Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Santa Clarita, CA

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $3,818 in Santa Clarita, CA, rent and utilities included – about $34,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
184

Cost of Living Index in Santa Clarita, CA
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Santa Clarita, CA Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Santa Clarita, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,818

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Santa Clarita, CA

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,818 in Santa Clarita, CA, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Santa Clarita, CA $3,818

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,123 in Santa Clarita, CA, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Santa Clarita, CA $5,123

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $6,428 in Santa Clarita, CA, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Santa Clarita, CA $6,428

Chiang Mai is about 75% cheaper than Santa Clarita, CA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Santa Clarita, CA is 182% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.6

$20.11 $20.11

-89.41%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$99.7 $99.7

-81.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$15.10 $15.10

-62.91%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.8

$6.11 $6.11

-72.83%

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

$0.65 ฿21.70

$3.57 $3.57

-81.79%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.23

$3.04 $3.04

-90.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.9

$8.16 $8.16

-71.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$9.06 $9.06

-59.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.6

$1.13 $1.13

78.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.24

$3.98 $3.98

-64.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.69

$5.02 $5.02

-72.31%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.4

$4.78 $4.78

-50.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿554

$19.18 $19.18

-13.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.6

$7.98 $7.98

-66.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$17.09 $17.09

-47.22%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.5

$6.56 $6.56

-63.41%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.93

$1.94 $1.94

-46.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$3.09 $3.09

-46.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$2.95 $2.95

-47.12%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.52

$8.38 $8.38

-85.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.46

$4.76 $4.76

-77.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.56

$3.45 $3.45

-77.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.25

$2.69 $2.69

-81.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$11.56 $11.56

-64.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$16.20 $16.20

10.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$1.77 $1.77

-8.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.7

$4.39 $4.39

-35.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.35

$2.47 $2.47

-62.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,775

$27.33 $27.33

93.52%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.48

$2.88 $2.88

-59.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.75

$2.44 $2.44

-93.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.8

$58.9 $58.9

-96.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.41

$1.26 $1.26

16.67%

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

$21.0K ฿705.0K

$23.6K $23.6K

-10.97%

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

$26.5K ฿889.6K

$26.0K $26.0K

1.80%

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

$62.6 ฿2,099

$221 $221

-71.68%

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

$11.60 ฿389

$56.2 $56.2

-79.34%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿681

$71.2 $71.2

-71.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,271

$36.80 $36.80

2.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$25.47 $25.47

-85.47%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$14.07 $14.07

-53.73%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$993 $993

-26.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.1K

$40.0K $40.0K

-58.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,796

$73.6 $73.6

-27.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿832

$27.03 $27.03

-8.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,032

$72.9 $72.9

23.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,415

$110 $110

-34.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$2,777 $2,777

-82.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$2,418 $2,418

-87.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$3,905 $3,905

-72.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$3,241 $3,241

-79.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.1K

$3,725 $3,725

-35.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

$4,283 $4,283

-62.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$5,306 $5,306

-88.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.49

-14.18%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Santa Clarita, CA: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Santa Clarita, CA

$2.4K 63.4% 680% $2.1K

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Santa Clarita, CA

$441 11.6% 86.5% $205

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Santa Clarita, CA

$128 3.3% 17.8% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Santa Clarita, CA

$348 9.1% 269% $254

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Santa Clarita, CA

$365 9.6% 377% $288

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Santa Clarita, CA

$52 1.4% 10.9% $6.4

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Santa Clarita, CA

$65 1.7% 27.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $2,777 in Santa Clarita, CA. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Santa Clarita, CA are about 8.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $100 in Santa Clarita, CA. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $441 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇺🇸 Santa Clarita, CA

🕒 Local time

07:15 7:15 AM

16:15 4:15 PM

15 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

182,371

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 USD = 0.895 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 33.55 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.49 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.895 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Santa Clarita, CA 12,890 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Santa Clarita, CA

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

Chiang Mai vs Santa Clarita, CA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Clarita, CA costs about 308% 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $5,726 in Santa Clarita, CA. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $2,777 in Santa Clarita, CA.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $993 in Santa Clarita, CA. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 87% more in Santa Clarita, CA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $3,818 in Santa Clarita, CA. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $935 versus $3,818 in Santa Clarita, CA. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Santa Clarita, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.