Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sao Jose dos Campos and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,039 in Sao Jose dos Campos, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Sao Jose dos Campos
Learn more

Sao Jose dos Campos Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Sao Jose dos Campos

🇧🇷 Brazil

$1,039

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,039 per month in Sao Jose dos Campos vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sao Jose dos Campos $1,039
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,660 per month in Sao Jose dos Campos vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sao Jose dos Campos $1,660
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,282 per month in Sao Jose dos Campos vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sao Jose dos Campos $2,282
Chiang Mai $1,914

Sao Jose dos Campos costs about 11% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sao Jose dos Campos and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Sao Jose dos Campos 23% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.82 R$34.57

$2.26 ฿75.4

201.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.30 R$204

$19.18 ฿641

110.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.00 R$45.61

$5.59 ฿187

61.00%

Cappuccino

$2.28 R$11.54

$1.72 ฿57.6

32.56%

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

$1.61 R$8.18

$0.64 ฿21.54

151.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.19 R$6.04

$0.33 ฿11.18

260.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.87 R$14.56

$2.36 ฿78.7

21.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 R$22.24

$3.90 ฿130

12.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 R$6.38

$2.05 ฿68.6

-38.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.06 R$10.43

$1.40 ฿46.70

47.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 R$5.80

$1.28 ฿42.89

-10.94%

Eggs

$2.71 R$13.72

$2.25 ฿75.3

20.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.85 R$44.89

$16.94 ฿566

-47.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.41 R$22.34

$2.74 ฿91.6

60.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.74 R$54.5

$9.36 ฿313

14.74%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 R$14.18

$2.40 ฿80.3

16.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.82 R$9.20

$1.01 ฿33.92

80.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R$9.01

$1.61 ฿53.9

10.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.91 R$9.70

$1.52 ฿50.7

25.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.43 R$7.25

$1.28 ฿42.90

11.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 R$6.98

$1.11 ฿37.22

24.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.96 R$4.85

$0.72 ฿24.09

33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 R$4.02

$0.52 ฿17.54

51.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.87 R$14.53

$4.33 ฿145

-33.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.75 R$44.36

$17.73 ฿593

-50.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 R$8.45

$1.63 ฿54.4

2.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.67 R$23.67

$2.85 ฿95.3

63.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 R$6.18

$0.85 ฿28.31

43.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.01 R$193

$53.9 ฿1,801

-29.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 R$6.57

$1.17 ฿39.18

11.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.42 R$7.18

$0.57 ฿19.00

149.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.37 R$47.51

$2.37 ฿79.2

295.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 R$6.34

$1.45 ฿48.32

-13.79%

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

$23.6K R$119.7K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

15.37%

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

$34.2K R$173.2K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

28.89%

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

$44.36 R$225

$62.3 ฿2,083

-28.83%

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

$14.33 R$72.7

$12.27 ฿410

16.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.69 R$94.8

$19.97 ฿668

-6.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.25 R$153

$37.91 ฿1,267

-20.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$36.13 R$183

$3.76 ฿126

860.90%

Cinema Ticket

$8.06 R$40.86

$6.71 ฿224

20.12%

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

$441 R$2,237

$797 ฿26.6K

-44.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,777 R$39.4K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-47.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 R$283

$53.3 ฿1,780

4.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.5 R$296

$25.05 ฿837

133.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 R$487

$91.6 ฿3,062

4.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.0 R$426

$73.5 ฿2,455

14.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$490 R$2,485

$464 ฿15.5K

5.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$361 R$1,832

$305 ฿10.2K

18.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$975 R$4,943

$915 ฿30.6K

6.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$658 R$3,336

$552 ฿18.5K

19.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,102 R$10.7K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

9.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,460 R$7,400

$1,438 ฿48.1K

1.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$812 R$4,115

$595 ฿19.9K

36.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.12

5.57

99.64%

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

Last update for Sao Jose dos Campos: October 11, 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 Jose dos Campos

$361 34.8%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 15.7% $57

Groceries & Markets

Sao Jose dos Campos

$226 21.8%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 5.1% $11

Eating Out

Sao Jose dos Campos

$143 13.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 44.8% $64

Clothing & Footwear

Sao Jose dos Campos

$132 12.8%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 17.3% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sao Jose dos Campos

$77 7.5%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 22.2% $17

Getting Around

Sao Jose dos Campos

$51 4.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 19.6% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Sao Jose dos Campos

$46 4.5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 10.7% $5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $490 in Sao Jose dos Campos 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 36% higher in Sao Jose dos Campos, 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 Jose dos Campos versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $226 in Sao Jose dos Campos vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Sao Jose dos Campos wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Sao Jose dos Campos

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:56 10:56 PM

08:56 8:56 AM

10 h ahead of Sao Jose dos Campos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

697,054

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 18, 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 18, 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 Jose dos Campos Chiang Mai 16,340 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Sao Jose dos Campos
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 Jose dos Campos vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sao Jose dos Campos costs about 11% 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 $1,558 per month in Sao Jose dos Campos 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.

Kindergarten costs $441 per month in Sao Jose dos Campos and $797 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 5% cheaper in Sao Jose dos Campos – 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 Jose dos Campos at $1,039. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sao Jose dos Campos it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,039 in Sao Jose dos Campos. 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 Jose dos Campos makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.