Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Contenda and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Contenda: $827 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Contenda
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Contenda Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Contenda

🇧🇷 Brazil

$827

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Contenda and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $827 per month in Contenda vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Contenda $827
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,271 per month in Contenda vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Contenda $1,271
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,714 per month in Contenda vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Contenda $1,714
Chiang Mai $1,999

Contenda is about 12% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Contenda and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Contenda 39% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.83 R$21.06

$2.13 ฿71.6

79.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$10.98 R$60.4

$18.62 ฿624

-41.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.16 R$39.41

$5.60 ฿188

27.86%

Cappuccino

$2.32 R$12.76

$1.66 ฿55.8

39.76%

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

$1.25 R$6.88

$0.65 ฿21.69

92.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 R$3.22

$0.30 ฿10.22

93.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.88 R$10.34

$2.32 ฿77.9

-18.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 R$10.43

$3.67 ฿123

-48.23%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 R$5.47

$2.02 ฿67.6

-50.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 R$8.38

$1.41 ฿47.21

7.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 R$6.53

$1.39 ฿46.67

-14.39%

Eggs

$2.39 R$13.14

$2.37 ฿79.4

0.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.16 R$50.4

$16.52 ฿554

-44.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.69 R$20.28

$2.67 ฿89.5

38.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.50 R$41.28

$9.02 ฿302

-16.85%

Apples (1kg)

$2.28 R$12.56

$2.40 ฿80.4

-5.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.15 R$6.33

$1.04 ฿34.91

10.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.10 R$6.06

$1.66 ฿55.6

-33.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.28 R$7.02

$1.56 ฿52.3

-17.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 R$5.27

$1.24 ฿41.50

-22.58%

Onion (1kg)

$0.86 R$4.72

$1.09 ฿36.44

-21.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 R$3.92

$0.76 ฿25.54

-6.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 R$3.91

$0.51 ฿17.24

39.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.83 R$15.55

$4.12 ฿138

-31.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.80 R$20.90

$17.93 ฿601

-78.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 R$7.56

$1.62 ฿54.4

-15.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 R$10.39

$2.82 ฿94.6

-32.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 R$5.41

$0.93 ฿31.33

5.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.51 R$234

$52.9 ฿1,773

-19.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.13 R$6.22

$1.18 ฿39.45

-4.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.96

$0.17 ฿5.75

429.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.42 R$51.9

$1.81 ฿60.8

420.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 R$6.27

$1.47 ฿49.38

-22.45%

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

$16.5K R$91.0K

$21.0K ฿704.5K

-21.36%

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

$20.5K R$112.7K

$26.5K ฿889.1K

-22.78%

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

$78.4 R$431

$62.6 ฿2,098

25.24%

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

$7.59 R$41.76

$11.60 ฿389

-34.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.25 R$100

$20.30 ฿681

-10.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.15 R$133

$37.88 ฿1,270

-36.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.75 R$142

$3.70 ฿124

595.95%

Cinema Ticket

$7.59 R$41.76

$6.51 ฿218

16.59%

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

$258 R$1,418

$727 ฿24.4K

-64.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K R$56.6K

$16.6K ฿555.7K

-37.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.5 R$333

$53.5 ฿1,795

13.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$67.3 R$371

$24.80 ฿832

171.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 R$565

$90.4 ฿3,031

13.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.7 R$351

$72.0 ฿2,413

-11.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$342 R$1,883

$481 ฿16.1K

-28.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$228 R$1,253

$310 ฿10.4K

-26.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$627 R$3,450

$1,058 ฿35.5K

-40.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$450 R$2,478

$659 ฿22.1K

-31.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,561 R$8,593

$2,418 ฿81.1K

-35.43%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,141 R$6,278

$1,609 ฿53.9K

-29.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.61

5.57

90.48%

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

Last update for Contenda: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Contenda

$228 27.5%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 36.2% $82

Groceries & Markets

Contenda

$171 20.7%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 38.3% $65

Clothing & Footwear

Contenda

$132 16%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 18.2% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Contenda

$104 12.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 9.3% $9.7

Eating Out

Contenda

$100 12.1%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 23.8% $24

Getting Around

Contenda

$52 6.3%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 12.6% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Contenda

$39 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 29.4% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $342 in Contenda versus $481 in Chiang Mai. 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 $11 in Contenda versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $171 vs $237 – making Contenda the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Contenda

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:04 1:04 PM

23:04 11:04 PM

10 h ahead of Contenda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,128

127,240

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.162 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 5.5 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.18 BRL (1 BRL = 0.162 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Contenda Chiang Mai 16,690 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Contenda
Chiang Mai

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

Contenda vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 13% more than Contenda, 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 $1,241 per month in Contenda and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Contenda, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $342 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $258 per month in Contenda and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $827 in Contenda and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

For expats, Contenda is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 12% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.