Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Teresina and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Teresina: $704 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Teresina
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Teresina Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Teresina

🇧🇷 Brazil

$704

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $704 per month in Teresina vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Teresina $704
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,155 per month in Teresina vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Teresina $1,155
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,605 per month in Teresina vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Teresina $1,605
Chiang Mai $1,999

Teresina is about 25% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Teresina and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Teresina 48% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.39 R$29.60

$2.13 ฿72.0

153.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.64 R$102

$18.62 ฿628

0.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.85 R$32.10

$5.60 ฿189

4.46%

Cappuccino

$1.96 R$10.75

$1.66 ฿56.1

18.07%

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

$0.98 R$5.39

$0.65 ฿21.82

50.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 R$3.89

$0.30 ฿10.29

136.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.41 R$7.73

$2.32 ฿78.3

-39.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 R$16.00

$3.67 ฿124

-20.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 R$7.30

$2.02 ฿68.0

-34.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.14 R$11.76

$1.41 ฿47.49

51.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 R$7.62

$1.39 ฿46.94

Eggs

$3.94 R$21.61

$2.37 ฿79.9

66.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.98 R$38.31

$16.52 ฿557

-57.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.87 R$21.26

$2.67 ฿90.1

44.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.18 R$33.91

$9.02 ฿304

-31.49%

Apples (1kg)

$1.74 R$9.55

$2.40 ฿80.9

-27.50%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 R$4.64

$1.04 ฿35.12

-18.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.88 R$4.84

$1.66 ฿56.0

-46.99%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.20 R$6.59

$1.56 ฿52.6

-23.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 R$5.80

$1.24 ฿41.75

-14.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.88 R$4.86

$1.09 ฿36.65

-19.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.50 R$2.77

$0.76 ฿25.70

-34.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 R$7.74

$0.51 ฿17.34

176.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.08 R$16.91

$4.12 ฿139

-25.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.53 R$46.82

$17.93 ฿605

-52.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 R$7.08

$1.62 ฿54.8

-20.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 R$14.73

$2.82 ฿95.2

-4.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 R$4.80

$0.93 ฿31.52

-6.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.91 R$225

$52.9 ฿1,784

-22.65%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.50 R$8.23

$1.18 ฿39.69

27.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 R$4.26

$0.17 ฿5.78

358.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.73 R$36.95

$1.81 ฿61.1

271.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 R$6.24

$1.47 ฿49.67

-22.45%

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

$21.4K R$117.4K

$21.0K ฿708.7K

1.84%

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

$30.2K R$166.0K

$26.5K ฿894.4K

14.06%

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

$73.5 R$403

$62.6 ฿2,110

17.41%

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

$9.78 R$53.7

$11.60 ฿391

-15.69%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.34 R$89.7

$20.30 ฿685

-19.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.75 R$108

$37.88 ฿1,278

-47.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.07 R$66.2

$3.70 ฿125

226.22%

Cinema Ticket

$7.56 R$41.49

$6.51 ฿220

16.13%

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

$538 R$2,952

$727 ฿24.5K

-26.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,591 R$36.2K

$16.6K ฿559.0K

-60.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$39.57 R$217

$53.5 ฿1,806

-26.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.34 R$150

$24.80 ฿836

10.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$71.3 R$391

$90.4 ฿3,049

-21.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.07 R$253

$72.0 ฿2,428

-35.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$152 R$833

$481 ฿16.2K

-68.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$142 R$782

$310 ฿10.5K

-54.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 R$2,121

$1,058 ฿35.7K

-63.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$395 R$2,167

$659 ฿22.2K

-40.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,248 R$6,847

$2,418 ฿81.5K

-48.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$701 R$3,847

$1,609 ฿54.3K

-56.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$366 R$2,011

$595 ฿20.1K

-38.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

97.49%

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

Last update for Teresina: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Teresina

$191 27.1%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 23.9% $46

Accommodation & Living

Teresina

$142 20.2%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 118% $168

Eating Out

Teresina

$104 14.7%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 26.3% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Teresina

$100 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 5.1% $5.1

Clothing & Footwear

Teresina

$83 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 30.6% $25

Getting Around

Teresina

$50 7.1%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 17.8% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Teresina

$35 5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 46% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $152 in Teresina 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 62% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Teresina versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $191 vs $237 – making Teresina the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Teresina

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:50 6:50 AM

16:50 4:50 PM

10 h ahead of Teresina

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

866,300

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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Between locations

Teresina Chiang Mai 15,600 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Teresina
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 33% more than Teresina, 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 $1,057 per month in Teresina and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Teresina, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $152 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Public transport costs about 23% less in Teresina. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $704 in Teresina and $935 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Teresina – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

If budget matters most, go with Teresina. 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.