Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Itu and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Itu: $719 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Itu
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Itu Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Itu

🇧🇷 Brazil

$719

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $719 per month in Itu vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Itu $719
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,300 per month in Itu vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Itu $1,300
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,882 per month in Itu vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Itu $1,882
Chiang Mai $1,979

Itu is about 23% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Itu and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Itu 47% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.36 R$28.70

$2.24 ฿75.7

139.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.63 R$207

$19.00 ฿642

103.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.99 R$32.06

$5.55 ฿188

7.93%

Cappuccino

$1.63 R$8.71

$1.67 ฿56.6

-2.40%

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

$0.72 R$3.85

$0.64 ฿21.56

12.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 R$2.62

$0.31 ฿10.32

58.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 R$6.09

$2.36 ฿79.6

-51.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 R$10.04

$3.66 ฿124

-48.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 R$4.56

$1.95 ฿65.8

-56.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 R$7.70

$1.44 ฿48.51

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 R$6.29

$1.33 ฿45.07

-11.28%

Eggs

$2.16 R$11.56

$2.28 ฿77.1

-5.26%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.33 R$49.92

$16.45 ฿556

-43.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.64 R$19.47

$2.78 ฿94.0

30.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.62 R$30.07

$9.31 ฿314

-39.63%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 R$8.69

$2.35 ฿79.5

-31.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.73

$0.97 ฿32.82

29.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.76 R$4.09

$1.60 ฿53.9

-52.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 R$10.46

$1.50 ฿50.7

30.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.97 R$5.21

$1.28 ฿43.15

-24.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.28

$1.10 ฿37.22

-10.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 R$3.90

$0.71 ฿23.84

2.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 R$2.40

$0.49 ฿16.38

-8.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 R$12.44

$4.14 ฿140

-43.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.50 R$29.43

$17.52 ฿592

-68.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.35

$1.61 ฿54.5

-26.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 R$10.08

$2.78 ฿94.0

-32.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.39

$0.87 ฿29.33

16.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.39 R$227

$54.1 ฿1,827

-21.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.90 R$4.83

$1.16 ฿39.08

-22.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.80

$0.53 ฿17.82

69.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.24 R$38.73

$2.42 ฿81.8

199.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 R$4.85

$1.45 ฿48.93

-37.24%

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

$22.0K R$117.5K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

4.28%

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

$26.5K R$142.0K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-1.52%

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

$78.1 R$418

$62.2 ฿2,100

25.59%

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

$11.00 R$58.9

$12.17 ฿411

-9.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$15.94 R$85.3

$20.12 ฿680

-20.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.10 R$129

$37.31 ฿1,260

-35.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.43 R$141

$3.77 ฿127

601.06%

Cinema Ticket

$4.52 R$24.20

$6.49 ฿219

-30.35%

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

$198 R$1,061

$736 ฿24.9K

-73.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,502 R$40.1K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-49.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.56 R$249

$53.4 ฿1,802

-12.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.52 R$195

$24.64 ฿832

48.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$64.2 R$344

$91.5 ฿3,089

-29.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$47.18 R$252

$71.9 ฿2,429

-34.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$301 R$1,611

$482 ฿16.3K

-37.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$185 R$992

$309 ฿10.4K

-40.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 R$3,934

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-26.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$617 R$3,302

$633 ฿21.4K

-2.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,600 R$8,561

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-32.30%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,135 R$6,073

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-28.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$275 R$1,470

$590 ฿19.9K

-53.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.38

5.57

122.26%

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

Last update for Itu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Itu

$185 25.8%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 66.7% $124

Groceries & Markets

Itu

$162 22.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 45% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Itu

$105 14.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 10.1% $11

Eating Out

Itu

$95 13.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 18.1% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Itu

$88 12.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 24.1% $21

Getting Around

Itu

$52 7.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 18.5% $9.6

Sport & Entertainment

Itu

$33 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 51.7% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $301 in Itu 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 in Chiang Mai are about 2.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39 in Itu versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $162 in Itu vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Itu wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Itu

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:07 1:07 PM

23:07 11:07 PM

10 h ahead of Itu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

168,240

127,240

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.187 USD

1 BRL = 0.168 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 5.35 BRL (1 BRL = 0.187 USD). 1 EUR = 5.96 BRL (1 BRL = 0.168 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Itu Chiang Mai 16,490 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Itu
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 30% more than Itu, 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 $1,079 per month in Itu 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 Itu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $301 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $198 per month in Itu 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 45% 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.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $719 in Itu and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

If budget matters most, go with Itu. 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.