Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Petrolina and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Petrolina: $739 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Petrolina
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Petrolina Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Petrolina

🇧🇷 Brazil

$739

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $739 per month in Petrolina vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Petrolina $739
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,171 per month in Petrolina vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Petrolina $1,171
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,603 per month in Petrolina vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Petrolina $1,603
Chiang Mai $1,979

Petrolina is about 21% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Petrolina and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Petrolina 46% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.62 R$30.06

$2.24 ฿75.7

150.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.04 R$161

$19.00 ฿642

58.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.28 R$38.94

$5.55 ฿188

31.17%

Cappuccino

$1.86 R$9.93

$1.67 ฿56.6

11.38%

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

$1.24 R$6.66

$0.64 ฿21.56

93.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 R$4.09

$0.31 ฿10.32

145.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.09 R$11.16

$2.36 ฿79.6

-11.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 R$15.03

$3.66 ฿124

-23.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 R$5.58

$1.95 ฿65.8

-46.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.90 R$4.79

$1.44 ฿48.51

-37.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.82

$1.33 ฿45.07

-18.05%

Eggs

$1.47 R$7.88

$2.28 ฿77.1

-35.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.64 R$46.26

$16.45 ฿556

-47.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.50 R$18.74

$2.78 ฿94.0

25.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.55 R$40.39

$9.31 ฿314

-18.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 R$12.08

$2.35 ฿79.5

-3.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.86 R$4.60

$0.97 ฿32.82

-11.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 R$6.14

$1.60 ฿53.9

-28.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.66

$1.50 ฿50.7

-4.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.09 R$5.85

$1.28 ฿43.15

-14.84%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 R$3.78

$1.10 ฿37.22

-35.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 R$4.14

$0.71 ฿23.84

8.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 R$2.43

$0.49 ฿16.38

-8.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.43 R$13.03

$4.14 ฿140

-41.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.59 R$35.27

$17.52 ฿592

-62.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 R$5.66

$1.61 ฿54.5

-34.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 R$9.54

$2.78 ฿94.0

-35.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.95 R$5.07

$0.87 ฿29.33

9.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$46.91 R$251

$54.1 ฿1,827

-13.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 R$5.75

$1.16 ฿39.08

-6.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 R$4.40

$0.53 ฿17.82

54.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.34 R$39.26

$2.42 ฿81.8

203.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 R$6.41

$1.45 ฿48.93

-17.24%

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

$19.8K R$106.0K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-5.92%

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

$23.9K R$128.1K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-11.16%

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

$62.7 R$336

$62.2 ฿2,100

0.85%

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

$8.26 R$44.21

$12.17 ฿411

-32.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.16 R$59.7

$20.12 ฿680

-44.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.46 R$93.4

$37.31 ฿1,260

-53.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.16 R$135

$3.77 ฿127

567.37%

Cinema Ticket

$3.73 R$19.98

$6.49 ฿219

-42.53%

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

$234 R$1,252

$736 ฿24.9K

-68.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,634 R$35.5K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-55.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.78 R$100

$53.4 ฿1,802

-64.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.55 R$249

$24.64 ฿832

88.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.1 R$273

$91.5 ฿3,089

-44.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 R$420

$71.9 ฿2,429

8.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$258 R$1,383

$482 ฿16.3K

-46.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$216 R$1,156

$309 ฿10.4K

-30.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$547 R$2,930

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-45.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$390 R$2,089

$633 ฿21.4K

-38.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,764 R$9,439

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-25.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,156 R$6,185

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-27.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$561 R$3,003

$590 ฿19.9K

-4.83%

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 Petrolina: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Petrolina

$216 29.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 43.1% $93

Groceries & Markets

Petrolina

$159 21.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 47.2% $75

Eating Out

Petrolina

$113 15.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 31.4% $36

Clothing & Footwear

Petrolina

$88 11.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 23.9% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Petrolina

$82 11.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 15% $12

Getting Around

Petrolina

$56 7.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 9.8% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Petrolina

$25 3.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 102% $25

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $258 in Petrolina 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 5% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Petrolina versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $159 in Petrolina vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Petrolina wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Petrolina

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:08 7:08 AM

17:08 5:08 PM

10 h ahead of Petrolina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

386,791

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

Petrolina Chiang Mai 15,530 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Petrolina
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 27% more than Petrolina, 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 $1,108 per month in Petrolina 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 Petrolina, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $258 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $234 per month in Petrolina 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 47% 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.

Families tend to lean toward Petrolina – 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 Petrolina. 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.