Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santos and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,150 in Santos, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Santos
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Santos Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Santos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,150

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,150 per month in Santos vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santos $1,150
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,736 per month in Santos vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santos $1,736
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,322 per month in Santos vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santos $2,322
Chiang Mai $1,903

Santos costs about 24% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Santos and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Santos 15% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.12 R$41.18

$2.29 ฿76.5

254.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$31.84 R$161

$19.64 ฿656

62.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.14 R$36.19

$5.61 ฿188

27.27%

Cappuccino

$2.75 R$13.96

$1.66 ฿55.6

65.66%

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

$1.43 R$7.24

$0.70 ฿23.40

104.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.92 R$4.68

$0.31 ฿10.24

196.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.52 R$12.76

$2.41 ฿80.4

4.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 R$14.79

$3.71 ฿124

-21.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.09 R$5.50

$1.95 ฿65.3

-44.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 R$9.39

$1.41 ฿47.03

31.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.91

$1.31 ฿43.62

3.82%

Eggs

$2.49 R$12.61

$2.18 ฿72.9

14.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.14 R$61.6

$16.65 ฿556

-27.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.86 R$24.63

$2.76 ฿92.2

76.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.91 R$50.2

$9.11 ฿304

8.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.11 R$10.69

$2.39 ฿80.0

-11.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.23

$1.03 ฿34.26

19.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.99 R$10.07

$1.63 ฿54.4

22.09%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.85 R$9.37

$1.50 ฿50.0

23.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.35 R$6.86

$1.29 ฿43.13

4.65%

Onion (1kg)

$1.29 R$6.56

$1.11 ฿37.03

16.22%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.16 R$5.87

$0.72 ฿24.08

61.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 R$4.80

$0.53 ฿17.59

79.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.35 R$11.89

$4.31 ฿144

-45.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.98 R$40.46

$17.95 ฿600

-55.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 R$6.76

$1.58 ฿52.9

-15.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R$9.83

$2.84 ฿95.0

-31.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.12 R$5.66

$0.86 ฿28.86

30.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.37 R$250

$53.3 ฿1,780

-7.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.56 R$7.89

$1.21 ฿40.29

28.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 R$8.16

$0.57 ฿18.99

182.46%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.80 R$90.2

$2.35 ฿78.6

657.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 R$6.31

$1.44 ฿47.96

-13.89%

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

$23.7K R$120.3K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

14.44%

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

$33.5K R$169.6K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

24.85%

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

$104 R$529

$62.3 ฿2,083

67.32%

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

$11.95 R$60.6

$12.11 ฿405

-1.32%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.90 R$111

$19.94 ฿666

9.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.96 R$147

$37.07 ฿1,239

-21.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$57.0 R$289

$3.78 ฿126

1408.47%

Cinema Ticket

$8.59 R$43.55

$6.50 ฿217

32.15%

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

$280 R$1,418

$793 ฿26.5K

-64.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K R$52.0K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-30.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.5 R$281

$53.7 ฿1,796

3.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.69 R$186

$24.62 ฿823

49.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.7 R$485

$90.9 ฿3,036

5.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.7 R$307

$71.1 ฿2,378

-14.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$543 R$2,754

$455 ฿15.2K

19.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$424 R$2,148

$298 ฿9,954

42.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$992 R$5,031

$908 ฿30.4K

9.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$686 R$3,478

$554 ฿18.5K

23.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,413 R$12.2K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

24.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,776 R$9,004

$1,445 ฿48.3K

22.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$584 R$2,958

$591 ฿19.7K

-1.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.79

5.57

129.62%

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

Last update for Santos: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santos

$424 36.9%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 29.7% $126

Groceries & Markets

Santos

$219 19.1%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 7.3% $16

Eating Out

Santos

$147 12.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 46.6% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santos

$138 12%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 31.7% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Santos

$112 9.7%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 3.3% $3.7

Getting Around

Santos

$63 5.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 4.2% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Santos

$46 4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 8.5% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $543 in Santos versus $455 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 1% higher in Chiang Mai, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Santos versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $219 in Santos vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Santos wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Santos

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

08:38 8:38 AM

18:38 6:38 PM

10 h ahead of Santos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

418,608

127,240

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

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Between locations

Santos Chiang Mai 16,390 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Santos
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

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

Santos costs about 24% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,725 per month in Santos and $1,388 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $280 per month in Santos and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Santos – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Santos at $1,150. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santos it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,150 in Santos. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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