Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Caetano do Sul and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,058 in Sao Caetano do Sul, rent and utilities included – about $1,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Sao Caetano do Sul
Learn more

Sao Caetano do Sul Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Sao Caetano do Sul

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,058

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,058 per month in Sao Caetano do Sul vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sao Caetano do Sul $1,058
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,822 per month in Sao Caetano do Sul vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sao Caetano do Sul $1,822
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,586 per month in Sao Caetano do Sul vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sao Caetano do Sul $2,586
Chiang Mai $1,914

Sao Caetano do Sul costs about 13% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sao Caetano do Sul and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Sao Caetano do Sul 22% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.89 R$45.06

$2.26 ฿75.4

293.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.00 R$203

$19.18 ฿641

108.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.77 R$44.46

$5.59 ฿187

56.89%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R$12.09

$1.72 ฿57.6

38.37%

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

$1.33 R$6.73

$0.64 ฿21.54

107.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 R$4.71

$0.33 ฿11.18

181.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 R$11.94

$2.36 ฿78.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.00 R$20.27

$3.90 ฿130

2.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R$6.01

$2.05 ฿68.6

-41.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.05 R$10.40

$1.40 ฿46.70

46.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 R$7.31

$1.28 ฿42.89

12.50%

Eggs

$2.48 R$12.55

$2.25 ฿75.3

10.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.70 R$54.2

$16.94 ฿566

-36.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.43 R$27.54

$2.74 ฿91.6

98.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.91 R$55.3

$9.36 ฿313

16.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 R$12.10

$2.40 ฿80.3

-0.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.72 R$8.74

$1.01 ฿33.92

70.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 R$7.84

$1.61 ฿53.9

-3.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.08 R$10.54

$1.52 ฿50.7

36.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.09

$1.28 ฿42.90

9.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.26 R$6.41

$1.11 ฿37.22

13.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 R$4.67

$0.72 ฿24.09

27.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.12

$0.52 ฿17.54

55.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.49 R$12.62

$4.33 ฿145

-42.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.97 R$45.45

$17.73 ฿593

-49.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 R$8.88

$1.63 ฿54.4

7.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.58 R$13.06

$2.85 ฿95.3

-9.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.68 R$3.47

$0.85 ฿28.31

-20.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 R$6.71

$1.17 ฿39.18

12.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.02 R$5.18

$0.57 ฿19.00

78.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.86 R$44.93

$2.37 ฿79.2

273.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 R$6.79

$1.45 ฿48.32

-7.59%

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

$24.5K R$124.4K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

19.84%

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

$32.6K R$165.1K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

22.87%

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

$103 R$522

$62.3 ฿2,083

65.19%

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

$14.91 R$75.6

$12.27 ฿410

21.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.99 R$117

$19.97 ฿668

15.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.3 R$255

$37.91 ฿1,267

32.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$46.01 R$233

$3.76 ฿126

1123.67%

Cinema Ticket

$10.14 R$51.4

$6.71 ฿224

51.12%

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

$437 R$2,215

$797 ฿26.6K

-45.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.2K R$56.6K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-24.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$65.3 R$331

$53.3 ฿1,780

22.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.3 R$290

$25.05 ฿837

128.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.3 R$498

$91.6 ฿3,062

7.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.2 R$472

$73.5 ฿2,455

26.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$419 R$2,126

$464 ฿15.5K

-9.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$311 R$1,575

$305 ฿10.2K

1.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$867 R$4,394

$915 ฿30.6K

-5.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$868 R$4,398

$552 ฿18.5K

57.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,890 R$9,581

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-1.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,435 R$7,276

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-0.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$951 R$4,822

$595 ฿19.9K

59.83%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.81

5.57

94.08%

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

Last update for Sao Caetano do Sul: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Caetano do Sul

$311 29.4%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 2% $6.1

Groceries & Markets

Sao Caetano do Sul

$231 21.8%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 3.1% $7.1

Eating Out

Sao Caetano do Sul

$155 14.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 49% $76

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Caetano do Sul

$141 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 22.5% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Caetano do Sul

$141 13.3%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 32.9% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Caetano do Sul

$71 6.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 27.3% $19

Getting Around

Sao Caetano do Sul

$9.2 * 0.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 569% $52

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $419 in Sao Caetano do Sul versus $464 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 Sao Caetano do Sul, 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 $40.00 in Sao Caetano do Sul versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $231 in Sao Caetano do Sul vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Sao Caetano do Sul wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Caetano do Sul

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:05 12:05 PM

22:05 10:05 PM

10 h ahead of Sao Caetano do Sul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

165,655

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 19, 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 19, 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 →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Sao Caetano do Sul Chiang Mai 16,410 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Caetano 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

Sao Caetano do Sul vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Caetano do Sul costs about 13% 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 $1,588 per month in Sao Caetano do Sul and $1,408 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40.00 in Sao Caetano do Sul and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Sao Caetano do Sul – 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 $938, than in Sao Caetano do Sul at $1,058. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sao Caetano do Sul it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,058 in Sao Caetano do Sul. 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, Sao Caetano do Sul makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.