

$135 15% 43.1% $41

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Vila Velha

$138 15.3% 80.7% $62

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Vila Velha

$57 6.3% 2.8% $1.6

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Vila Velha

$38 4.3% 24.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $285 in Vila Velha. 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 54% 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 $37 in Vila Velha. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $183 in Vila Velha – so Vila Velha wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Vila Velha

🕒 Local time

21:55 9:55 PM

11:55 11:55 AM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

467,722

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Vila Velha 15,760 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Vila Velha

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 Vila Velha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 4% more than Vila Velha, 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 $1,355 in Vila Velha. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Vila Velha, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $285 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $400 in Vila Velha. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Vila Velha – 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 Vila Velha. 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.