Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Curitiba and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,062 in Curitiba, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Curitiba
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Curitiba Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Curitiba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,062

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,062 per month in Curitiba vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Curitiba $1,062
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,656 per month in Curitiba vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Curitiba $1,656
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,249 per month in Curitiba vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Curitiba $2,249
Chiang Mai $1,914

Curitiba costs about 13% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Curitiba and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Curitiba 21% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.11 R$41.13

$2.26 ฿75.4

258.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.21 R$204

$19.18 ฿641

109.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.12 R$46.23

$5.59 ฿187

63.15%

Cappuccino

$2.81 R$14.24

$1.72 ฿57.6

63.37%

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

$1.15 R$5.85

$0.64 ฿21.54

79.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 R$4.49

$0.33 ฿11.18

169.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.76 R$13.98

$2.36 ฿78.7

16.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 R$19.74

$3.90 ฿130

-0.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.11 R$5.62

$2.05 ฿68.6

-45.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 R$9.77

$1.40 ฿46.70

37.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.41 R$7.12

$1.28 ฿42.89

10.16%

Eggs

$2.49 R$12.63

$2.25 ฿75.3

10.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.34 R$52.4

$16.94 ฿566

-38.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.02 R$25.42

$2.74 ฿91.6

83.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.68 R$54.1

$9.36 ฿313

14.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 R$9.15

$2.40 ฿80.3

-24.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.11 R$5.64

$1.01 ฿33.92

9.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.05 R$5.30

$1.61 ฿53.9

-34.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.34 R$6.81

$1.52 ฿50.7

-11.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 R$4.19

$1.28 ฿42.90

-35.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.75 R$3.81

$1.11 ฿37.22

-32.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 R$3.96

$0.72 ฿24.09

8.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 R$4.34

$0.52 ฿17.54

65.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.04 R$15.40

$4.33 ฿145

-29.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.47 R$37.88

$17.73 ฿593

-57.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.37 R$6.96

$1.63 ฿54.4

-15.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 R$12.71

$2.85 ฿95.3

-11.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.18 R$5.98

$0.85 ฿28.31

38.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.8 R$364

$53.9 ฿1,801

33.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.31 R$6.66

$1.17 ฿39.18

11.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 R$4.14

$0.57 ฿19.00

43.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 R$31.39

$2.37 ฿79.2

161.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 R$6.66

$1.45 ฿48.32

-9.66%

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

$23.5K R$119.1K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

14.79%

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

$32.9K R$166.9K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

24.19%

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

$102 R$518

$62.3 ฿2,083

63.95%

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

$15.08 R$76.5

$12.27 ฿410

22.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.12 R$117

$19.97 ฿668

15.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.90 R$147

$37.91 ฿1,267

-23.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.29 R$103

$3.76 ฿126

439.63%

Cinema Ticket

$7.72 R$39.13

$6.71 ฿224

15.05%

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

$382 R$1,934

$797 ฿26.6K

-52.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K R$57.5K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-23.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 R$294

$53.3 ฿1,780

9.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.5 R$287

$25.05 ฿837

125.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.3 R$493

$91.6 ฿3,062

6.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$81.9 R$415

$73.5 ฿2,455

11.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$522 R$2,649

$464 ฿15.5K

12.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$303 R$1,535

$305 ฿10.2K

-0.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$835 R$4,233

$915 ฿30.6K

-8.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$543 R$2,751

$552 ฿18.5K

-1.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,485 R$12.6K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

29.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,793 R$9,087

$1,438 ฿48.1K

24.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$707 R$3,585

$595 ฿19.9K

18.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.54

5.57

107.18%

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

Last update for Curitiba: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Curitiba

$303 28.5%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 0.6% $1.9

Groceries & Markets

Curitiba

$205 19.3%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 16.2% $33

Eating Out

Curitiba

$156 14.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 49.3% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Curitiba

$140 13.2%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 32.6% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Curitiba

$132 12.5%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 17.2% $23

Getting Around

Curitiba

$82 7.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 25.1% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Curitiba

$44 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 15.8% $7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $522 in Curitiba versus $464 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 19% higher in Curitiba, 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 $40.00 in Curitiba versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $205 in Curitiba vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Curitiba wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Curitiba

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

16:51 4:51 PM

02:51 2:51 AM

10 h ahead of Curitiba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,773,718

127,240

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Curitiba Chiang Mai 16,670 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Curitiba
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

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

Curitiba costs about 13% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,593 per month in Curitiba and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $382 per month in Curitiba and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 16% cheaper in Curitiba – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Curitiba at $1,062. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Curitiba it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,062 in Curitiba. 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Curitiba makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.