Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Porto Velho and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Porto Velho: $851 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Porto Velho
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Porto Velho Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Porto Velho

🇧🇷 Brazil

$851

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $851 per month in Porto Velho vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Porto Velho $851
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,347 per month in Porto Velho vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Porto Velho $1,347
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,844 per month in Porto Velho vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Porto Velho $1,844
Chiang Mai $1,979

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.47 R$29.23

$2.24 ฿75.7

144.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.80 R$202

$19.00 ฿642

98.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.15 R$32.86

$5.55 ฿188

10.81%

Cappuccino

$1.78 R$9.53

$1.67 ฿56.6

6.59%

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

$1.52 R$8.13

$0.64 ฿21.56

137.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 R$2.60

$0.31 ฿10.32

58.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.85 R$9.87

$2.36 ฿79.6

-21.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 R$11.03

$3.66 ฿124

-43.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.99 R$5.29

$1.95 ฿65.8

-49.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 R$7.51

$1.44 ฿48.51

-2.08%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.78

$1.33 ฿45.07

-18.80%

Eggs

$1.97 R$10.53

$2.28 ฿77.1

-13.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.70 R$46.51

$16.45 ฿556

-47.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.08 R$21.82

$2.78 ฿94.0

46.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.61 R$46.03

$9.31 ฿314

-7.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 R$10.87

$2.35 ฿79.5

-13.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.65

$0.97 ฿32.82

27.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 R$5.50

$1.60 ฿53.9

-35.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.55 R$8.29

$1.50 ฿50.7

3.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 R$6.80

$1.28 ฿43.15

-0.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 R$5.89

$1.10 ฿37.22

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.63 R$3.39

$0.71 ฿23.84

-11.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R$4.39

$0.49 ฿16.38

67.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.17 R$11.61

$4.14 ฿140

-47.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.34 R$33.89

$17.52 ฿592

-63.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 R$6.58

$1.61 ฿54.5

-23.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.88 R$10.06

$2.78 ฿94.0

-32.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.92 R$4.93

$0.87 ฿29.33

5.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.03 R$219

$54.1 ฿1,827

-24.14%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.29 R$6.89

$1.16 ฿39.08

11.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R$4.80

$0.53 ฿17.82

69.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.50 R$40.09

$2.42 ฿81.8

209.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 R$6.52

$1.45 ฿48.93

-15.86%

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

$20.8K R$111.4K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-1.08%

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

$33.7K R$180.1K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

25.02%

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

$79.3 R$424

$62.2 ฿2,100

27.59%

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

$12.36 R$66.1

$12.17 ฿411

1.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.71 R$105

$20.12 ฿680

-2.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$24.42 R$131

$37.31 ฿1,260

-34.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.57 R$137

$3.77 ฿127

578.25%

Cinema Ticket

$6.69 R$35.77

$6.49 ฿219

3.08%

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

$227 R$1,215

$736 ฿24.9K

-69.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,657 R$40.9K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-48.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.37 R$248

$53.4 ฿1,802

-13.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.33 R$248

$24.64 ฿832

88.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.1 R$450

$91.5 ฿3,089

-8.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$66.5 R$356

$71.9 ฿2,429

-7.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$355 R$1,901

$482 ฿16.3K

-26.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$257 R$1,376

$309 ฿10.4K

-16.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$629 R$3,366

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-37.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$463 R$2,477

$633 ฿21.4K

-26.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,810 R$9,676

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-23.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,256 R$6,718

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-20.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$388 R$2,075

$590 ฿19.9K

-34.19%

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 Porto Velho: 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

Porto Velho

$257 30.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 20% $51

Groceries & Markets

Porto Velho

$179 21%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 31% $55

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Porto Velho

$111 13.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 15.2% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Porto Velho

$110 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 0.8% $0.9

Eating Out

Porto Velho

$105 12.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 26.1% $27

Getting Around

Porto Velho

$51 5.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 21.5% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Porto Velho

$38 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 33% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $355 in Porto Velho 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 52% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Porto Velho versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $179 in Porto Velho vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Porto Velho wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Porto Velho

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:43 2:43 PM

01:43 1:43 AM

11 h ahead of Porto Velho

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

460,434

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 = 5.95 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 = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Porto Velho Chiang Mai 17,860 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Porto Velho
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

Porto Velho vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 10% more than Porto Velho, 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 $1,276 per month in Porto Velho 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 Porto Velho, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $355 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $227 per month in Porto Velho 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 31% 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.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $851 in Porto Velho and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Porto Velho – 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 Porto Velho. 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.