Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Guarulhos and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in Guarulhos and in Chiang Mai: $964 and $925 a month, rent and utilities included.

47

Cost of Living Index in Guarulhos
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Guarulhos Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Guarulhos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$964

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $964 per month in Guarulhos vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Guarulhos $964
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,764 per month in Guarulhos vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Guarulhos $1,764
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,565 per month in Guarulhos vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Guarulhos $2,565
Chiang Mai $1,903

Guarulhos costs about 4% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Guarulhos and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Guarulhos 29% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.69 R$44.06

$2.29 ฿76.5

279.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.01 R$203

$19.64 ฿656

103.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.00 R$45.61

$5.61 ฿188

60.43%

Cappuccino

$2.46 R$12.50

$1.66 ฿55.6

48.19%

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

$1.35 R$6.82

$0.70 ฿23.40

92.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 R$4.37

$0.31 ฿10.24

177.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R$12.39

$2.41 ฿80.4

1.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.88 R$19.65

$3.71 ฿124

4.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.05 R$5.32

$1.95 ฿65.3

-46.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.88 R$9.52

$1.41 ฿47.03

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 R$6.76

$1.31 ฿43.62

1.53%

Eggs

$2.46 R$12.47

$2.18 ฿72.9

12.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.61 R$63.9

$16.65 ฿556

-24.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.79 R$24.27

$2.76 ฿92.2

73.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.70 R$54.3

$9.11 ฿304

17.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.38 R$12.07

$2.39 ฿80.0

-0.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 R$8.71

$1.03 ฿34.26

66.99%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.53 R$7.74

$1.63 ฿54.4

-6.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 R$7.76

$1.50 ฿50.0

2.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.40

$1.29 ฿43.13

-2.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.18 R$6.00

$1.11 ฿37.03

6.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.98 R$4.97

$0.72 ฿24.08

36.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 R$4.32

$0.53 ฿17.59

60.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.49 R$12.65

$4.31 ฿144

-42.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.88 R$50.1

$17.95 ฿600

-44.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R$7.62

$1.58 ฿52.9

-5.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 R$12.64

$2.84 ฿95.0

-12.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.24 R$6.30

$0.86 ฿28.86

44.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$105 R$532

$53.3 ฿1,780

96.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 R$5.94

$1.21 ฿40.29

-3.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 R$3.64

$0.57 ฿18.99

26.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.49 R$43.03

$2.35 ฿78.6

261.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R$6.50

$1.44 ฿47.96

-11.11%

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

$23.6K R$119.5K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

13.76%

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

$34.2K R$173.5K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

27.67%

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

$91.6 R$465

$62.3 ฿2,083

47.02%

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

$14.98 R$75.9

$12.11 ฿405

23.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.33 R$113

$19.94 ฿666

11.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.22 R$143

$37.07 ฿1,239

-23.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$10.05 R$50.9

$6.50 ฿217

54.62%

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

$429 R$2,173

$793 ฿26.5K

-45.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K R$56.0K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-25.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.1 R$330

$53.7 ฿1,796

21.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.1 R$289

$24.62 ฿823

131.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.2 R$467

$90.9 ฿3,036

1.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.5 R$403

$71.1 ฿2,378

11.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$349 R$1,770

$455 ฿15.2K

-23.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$158 R$801

$298 ฿9,954

-46.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 R$5,042

$908 ฿30.4K

9.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$768 R$3,895

$554 ฿18.5K

38.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,944 R$9,855

$1,931 ฿64.5K

0.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,480 R$7,502

$1,445 ฿48.3K

2.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$378 R$1,914

$591 ฿19.7K

-36.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.25

5.57

101.97%

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

Last update for Guarulhos: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Guarulhos

$227 23.5%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 3.8% $8.6

Accommodation & Living

Guarulhos

$158 16.4%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 88.5% $140

Eating Out

Guarulhos

$155 16.1%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 49.3% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Guarulhos

$132 13.7%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 18.2% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Guarulhos

$129 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 26.8% $35

Getting Around

Guarulhos

$115 11.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 47% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Guarulhos

$48 5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 3.6% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $349 in Guarulhos versus $455 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 57% 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 $40.00 in Guarulhos versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $227 in Guarulhos vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Guarulhos wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Guarulhos

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

08:40 8:40 AM

18:40 6:40 PM

10 h ahead of Guarulhos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,291,771

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 20, 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 20, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Guarulhos Chiang Mai 16,410 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Guarulhos
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

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

Guarulhos costs about 4% 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 $1,446 per month in Guarulhos and $1,388 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 $429 per month in Guarulhos and $793 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 4% cheaper in Guarulhos – 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 $925, than in Guarulhos at $964. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Guarulhos it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $964 in Guarulhos. 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, Guarulhos makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.