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 28% cheaper than Santa Cruz without rent, and 3% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 20.7% cheaper than Santa Cruz without rent, and 8.9% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.97 ฿62.0

$7.46 JMD 1,175

-73.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.68 ฿587

$63.1 JMD 9,947

-70.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.92 ฿249

$8.74 JMD 1,377

-9.38%

Cappuccino

$2.02 ฿63.7

$4.39 JMD 692

-53.99%

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

$0.84 ฿26.45

$1.37 JMD 216

-38.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ฿11.07

$0.75 JMD 118

-53.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 ฿69.9

$2.44 JMD 384

-9.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ฿113

$3.17 JMD 500

13.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ฿52.4

$4.32 JMD 681

-61.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ฿51.1

$3.52 JMD 554

-53.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 ฿37.83

$1.62 JMD 256

-25.93%

Eggs

$1.93 ฿60.8

$3.61 JMD 569

-46.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.00 ฿503

$10.94 JMD 1,723

46.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 ฿99.2

$6.48 JMD 1,021

-51.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.93 ฿344

$7.50 JMD 1,182

45.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 ฿83.8

$5.96 JMD 939

-55.20%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 ฿36.99

$3.16 JMD 498

-62.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 ฿51.5

$4.26 JMD 671

-61.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 ฿49.83

$3.04 JMD 479

-47.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 ฿41.64

$2.05 JMD 323

-35.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ฿37.49

$2.03 JMD 319

-41.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿22.20

$2.98 JMD 470

-76.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ฿17.75

$1.45 JMD 229

-61.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.64 ฿146

$8.70 JMD 1,370

-46.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.96 ฿596

$11.52 JMD 1,815

64.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿55.7

$2.88 JMD 454

-38.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ฿101

$3.18 JMD 501

0.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 ฿28.32

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.24 ฿605

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ฿42.78

$1.13 JMD 178

20.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 ฿42.37

$3.26 JMD 514

-58.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.15 ฿256

$6.45 JMD 1,016

26.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ฿38.43

$1.30 JMD 204

-6.15%

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

$21.4K ฿671.8K

$43.6K JMD 6.9M

-51.02%

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

$21.7K ฿683.8K

$33.7K JMD 5.3M

-35.39%

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

$70.3 ฿2,210

$161 JMD 25.3K

-56.25%

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

$13.91 ฿437

$21.92 JMD 3,453

-36.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.00 ฿566

$50.3 JMD 7,917

-64.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.78 ฿1,314

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.80 ฿214

Cinema Ticket

$5.72 ฿180

$13.25 JMD 2,088

-56.83%

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

$308 ฿9,693

$223 JMD 35.1K

38.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿465.7K

$2,530 JMD 398.7K

485.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.9 ฿1,756

$26.16 JMD 4,121

113.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.71 ฿840

$25.52 JMD 4,020

4.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 ฿2,658

$71.5 JMD 11.3K

18.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.8 ฿2,227

$77.6 JMD 12.2K

-8.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$431 ฿13.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 ฿7,439

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 ฿25.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 ฿15.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,202 ฿69.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,600 ฿50.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$684 ฿21.5K

$404 JMD 63.7K

69.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.15

-45.36%

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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