Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cuiaba and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,018 in Cuiaba, rent and utilities included – about $980 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

49

Cost of Living Index in Cuiaba
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Cuiaba Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Cuiaba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,018

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cuiaba 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 Cuiaba and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,018 per month in Cuiaba vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cuiaba $1,018
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,540 per month in Cuiaba vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cuiaba $1,540
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,062 per month in Cuiaba vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cuiaba $2,062
Chiang Mai $1,979

Cuiaba costs about 9% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Cuiaba and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Cuiaba 25% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.16 R$27.77

$2.24 ฿75.6

130.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.37 R$147

$19.00 ฿641

44.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 R$40.48

$5.55 ฿187

35.50%

Cappuccino

$1.71 R$9.21

$1.67 ฿56.5

2.40%

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

$1.36 R$7.32

$0.64 ฿21.55

112.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.72 R$3.85

$0.31 ฿10.31

132.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.91 R$10.25

$2.36 ฿79.6

-19.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 R$13.65

$3.66 ฿124

-30.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 R$6.12

$1.95 ฿65.8

-41.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.49 R$8.03

$1.44 ฿48.48

3.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.69 R$9.08

$1.33 ฿45.04

27.07%

Eggs

$2.95 R$15.87

$2.28 ฿77.1

29.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.16 R$87.0

$16.45 ฿555

-1.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.24 R$22.83

$2.78 ฿93.9

52.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.25 R$55.1

$9.31 ฿314

10.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.21 R$11.88

$2.35 ฿79.4

-5.96%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 R$12.55

$0.97 ฿32.80

140.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.40 R$12.89

$1.60 ฿53.9

50.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.86 R$15.38

$1.50 ฿50.6

90.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.38 R$12.79

$1.28 ฿43.12

85.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 R$10.61

$1.10 ฿37.19

79.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 R$8.25

$0.71 ฿23.82

115.49%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 R$7.48

$0.49 ฿16.37

183.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.17 R$11.67

$4.14 ฿140

-47.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.90 R$58.7

$17.52 ฿591

-37.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 R$9.83

$1.61 ฿54.5

13.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 R$15.52

$2.78 ฿94.0

3.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 R$5.12

$0.87 ฿29.31

9.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$35.73 R$192

$54.1 ฿1,826

-33.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.47

$1.45 ฿48.90

-17.24%

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

$28.1K R$151.0K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

33.20%

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

$31.3K R$168.3K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

16.06%

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

$165 R$886

$62.2 ฿2,098

164.71%

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

$17.94 R$96.5

$12.17 ฿411

47.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.18 R$130

$20.12 ฿679

20.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.40 R$131

$37.31 ฿1,259

-34.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.93 R$102

$3.77 ฿127

402.12%

Cinema Ticket

$5.66 R$30.43

$6.49 ฿219

-12.79%

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

$408 R$2,194

$736 ฿24.8K

-44.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,796 R$47.3K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-40.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.2 R$389

$53.4 ฿1,801

35.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.11 R$248

$24.64 ฿831

87.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$141 R$759

$91.5 ฿3,087

54.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$64.1 R$345

$71.9 ฿2,428

-10.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$310 R$1,668

$482 ฿16.3K

-35.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$218 R$1,176

$309 ฿10.4K

-29.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$734 R$3,951

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-27.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$391 R$2,102

$633 ฿21.4K

-38.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,266 R$6,811

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-46.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$742 R$3,991

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-53.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$365 R$1,965

$590 ฿19.9K

-38.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.1

5.57

189.05%

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

Last update for Cuiaba: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Cuiaba

$265 26%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 11.5% $30

Accommodation & Living

Cuiaba

$218 21.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 41.4% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cuiaba

$207 20.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 54.3% $112

Clothing & Footwear

Cuiaba

$146 14.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 25.3% $37

Eating Out

Cuiaba

$107 10.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 27.7% $30

Getting Around

Cuiaba

$40 * 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 55.2% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Cuiaba

$36 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 40.8% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $310 in Cuiaba versus $482 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.

Salaries run about 62% higher in Chiang Mai, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $27 in Cuiaba versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $265 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Cuiaba

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:09 7:09 AM

18:09 6:09 PM

11 h ahead of Cuiaba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

650,877

127,240

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.186 USD

1 BRL = 0.167 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.38 BRL (1 BRL = 0.186 USD). 1 EUR = 6.01 BRL (1 BRL = 0.167 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 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

Cuiaba Chiang Mai 17,350 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Cuiaba
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

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

Cuiaba costs about 9% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,527 per month in Cuiaba 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 Cuiaba, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $310 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $408 per month in Cuiaba and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 13% more in Cuiaba, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,018 in Cuiaba and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,018 in Cuiaba. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.