Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Joao da Boa Vista and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Sao Joao da Boa Vista: $821 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

40

Cost of Living Index in Sao Joao da Boa Vista
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Sao Joao da Boa Vista Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Sao Joao da Boa Vista

🇧🇷 Brazil

$821

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Sao Joao da Boa Vista 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 Joao da Boa Vista and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $821 per month in Sao Joao da Boa Vista vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sao Joao da Boa Vista $821
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,320 per month in Sao Joao da Boa Vista vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sao Joao da Boa Vista $1,320
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $1,819 per month in Sao Joao da Boa Vista vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sao Joao da Boa Vista $1,819
Chiang Mai $1,903

Sao Joao da Boa Vista is about 11% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Sao Joao da Boa Vista and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Sao Joao da Boa Vista 39% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.54 R$28.07

$2.29 ฿76.5

141.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.20 R$118

$19.64 ฿656

18.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.12 R$36.09

$5.61 ฿188

26.92%

Cappuccino

$1.97 R$10.00

$1.66 ฿55.6

18.67%

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

$1.23 R$6.25

$0.70 ฿23.40

75.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.94 R$4.77

$0.31 ฿10.24

203.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 R$10.21

$2.41 ฿80.4

-16.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 R$10.34

$3.71 ฿124

-45.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 R$5.49

$1.95 ฿65.3

-44.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 R$8.21

$1.41 ฿47.03

14.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 R$4.95

$1.31 ฿43.62

-25.19%

Eggs

$2.43 R$12.32

$2.18 ฿72.9

11.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.06 R$51.0

$16.65 ฿556

-39.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.93 R$25.01

$2.76 ฿92.2

78.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.12 R$51.3

$9.11 ฿304

11.09%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 R$9.87

$2.39 ฿80.0

-18.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 R$6.21

$1.03 ฿34.26

18.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.99 R$5.00

$1.63 ฿54.4

-39.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.62 R$8.20

$1.50 ฿50.0

8.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.81 R$4.12

$1.29 ฿43.13

-37.21%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 R$3.85

$1.11 ฿37.03

-31.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 R$4.24

$0.72 ฿24.08

16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 R$3.99

$0.53 ฿17.59

49.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.46 R$12.45

$4.31 ฿144

-42.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.16 R$31.22

$17.95 ฿600

-65.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.18 R$5.99

$1.58 ฿52.9

-25.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.93 R$9.76

$2.84 ฿95.0

-32.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 R$4.74

$0.86 ฿28.86

8.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.70 R$222

$53.3 ฿1,780

-17.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.59 R$8.08

$1.21 ฿40.29

31.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.59 R$8.04

$0.57 ฿18.99

178.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.88 R$39.94

$2.35 ฿78.6

235.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.03 R$5.20

$1.44 ฿47.96

-28.47%

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

$19.9K R$100.9K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

-3.99%

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

$33.1K R$167.9K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

23.58%

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

$95.4 R$484

$62.3 ฿2,083

53.06%

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

$10.11 R$51.2

$12.11 ฿405

-16.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.34 R$103

$19.94 ฿666

2.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.42 R$144

$37.07 ฿1,239

-23.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.82 R$141

$3.78 ฿126

635.98%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 R$27.66

$6.50 ฿217

-16.00%

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

$283 R$1,434

$793 ฿26.5K

-64.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.1K R$51.3K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-31.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 R$278

$53.7 ฿1,796

1.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.51 R$190

$24.62 ฿823

52.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.0 R$269

$90.9 ฿3,036

-41.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$59.7 R$303

$71.1 ฿2,378

-16.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$354 R$1,794

$455 ฿15.2K

-22.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$201 R$1,019

$298 ฿9,954

-32.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$663 R$3,359

$908 ฿30.4K

-27.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$469 R$2,375

$554 ฿18.5K

-15.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,729 R$8,765

$1,931 ฿64.5K

-10.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,214 R$6,156

$1,445 ฿48.3K

-15.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$670 R$3,396

$591 ฿19.7K

13.38%

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 Sao Joao da Boa Vista: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$201 24.5%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 48.1% $97

Groceries & Markets

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$194 23.6%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 21.5% $42

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$126 15.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 25% $31

Eating Out

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$112 13.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 29.9% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$92 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 17.2% $16

Getting Around

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$57 6.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 6.7% $3.8

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Joao da Boa Vista

$39 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 27.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $354 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista 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 13% higher in Sao Joao da Boa Vista, 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 $23.00 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $194 in Sao Joao da Boa Vista vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Sao Joao da Boa Vista wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Joao da Boa Vista

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:50 5:50 AM

15:50 3:50 PM

10 h ahead of Sao Joao da Boa Vista

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

92,547

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 22, 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 22, 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 Joao da Boa Vista Chiang Mai 16,440 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Joao da Boa Vista
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 Joao da Boa Vista vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 13% more than Sao Joao da Boa Vista, 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 $1,232 per month in Sao Joao da Boa Vista 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 Sao Joao da Boa Vista, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $283 per month in Sao Joao da Boa Vista and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% 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.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Sao Joao da Boa Vista, where all-in costs run around $821, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Sao Joao da Boa Vista it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Sao Joao da Boa Vista costs $821 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. 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 Sao Joao da Boa Vista. 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.