Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz del Seibo: $638 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Santa Cruz del Seibo, Dominican Republic

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Santa Cruz del Seibo

🇩🇴 Dominican Republic

$638

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Santa Cruz del Seibo

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 Cruz del Seibo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $638 in Santa Cruz del Seibo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Santa Cruz del Seibo $638

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,028 in Santa Cruz del Seibo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Santa Cruz del Seibo $1,028

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,418 in Santa Cruz del Seibo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Santa Cruz del Seibo $1,418

Chiang Mai costs about 47% more than Santa Cruz del Seibo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both Chiang Mai and Santa Cruz del Seibo are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Santa Cruz del Seibo 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.6

$8.40 DOP 508

-74.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$41.41 DOP 2,508

-55.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$4.85 DOP 294

15.46%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.8

$1.72 DOP 104

-3.49%

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

$0.65 ฿21.70

$0.71 DOP 42.85

-8.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.23

$0.40 DOP 24.27

-25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.9

$2.40 DOP 146

-3.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$3.88 DOP 235

-5.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.6

$1.20 DOP 72.8

68.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.24

$1.72 DOP 104

-18.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.69

$1.49 DOP 90.0

-6.71%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.4

$1.48 DOP 89.3

60.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿554

$6.07 DOP 367

172.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.6

$3.49 DOP 212

-23.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$4.55 DOP 276

98.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.5

$3.78 DOP 229

-36.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.93

$1.43 DOP 86.4

-27.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$3.27 DOP 198

-49.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$2.11 DOP 128

-26.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.52

$3.46 DOP 210

-64.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.46

$2.81 DOP 170

-61.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.56

$0.87 DOP 52.9

-12.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.25

$1.59 DOP 96.5

-67.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$4.79 DOP 290

-13.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$16.06 DOP 972

11.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$3.02 DOP 183

-46.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.7

$3.43 DOP 208

-17.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.35

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,775

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.48

$2.49 DOP 151

-52.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.75

$3.21 DOP 195

-94.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.41

$1.44 DOP 87.2

2.08%

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

$21.0K ฿705.0K

$14.9K DOP 903.3K

40.88%

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

$26.5K ฿889.6K

$25.2K DOP 1.5M

5.30%

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

$62.6 ฿2,099

$93.9 DOP 5,689

-33.40%

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

$11.60 ฿389

$26.91 DOP 1,630

-56.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿681

$38.83 DOP 2,352

-47.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,271

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$4.78 DOP 289

36.19%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$148 DOP 8,946

392.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.1K

$5,396 DOP 326.8K

207.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,796

$26.47 DOP 1,603

102.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿832

$45.44 DOP 2,752

-45.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,032

$60.4 DOP 3,656

49.73%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,415

$66.1 DOP 4,003

8.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.1K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-49.36%

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 Cruz del Seibo: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Santa Cruz del Seibo

–

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Santa Cruz del Seibo

–

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Santa Cruz del Seibo

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Santa Cruz del Seibo

–

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Santa Cruz del Seibo

–

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Santa Cruz del Seibo

–

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Santa Cruz del Seibo

–

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $41 in Santa Cruz del Seibo. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $234 in Santa Cruz del Seibo – so Santa Cruz del Seibo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇩🇴 Santa Cruz del Seibo

🕒 Local time

04:16 4:16 AM

17:16 5:16 PM

11 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

23,547

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Dominican Peso DOP $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

100 DOP = 1.65 USD

100 DOP = 1.48 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DOP, 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 = 37.39 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Dominican Peso exchange rates as of November 7, 2026: 1 USD = 60.56 DOP (100 DOP = 1.65 USD). 1 EUR = 67.48 DOP (100 DOP = 1.48 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Santa Cruz del Seibo 15,640 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Santa Cruz del Seibo

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 Cruz del Seibo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 47% more than Santa Cruz del Seibo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from leisure. 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 $957 in Santa Cruz del Seibo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $935 in Chiang Mai and $638 in Santa Cruz del Seibo. That makes Santa Cruz del Seibo about 32% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $41 in Santa Cruz del Seibo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $638 in Santa Cruz del Seibo to $935 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.