Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manaus and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in Manaus and in Chiang Mai: $931 and $936 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Manaus
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Manaus Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Manaus

🇧🇷 Brazil

$931

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $931 per month in Manaus vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Manaus $931
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,368 per month in Manaus vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Manaus $1,368
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,806 per month in Manaus vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Manaus $1,806
Chiang Mai $1,979

Manaus and Chiang Mai have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Manaus and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Manaus 32% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.74 R$30.91

$2.24 ฿75.6

156.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.62 R$138

$19.00 ฿641

34.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.47 R$34.83

$5.55 ฿187

16.58%

Cappuccino

$2.19 R$11.81

$1.67 ฿56.5

31.14%

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

$0.99 R$5.33

$0.64 ฿21.55

54.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.73 R$3.94

$0.31 ฿10.31

135.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.54 R$13.69

$2.36 ฿79.6

7.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.05 R$27.16

$3.66 ฿124

37.98%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 R$7.09

$1.95 ฿65.8

-32.31%

White Bread (500g)

$1.54 R$8.29

$1.44 ฿48.48

6.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 R$6.11

$1.33 ฿45.04

-14.29%

Eggs

$2.46 R$13.25

$2.28 ฿77.1

7.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.14 R$49.19

$16.45 ฿555

-44.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.82 R$20.53

$2.78 ฿93.9

37.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.70 R$36.04

$9.31 ฿314

-28.03%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 R$12.02

$2.35 ฿79.4

-5.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 R$8.27

$0.97 ฿32.80

58.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 R$7.42

$1.60 ฿53.9

-13.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.84 R$9.89

$1.50 ฿50.6

22.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 R$6.05

$1.28 ฿43.12

-12.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 R$6.19

$1.10 ฿37.19

4.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 R$4.06

$0.71 ฿23.82

5.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 R$3.36

$0.49 ฿16.37

26.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.36 R$18.06

$4.14 ฿140

-18.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.46 R$45.54

$17.52 ฿591

-51.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R$7.61

$1.61 ฿54.5

-12.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 R$8.40

$2.78 ฿94.0

-43.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 R$4.76

$0.87 ฿29.31

1.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.80 R$198

$54.1 ฿1,826

-31.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.92 R$4.94

$1.16 ฿39.06

-20.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 R$4.66

$0.53 ฿17.80

64.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.99 R$48.39

$2.42 ฿81.8

271.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.63

$1.45 ฿48.90

-15.17%

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

$21.6K R$116.4K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

2.74%

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

$32.4K R$174.3K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

20.24%

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

$112 R$601

$62.2 ฿2,098

79.65%

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

$14.44 R$77.7

$12.17 ฿411

18.65%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.86 R$128

$20.12 ฿679

18.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.68 R$138

$37.31 ฿1,259

-31.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.54 R$127

$3.77 ฿127

524.40%

Cinema Ticket

$6.41 R$34.47

$6.49 ฿219

-1.23%

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

$212 R$1,140

$736 ฿24.8K

-71.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,775 R$25.7K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-67.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.41 R$255

$53.4 ฿1,801

-11.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.69 R$160

$24.64 ฿831

20.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.3 R$303

$91.5 ฿3,087

-38.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.9 R$344

$71.9 ฿2,428

-11.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$747 R$4,021

$482 ฿16.3K

54.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$299 R$1,607

$309 ฿10.4K

-3.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,121 R$6,035

$1,006 ฿33.9K

11.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 R$2,428

$633 ฿21.4K

-28.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,543 R$8,302

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-34.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,257 R$6,767

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-20.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$491 R$2,641

$590 ฿19.9K

-16.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.33

5.57

85.46%

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

Last update for Manaus: 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

Manaus

$299 32.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 3.4% $10

Groceries & Markets

Manaus

$188 20.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 24.7% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manaus

$150 16.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 37% $56

Eating Out

Manaus

$121 13%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 36.1% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Manaus

$89 9.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 22.3% $20

Getting Around

Manaus

$46 4.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 34.6% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Manaus

$38 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 30.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $747 in Manaus 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 20% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Manaus versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $188 in Manaus vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Manaus wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Manaus

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:07 4:07 AM

15:07 3:07 PM

11 h ahead of Manaus

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,063,689

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

Manaus Chiang Mai 17,140 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Manaus
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

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

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,396 per month in Manaus 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $747 in Manaus.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $26 in Manaus and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 32% less in Manaus. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $931 in Manaus to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Manaus. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.