Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ubatuba and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Ubatuba: $855 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Ubatuba
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Ubatuba Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ubatuba

🇧🇷 Brazil

$855

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $855 per month in Ubatuba vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ubatuba $855
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,360 per month in Ubatuba vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ubatuba $1,360
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,865 per month in Ubatuba vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ubatuba $1,865
Chiang Mai $1,914

Ubatuba is about 9% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ubatuba and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Ubatuba 37% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.59 R$38.48

$2.26 ฿75.4

235.84%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.05 R$147

$19.18 ฿641

51.46%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.09 R$25.78

$5.59 ฿187

-8.94%

Cappuccino

$1.46 R$7.40

$1.72 ฿57.6

-15.12%

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

$1.29 R$6.52

$0.64 ฿21.54

101.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.93 R$4.72

$0.33 ฿11.18

181.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 R$12.32

$2.36 ฿78.7

2.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.92 R$19.85

$3.90 ฿130

0.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 R$5.38

$2.05 ฿68.6

-48.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.85 R$9.37

$1.40 ฿46.70

32.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 R$7.04

$1.28 ฿42.89

8.59%

Eggs

$2.51 R$12.73

$2.25 ฿75.3

11.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.97 R$15.06

$16.94 ฿566

-82.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.06 R$20.58

$2.74 ฿91.6

48.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.22 R$41.69

$9.36 ฿313

-12.18%

Apples (1kg)

$1.63 R$8.24

$2.40 ฿80.3

-32.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.23 R$6.24

$1.01 ฿33.92

21.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.18 R$5.97

$1.61 ฿53.9

-26.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.40 R$7.11

$1.52 ฿50.7

-7.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.17 R$5.95

$1.28 ฿42.90

-8.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 R$6.02

$1.11 ฿37.22

7.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 R$4.74

$0.72 ฿24.09

29.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 R$3.18

$0.52 ฿17.54

21.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.55 R$12.90

$4.33 ฿145

-41.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.08 R$40.96

$17.73 ฿593

-54.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 R$8.03

$1.63 ฿54.4

-3.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 R$13.27

$2.85 ฿95.3

-8.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.13

$0.85 ฿28.31

18.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 R$6.19

$1.17 ฿39.18

4.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 R$3.72

$0.57 ฿19.00

28.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.73 R$44.27

$2.37 ฿79.2

268.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.29 R$6.56

$1.45 ฿48.32

-11.03%

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

$24.1K R$122.1K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

17.65%

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

$32.8K R$166.1K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

23.62%

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

$66.0 R$334

$62.3 ฿2,083

5.86%

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

$9.01 R$45.69

$12.27 ฿410

-26.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.76 R$100

$19.97 ฿668

-1.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$11.94 R$60.5

$37.91 ฿1,267

-68.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$7.81 R$39.58

$6.71 ฿224

16.39%

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

$438 R$2,223

$797 ฿26.6K

-45.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.1K R$56.4K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-24.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$64.7 R$328

$53.3 ฿1,780

21.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$56.4 R$286

$25.05 ฿837

124.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.3 R$453

$91.6 ฿3,062

-2.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.8 R$405

$73.5 ฿2,455

8.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 R$2,007

$464 ฿15.5K

-14.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 R$1,512

$305 ฿10.2K

-2.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$816 R$4,135

$915 ฿30.6K

-10.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$612 R$3,102

$552 ฿18.5K

10.78%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,797 R$9,110

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-6.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$385 R$1,952

$595 ฿19.9K

-35.29%

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 Ubatuba: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ubatuba

$298 34.9%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 2.1% $6.3

Groceries & Markets

Ubatuba

$172 20.2%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 38.1% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Ubatuba

$131 15.3%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 16.1% $21

Eating Out

Ubatuba

$122 14.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 35.4% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ubatuba

$95 11.1%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 0.2% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Ubatuba

$28 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 86.4% $24

Getting Around

Ubatuba

$8.9 * 1.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 586% $52

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $396 in Ubatuba 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 55% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $29.00 in Ubatuba versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $172 in Ubatuba vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Ubatuba wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Ubatuba

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:25 12:25 AM

10:25 10:25 AM

10 h ahead of Ubatuba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

92,981

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

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Between locations

Ubatuba Chiang Mai 16,260 km ≈ 21 h nonstop flight

From you

Ubatuba
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 10% more than Ubatuba, 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 $1,282 per month in Ubatuba 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 Ubatuba, 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 $29.00 in Ubatuba and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Ubatuba, where all-in costs run around $855, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Ubatuba 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. Ubatuba costs $855 versus $938 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 Ubatuba. 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.