Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lages and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Lages: $874 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $730 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

42

Cost of Living Index in Lages
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Lages Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Lages

🇧🇷 Brazil

$874

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $874 per month in Lages vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lages $874
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,405 per month in Lages vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lages $1,405
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,936 per month in Lages vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lages $1,936
Chiang Mai $1,999

Lages is about 7% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lages and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Lages 35% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.51 R$40.98

$2.13 ฿72.0

252.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.89 R$201

$18.62 ฿628

98.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.32 R$34.49

$5.60 ฿189

12.86%

Cappuccino

$2.32 R$12.66

$1.66 ฿56.1

39.76%

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

$1.26 R$6.89

$0.65 ฿21.83

93.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 R$5.33

$0.30 ฿10.29

226.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 R$11.85

$2.32 ฿78.4

-6.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.72 R$14.88

$3.67 ฿124

-25.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.95 R$5.21

$2.02 ฿68.0

-52.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 R$8.84

$1.41 ฿47.51

14.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.03 R$5.64

$1.39 ฿46.96

-25.90%

Eggs

$2.36 R$12.89

$2.37 ฿79.9

-0.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.60 R$52.4

$16.52 ฿557

-41.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$24.09

$2.67 ฿90.1

65.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 R$50.9

$9.02 ฿304

3.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.30 R$12.54

$2.40 ฿80.9

-4.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 R$7.36

$1.04 ฿35.13

29.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.97

$1.66 ฿56.0

-22.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 R$8.36

$1.56 ฿52.6

-1.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 R$6.18

$1.24 ฿41.76

-8.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.77

$1.09 ฿36.66

-2.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.81 R$4.43

$0.76 ฿25.70

6.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 R$4.13

$0.51 ฿17.35

49.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.38 R$13.02

$4.12 ฿139

-42.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.49 R$40.88

$17.93 ฿605

-58.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 R$5.99

$1.62 ฿54.8

-32.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 R$11.34

$2.82 ฿95.2

-26.24%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.00 R$5.46

$0.93 ฿31.53

7.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.32 R$231

$52.9 ฿1,785

-19.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 R$6.43

$1.18 ฿39.70

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.28

$0.17 ฿5.79

358.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.54 R$41.15

$1.81 ฿61.1

316.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.75

$1.47 ฿49.69

-15.65%

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

$21.8K R$119.1K

$21.0K ฿708.9K

3.78%

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

$32.0K R$174.8K

$26.5K ฿894.6K

20.69%

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

$70.2 R$383

$62.6 ฿2,111

12.13%

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

$11.79 R$64.4

$11.60 ฿392

1.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.70 R$113

$20.30 ฿685

1.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.37 R$133

$37.88 ฿1,278

-35.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.06 R$142

$3.70 ฿125

604.32%

Cinema Ticket

$6.87 R$37.52

$6.51 ฿220

5.53%

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

$257 R$1,403

$727 ฿24.5K

-64.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,584 R$36.0K

$16.6K ฿559.2K

-60.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.40 R$259

$53.5 ฿1,807

-11.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 R$296

$24.80 ฿837

118.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.8 R$529

$90.4 ฿3,050

7.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.6 R$402

$72.0 ฿2,428

2.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$331 R$1,809

$481 ฿16.2K

-31.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 R$1,278

$310 ฿10.5K

-24.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$630 R$3,439

$1,058 ฿35.7K

-40.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$447 R$2,439

$659 ฿22.2K

-32.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,609 R$8,785

$2,418 ฿81.6K

-33.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,126 R$6,147

$1,609 ฿54.3K

-30.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.5

5.57

106.46%

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

Last update for Lages: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lages

$234 26.8%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 32.4% $76

Groceries & Markets

Lages

$193 22.1%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 22.7% $44

Eating Out

Lages

$132 15.1%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 42% $55

Clothing & Footwear

Lages

$122 14%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 11.5% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lages

$103 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 8% $8.2

Getting Around

Lages

$51 5.9%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 14.1% $7.3

Sport & Entertainment

Lages

$38 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 33.6% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $331 in Lages 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 $37 in Lages versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Lages vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Lages wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Lages

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:28 6:28 PM

04:28 4:28 AM

10 h ahead of Lages

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

164,981

127,240

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.183 USD

1 BRL = 0.164 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 5.46 BRL (1 BRL = 0.183 USD). 1 EUR = 6.11 BRL (1 BRL = 0.164 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lages Chiang Mai 16,730 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Lages
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 7% more than Lages, 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 $1,310 per month in Lages 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 Lages, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $331 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $257 per month in Lages 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 23% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $874 in Lages and $935 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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