Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chengdu and Santa Maria

For one person, living costs are similar in Chengdu and in Santa Maria: $741 and $743 a month, rent and utilities included.

36

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
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Chengdu Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Santa Maria
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Santa Maria Living Index

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Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$741

/mo nomad

Santa Maria

🇧🇷 Brazil

$743

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chengdu and in Santa Maria

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chengdu and in Santa Maria actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $741 per month in Chengdu vs $743 in Santa Maria, rent included.

Chengdu $741
Santa Maria $743

A couple spends around $1,204 per month in Chengdu vs $1,242 in Santa Maria, rent included.

Chengdu $1,204
Santa Maria $1,242

A family of three spends $1,667 per month in Chengdu vs $1,742 in Santa Maria, rent included.

Chengdu $1,667
Santa Maria $1,742

Chengdu and Santa Maria have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Chengdu and Santa Maria are more affordable than the global median – Chengdu 45% lower, Santa Maria 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.80 ¥18.72

$5.45 R$27.65

-48.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.37 ¥150

$36.62 R$186

-38.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$4.91 ¥32.85

$6.82 R$34.57

-28.01%

Cappuccino

$2.88 ¥19.28

$1.85 R$9.36

55.68%

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

$0.50 ¥3.37

$1.07 R$5.40

-53.27%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 ¥1.88

$0.68 R$3.46

-58.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.53 ¥10.21

$1.63 R$8.29

-6.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 ¥14.61

$3.07 R$15.55

-28.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.90 ¥12.73

$1.04 R$5.27

82.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.50 ¥10.02

$1.64 R$8.31

-8.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 ¥6.62

$1.08 R$5.48

-8.33%

Eggs

$1.56 ¥10.42

$2.10 R$10.64

-25.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.54 ¥97.2

$9.43 R$47.80

54.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.66 ¥24.48

$3.96 R$20.07

-7.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.19 ¥74.8

$8.20 R$41.58

36.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.85 ¥12.40

$2.48 R$12.57

-25.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 ¥9.19

$1.50 R$7.61

-8.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.09 ¥7.28

$1.36 R$6.91

-19.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ¥7.74

$1.53 R$7.75

-24.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.70 ¥4.70

$1.16 R$5.88

-39.66%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 ¥4.84

$1.13 R$5.71

-36.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.62 ¥4.16

$0.86 R$4.37

-27.91%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 ¥3.64

$0.81 R$4.12

-33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.72 ¥24.89

$2.38 R$12.07

56.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.58 ¥30.61

$8.18 R$41.44

-44.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 ¥5.49

$1.14 R$5.77

-28.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 ¥9.86

$2.19 R$11.09

-32.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 ¥2.88

$1.01 R$5.13

-57.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.50 ¥164

$30.52 R$155

-19.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 ¥8.71

$1.32 R$6.70

-1.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 ¥1.94

$0.87 R$4.39

-66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.46 ¥29.85

$8.16 R$41.36

-45.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 ¥8.81

$1.23 R$6.21

7.32%

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

$19.6K ¥130.9K

$23.9K R$121.2K

-18.15%

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

$17.4K ¥116.1K

$32.6K R$165.3K

-46.76%

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

$47.19 ¥316

$53.4 R$271

-11.66%

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

$9.21 ¥61.6

$12.65 R$64.1

-27.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.45 ¥83.2

$16.66 R$84.5

-25.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.80 ¥179

$23.82 R$121

12.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.39 ¥76.2

$12.05 R$61.1

-5.48%

Cinema Ticket

$6.08 ¥40.62

$5.66 R$28.68

7.42%

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

$379 ¥2,534

$163 R$828

132.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ¥99.0K

$3,049 R$15.5K

385.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.28 ¥169

$51.2 R$260

-50.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.77 ¥186

$43.38 R$220

-35.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.9 ¥381

$95.9 R$486

-40.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$52.6 ¥352

$62.3 R$316

-15.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ¥3,103

$293 R$1,486

58.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$248 ¥1,659

$172 R$870

44.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$813 ¥5,436

$648 R$3,285

25.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$533 ¥3,565

$391 R$1,982

36.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,762 ¥25.2K

$2,029 R$10.3K

85.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,902 ¥12.7K

$674 R$3,416

182.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,252 ¥8,368

$637 R$3,227

96.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

-66.20%

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

Last update for Chengdu: October 12, 2026

Last update for Santa Maria: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chengdu

$248 33.5%

Santa Maria

$172 23.1% 30.9% $77

Groceries & Markets

Chengdu

$196 26.5%

Santa Maria

$192 25.9% 2.1% $4.1

Eating Out

Chengdu

$87 11.7%

Santa Maria

$108 14.5% 23.8% $21

Clothing & Footwear

Chengdu

$73 9.9%

Santa Maria

$114 15.3% 55.5% $41

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chengdu

$69 9.3%

Santa Maria

$83 11.1% 20.2% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Chengdu

$39 5.3%

Santa Maria

$35 4.7% 9.8% $3.8

Getting Around

Chengdu

$29 3.9%

Santa Maria

$40 5.4% 38.8% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chengdu versus $293 in Santa Maria. 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 97% higher in Chengdu. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $22.00 in Chengdu versus $37.00 in Santa Maria. Groceries tell a different story – $196 in Chengdu vs $192 in Santa Maria – so Santa Maria wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🇧🇷 Santa Maria

🕒 Local time

22:05 10:05 PM

11:05 11:05 AM

11 h behind Chengdu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,937,757

271,735

💱 Currency

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to CNY – Chinese Yuan Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇳 Chinese Yuan (¥)

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 6.69 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.52 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

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).

USD to CNY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chengdu Santa Maria 17,890 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Chengdu
Santa Maria

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

Chengdu vs Santa Maria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,112 per month in Chengdu and $1,114 in Santa Maria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chengdu, 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 $22.00 in Chengdu and $37.00 in Santa Maria. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 25% less in Chengdu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $741 in Chengdu and $743 in Santa Maria, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Chengdu – 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 Chengdu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Santa Maria makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.