Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Montes Claros and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Montes Claros: $848 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Montes Claros
Learn more

Montes Claros Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Montes Claros

🇧🇷 Brazil

$848

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $848 per month in Montes Claros vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Montes Claros $848
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,358 per month in Montes Claros vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Montes Claros $1,358
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,869 per month in Montes Claros vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Montes Claros $1,869
Chiang Mai $1,979

Montes Claros is about 9% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Montes Claros and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Montes Claros 38% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.53 R$18.86

$2.24 ฿75.7

57.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.55 R$169

$19.00 ฿642

66.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.63 R$40.81

$5.55 ฿188

37.48%

Cappuccino

$2.04 R$10.90

$1.67 ฿56.6

22.16%

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

$1.32 R$7.08

$0.64 ฿21.56

106.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 R$4.04

$0.31 ฿10.32

145.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.48 R$7.90

$2.36 ฿79.6

-37.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 R$16.16

$3.66 ฿124

-17.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.67

$1.95 ฿65.8

-45.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 R$8.76

$1.44 ฿48.51

13.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.52

$1.33 ฿45.07

-8.27%

Eggs

$2.15 R$11.50

$2.28 ฿77.1

-5.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.19 R$49.16

$16.45 ฿556

-44.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.30 R$23.02

$2.78 ฿94.0

54.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.76 R$46.87

$9.31 ฿314

-5.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 R$12.11

$2.35 ฿79.5

-3.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.32 R$7.09

$0.97 ฿32.82

36.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 R$6.03

$1.60 ฿53.9

-29.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 R$8.35

$1.50 ฿50.7

4.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.63

$1.28 ฿43.15

-3.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 R$5.94

$1.10 ฿37.22

0.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 R$4.26

$0.71 ฿23.84

12.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R$4.40

$0.49 ฿16.38

67.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.50 R$13.37

$4.14 ฿140

-39.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 R$41.80

$17.52 ฿592

-55.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 R$7.13

$1.61 ฿54.5

-17.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 R$11.34

$2.78 ฿94.0

-23.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 R$4.26

$0.87 ฿29.33

-8.05%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.22 R$237

$54.1 ฿1,827

-18.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.26 R$6.77

$1.16 ฿39.08

8.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.86 R$4.58

$0.53 ฿17.82

62.26%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.11 R$43.39

$2.42 ฿81.8

235.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 R$5.53

$1.45 ฿48.93

-28.97%

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

$23.2K R$124.4K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

10.36%

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

$33.2K R$177.4K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

23.08%

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

$77.3 R$414

$62.2 ฿2,100

24.37%

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

$12.20 R$65.3

$12.17 ฿411

0.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.67 R$105

$20.12 ฿680

-2.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$25.42 R$136

$37.31 ฿1,260

-31.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.14 R$145

$3.77 ฿127

619.89%

Cinema Ticket

$7.56 R$40.48

$6.49 ฿219

16.49%

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

$275 R$1,474

$736 ฿24.9K

-62.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,047 R$37.7K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-52.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.7 R$293

$53.4 ฿1,802

2.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.2 R$268

$24.64 ฿832

103.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 R$484

$91.5 ฿3,089

-1.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.5 R$383

$71.9 ฿2,429

-0.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$358 R$1,918

$482 ฿16.3K

-25.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 R$1,257

$309 ฿10.4K

-23.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$668 R$3,574

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-33.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$477 R$2,552

$633 ฿21.4K

-24.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,706 R$9,128

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-27.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,181 R$6,319

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-25.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$419 R$2,243

$590 ฿19.9K

-28.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

97.49%

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

Last update for Montes Claros: 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

Montes Claros

$235 27.7%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 31.6% $74

Groceries & Markets

Montes Claros

$193 22.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 21.5% $42

Clothing & Footwear

Montes Claros

$120 14.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 9.5% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Montes Claros

$109 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 13.5% $15

Eating Out

Montes Claros

$97 11.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 20.2% $20

Getting Around

Montes Claros

$53 6.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 15.9% $8.4

Sport & Entertainment

Montes Claros

$41 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 24% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $358 in Montes Claros 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 41% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Montes Claros versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Montes Claros vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Montes Claros wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Montes Claros

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

08:07 8:07 AM

18:07 6:07 PM

10 h ahead of Montes Claros

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

414,240

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Montes Claros Chiang Mai 16,080 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Montes Claros
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

Montes Claros vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 10% more than Montes Claros, 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 $1,271 per month in Montes Claros 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 Montes Claros, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $358 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $275 per month in Montes Claros 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 22% 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 $848 in Montes Claros and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Montes Claros – 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 Montes Claros. 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.