Cost of Living Comparison Between Chengdu and Santa Maria Cost of Living Comparison Between Chengdu and Santa Maria

🙂 Solo nomad: Chengdu is 9.5% cheaper than Santa Maria without rent, and 2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Chengdu is 2.3% more expensive than Santa Maria without rent, and 1.5% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chengdu
Santa Maria
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.74 ¥18.70
$4.61 R$23.01
-40.56%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$23.43 ¥160
$27.15 R$135
-13.70%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.78 ¥32.68
$6.40 R$31.94
-25.31%
Cappuccino
$2.76 ¥18.84
$1.36 R$6.81
102.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.46 ¥3.16
$0.88 R$4.38
-47.73%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.28 ¥1.89
$0.59 R$2.92
-52.54%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.08 ¥7.41
$1.42 R$7.07
-23.94%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.03 ¥13.88
$3.63 R$18.09
-44.08%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chengdu
Santa Maria
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.73 ¥11.84
$0.91 R$4.54
90.11%
White Bread (500g)
$1.46 ¥9.96
$1.35 R$6.76
8.15%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.85 ¥5.80
$1.04 R$5.19
-18.27%
Eggs
$1.84 ¥12.54
$1.50 R$7.46
22.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$13.90 ¥94.9
$8.45 R$42.18
64.50%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.54 ¥24.16
$3.62 R$18.08
-2.21%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.25 ¥76.8
$7.33 R$36.56
53.48%
Apples (1kg)
$1.93 ¥13.21
$2.00 R$9.98
-3.50%
Banana (1kg)
$1.22 ¥8.31
$1.26 R$6.31
-3.17%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.51 ¥10.33
$1.29 R$6.42
17.05%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.03 ¥7.07
$1.45 R$7.26
-28.97%
Potato (1kg)
$0.71 ¥4.85
$1.10 R$5.48
-35.45%
Onion (1kg)
$0.74 ¥5.06
$1.04 R$5.18
-28.85%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.55 ¥3.78
$0.74 R$3.68
-25.68%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.60 ¥4.12
$0.62 R$3.08
-3.23%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.40 ¥23.19
$1.99 R$9.95
70.85%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.40 ¥36.86
$8.20 R$40.93
-34.15%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.00 ¥6.82
$1.01 R$5.05
-0.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.79 ¥12.23
$1.82 R$9.09
-1.65%
🚌 Getting Around
Chengdu
Santa Maria
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.44 ¥3.00
$0.93 R$4.65
-52.69%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.63 ¥189
$27.49 R$137
0.51%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.22 ¥8.36
$1.61 R$8.02
-24.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.26 ¥1.76
$1.00 R$5.00
-74.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.15 ¥28.35
$5.52 R$27.52
-24.82%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.16 ¥7.92
$1.02 R$5.10
13.73%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$18.5K ¥126.3K
$23.4K R$116.7K
-20.88%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$16.7K ¥113.8K
$27.4K R$136.6K
-39.14%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chengdu
Santa Maria
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$44.46 ¥304
$48.60 R$243
-8.52%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.84 ¥80.9
$14.81 R$73.9
-20.05%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$11.42 ¥78.0
$16.27 R$81.2
-29.81%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chengdu
Santa Maria
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$24.13 ¥165
$21.42 R$107
12.65%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.28 ¥77.1
$10.68 R$53.3
5.62%
Cinema Ticket
$5.50 ¥37.56
$5.24 R$26.15
4.96%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chengdu
Santa Maria
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$336 ¥2,297
$143 R$715
134.63%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K ¥84.1K
$2,660 R$13.3K
362.94%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chengdu
Santa Maria
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$36.50 ¥249
$49.65 R$248
-26.49%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.76 ¥265
$39.30 R$196
-1.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$66.9 ¥457
$81.5 R$407
-17.89%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$49.70 ¥339
$57.1 R$285
-12.90%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chengdu
Santa Maria
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$316 ¥2,158
$275 R$1,372
14.94%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$185 ¥1,262
$151 R$755
22.10%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$608 ¥4,154
$576 R$2,875
5.56%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$329 ¥2,245
$337 R$1,683
-2.56%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,962 ¥27.1K
$2,017 R$10.1K
96.42%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,017 ¥13.8K
$687 R$3,429
193.60%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chengdu
Santa Maria
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,191 ¥8,132
$634 R$3,162
87.88%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
4.21
10
-57.90%

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

Last update for Chengdu: April 12, 2026

Last update for Santa Maria: April 13, 2026

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

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