Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Volta Redonda

For one person, living is cheaper in Volta Redonda: $817 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Volta Redonda
Learn more

Volta Redonda Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Volta Redonda

🇧🇷 Brazil

$817

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Volta Redonda

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $817 in Volta Redonda, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Volta Redonda $817

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,294 in Volta Redonda, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Volta Redonda $1,294

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,771 in Volta Redonda, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Volta Redonda $1,771

Chiang Mai costs about 15% more than Volta Redonda, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Volta Redonda are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Volta Redonda 39% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$3.07 R$15.58

-26.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$40.42 R$205

-52.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$6.74 R$34.16

-17.06%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$2.49 R$12.63

-30.92%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.44 R$7.30

-55.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.62 R$3.14

-46.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$2.36 R$11.97

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$4.50 R$22.81

-13.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.01 R$5.14

102.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.93 R$9.76

-27.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.23 R$6.24

4.07%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$2.39 R$12.10

-5.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$6.84 R$34.65

147.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$3.26 R$16.52

-15.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$10.03 R$50.9

-6.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$2.17 R$11.01

10.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.18 R$5.98

-14.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$0.98 R$4.96

64.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$2.05 R$10.42

-25.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$1.47 R$7.43

-12.93%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$1.24 R$6.30

-10.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.59 R$2.98

22.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.49 R$2.48

6.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$1.58 R$8.00

174.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$8.78 R$44.49

101.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.13 R$5.74

44.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$1.66 R$8.40

71.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.97 R$4.90

-12.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$35.59 R$180

51.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$1.58 R$7.99

-25.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.99 R$5.01

-42.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$10.40 R$52.7

-77.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.23 R$6.25

17.89%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$24.2K R$122.8K

-15.46%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$33.7K R$170.6K

-21.24%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$96.2 R$488

-35.21%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$11.25 R$57.0

9.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$22.11 R$112

-9.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$30.50 R$155

24.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$7.71 R$39.09

-12.97%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$149 R$756

434.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$3,034 R$15.4K

388.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$45.44 R$230

17.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$39.63 R$201

-36.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$50.6 R$256

81.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$94.3 R$478

-22.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$276 R$1,398

68.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$204 R$1,033

49.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$590 R$2,988

55.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$387 R$1,959

42.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$831 R$4,215

129.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$674 R$3,414

113.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$303 R$1,536

96.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.68

-52.31%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Volta Redonda: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Volta Redonda

$204 24.9% 33.1% $101

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Volta Redonda

$185 22.6% 22.5% $53

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Volta Redonda

$103 12.7% 5.5% $6.1

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Volta Redonda

$130 15.9% 37% $35

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Volta Redonda

$104 12.7% 31.3% $25

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Volta Redonda

$46 5.6% 25% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Volta Redonda

$46 5.6% 10.5% $5.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $276 in Volta Redonda. 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 96% 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $40.00 in Volta Redonda. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $185 in Volta Redonda – so Volta Redonda wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Volta Redonda

🕒 Local time

14:39 2:39 PM

04:39 4:39 AM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

261,563

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Volta Redonda 16,160 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Volta Redonda

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 Volta Redonda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 15% more than Volta Redonda, 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,226 in Volta Redonda. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $149 in Volta Redonda. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 29% 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 Volta Redonda, where all-in costs run around $817, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Volta Redonda 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. Volta Redonda costs $817 versus $938 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 Volta Redonda. 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.