Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Santa Cruz Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Santa Cruz

😐 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 6.9% more expensive than Santa Cruz without rent, and 6.2% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 4.7% more expensive than Santa Cruz without rent, and 3.8% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.97 ฿62.0

$2.97 BOB 20.59

-33.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.68 ฿587

$26.65 BOB 185

-29.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.92 ฿249

$7.23 BOB 50.1

9.54%

Cappuccino

$2.02 ฿63.7

$2.79 BOB 19.36

-27.60%

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

$0.84 ฿26.45

$0.82 BOB 5.70

2.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ฿11.07

$0.71 BOB 4.94

-50.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 ฿69.9

$1.44 BOB 9.98

54.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ฿113

$1.91 BOB 13.25

87.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ฿52.4

$1.07 BOB 7.43

56.07%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ฿51.1

$1.40 BOB 9.69

15.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 ฿37.83

$1.33 BOB 9.21

-9.77%

Eggs

$1.93 ฿60.8

$1.82 BOB 12.62

6.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.00 ฿503

$4.79 BOB 33.21

234.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 ฿99.2

$4.19 BOB 29.05

-24.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.93 ฿344

$6.32 BOB 43.83

72.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 ฿83.8

$2.79 BOB 19.36

-4.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 ฿36.99

$0.91 BOB 6.28

29.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 ฿51.5

$1.14 BOB 7.88

43.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 ฿49.83

$1.01 BOB 6.99

57.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 ฿41.64

$1.00 BOB 6.95

32.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ฿37.49

$0.93 BOB 6.45

27.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿22.20

$0.73 BOB 5.07

-2.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ฿17.75

$1.15 BOB 7.96

-51.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.64 ฿146

$2.14 BOB 14.80

116.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.96 ฿596

$7.36 BOB 51.0

157.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿55.7

$1.46 BOB 10.12

21.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ฿101

$1.98 BOB 13.74

61.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 ฿28.32

$0.30 BOB 2.06

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.24 ฿605

$21.33 BOB 148

-9.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ฿42.78

$2.87 BOB 19.86

-52.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 ฿42.37

$1.43 BOB 9.91

-5.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.15 ฿256

$7.14 BOB 49.50

14.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ฿38.43

$0.55 BOB 3.81

121.82%

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

$21.4K ฿671.8K

$28.5K BOB 197.4K

-24.98%

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

$21.7K ฿683.8K

$27.2K BOB 188.4K

-20.00%

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

$70.3 ฿2,210

$54.3 BOB 376

29.51%

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

$13.91 ฿437

$22.29 BOB 154

-37.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.00 ฿566

$33.01 BOB 229

-45.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.78 ฿1,314

$32.66 BOB 226

27.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.80 ฿214

$22.06 BOB 153

-69.17%

Cinema Ticket

$5.72 ฿180

$7.21 BOB 49.98

-20.67%

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

$308 ฿9,693

$204 BOB 1,410

51.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿465.7K

$4,276 BOB 29.6K

246.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.9 ฿1,756

$42.28 BOB 293

32.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.71 ฿840

$48.84 BOB 338

-45.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 ฿2,658

$83.9 BOB 582

0.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.8 ฿2,227

$62.0 BOB 430

14.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$431 ฿13.5K

$405 BOB 2,804

6.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 ฿7,439

$259 BOB 1,795

-8.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 ฿25.5K

$731 BOB 5,068

10.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 ฿15.7K

$649 BOB 4,501

-22.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,202 ฿69.2K

$1,516 BOB 10.5K

45.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,600 ฿50.3K

$869 BOB 6,024

84.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$684 ฿21.5K

$431 BOB 2,984

58.94%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

-25.04%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: January 13, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz: January 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

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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