Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Cruz do Sul and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz do Sul: $866 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $830 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

41

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz do Sul
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Santa Cruz do Sul Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Santa Cruz do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$866

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $866 per month in Santa Cruz do Sul vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santa Cruz do Sul $866
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,393 per month in Santa Cruz do Sul vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santa Cruz do Sul $1,393
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,919 per month in Santa Cruz do Sul vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santa Cruz do Sul $1,919
Chiang Mai $1,999

Santa Cruz do Sul is about 7% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Santa Cruz do Sul and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Santa Cruz do Sul 36% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.50 R$30.16

$2.13 ฿72.0

158.22%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.04 R$198

$18.62 ฿628

93.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.30 R$34.59

$5.60 ฿189

12.50%

Cappuccino

$2.33 R$12.77

$1.66 ฿56.1

40.36%

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

$1.24 R$6.81

$0.65 ฿21.82

90.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 R$5.62

$0.30 ฿10.29

240.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 R$12.34

$2.32 ฿78.3

-3.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 R$14.85

$3.67 ฿124

-26.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 R$4.97

$2.02 ฿68.0

-54.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.53 R$8.38

$1.41 ฿47.49

8.51%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 R$5.38

$1.39 ฿46.94

-29.50%

Eggs

$2.21 R$12.11

$2.37 ฿79.9

-6.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.89 R$54.3

$16.52 ฿557

-40.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.38 R$24.01

$2.67 ฿90.1

64.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.10 R$49.94

$9.02 ฿304

0.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.23 R$12.25

$2.40 ฿80.9

-7.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 R$7.43

$1.04 ฿35.12

29.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.24 R$6.83

$1.66 ฿56.0

-25.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.48 R$8.10

$1.56 ฿52.6

-5.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.11 R$6.07

$1.24 ฿41.75

-10.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 R$5.53

$1.09 ฿36.65

-7.34%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 R$4.34

$0.76 ฿25.70

3.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.74 R$4.03

$0.51 ฿17.34

45.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.28 R$12.51

$4.12 ฿139

-44.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.34 R$40.28

$17.93 ฿605

-59.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 R$5.98

$1.62 ฿54.8

-32.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.99 R$10.92

$2.82 ฿95.2

-29.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.94 R$5.17

$0.93 ฿31.52

1.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 R$7.24

$1.18 ฿39.69

11.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 R$4.03

$0.17 ฿5.78

329.41%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.69 R$42.21

$1.81 ฿61.1

324.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 R$6.72

$1.47 ฿49.67

-17.01%

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

$21.7K R$119.1K

$21.0K ฿708.7K

3.26%

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

$32.3K R$177.1K

$26.5K ฿894.4K

21.69%

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

$72.7 R$399

$62.6 ฿2,110

16.26%

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

$11.41 R$62.7

$11.60 ฿391

-1.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.47 R$112

$20.30 ฿685

0.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.21 R$144

$37.88 ฿1,278

-30.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$6.74 R$36.98

$6.51 ฿220

3.53%

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

$520 R$2,853

$727 ฿24.5K

-28.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.8K R$125.4K

$16.6K ฿559.0K

37.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.12 R$253

$53.5 ฿1,806

-13.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.1 R$291

$24.80 ฿836

114.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.2 R$517

$90.4 ฿3,049

4.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 R$402

$72.0 ฿2,428

1.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 R$2,877

$481 ฿16.2K

8.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$288 R$1,579

$310 ฿10.5K

-7.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$890 R$4,885

$1,058 ฿35.7K

-15.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$591 R$3,241

$659 ฿22.2K

-10.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$372 R$2,040

$595 ฿20.1K

-37.52%

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 Santa Cruz do Sul: October 31, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz do Sul

$288 33.2%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 7.7% $22

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz do Sul

$189 21.8%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 25.2% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz do Sul

$120 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 9.7% $12

Eating Out

Santa Cruz do Sul

$116 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 34.3% $40

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz do Sul

$105 12.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 9.7% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz do Sul

$40 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 28.2% $11

Getting Around

Santa Cruz do Sul

$8.8 * 1%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 570% $50

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $524 in Santa Cruz do Sul 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.

Salaries run about 60% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Santa Cruz do Sul versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $189 in Santa Cruz do Sul vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Santa Cruz do Sul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Santa Cruz do Sul

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:08 7:08 AM

17:08 5:08 PM

10 h ahead of Santa Cruz do Sul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

133,246

127,240

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.182 USD

1 BRL = 0.163 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 5.49 BRL (1 BRL = 0.182 USD). 1 EUR = 6.15 BRL (1 BRL = 0.163 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Santa Cruz do Sul Chiang Mai 16,880 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Cruz do Sul
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

Santa Cruz do Sul vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 8% more than Santa Cruz do Sul, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,299 per month in Santa Cruz do Sul and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $524 in Santa Cruz do Sul and $481 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $36 in Santa Cruz do Sul and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 25% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $866 in Santa Cruz do Sul and $935 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $866 in Santa Cruz do Sul to $935 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Santa Cruz do Sul. 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.