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 30.6% cheaper than Santa Cruz without rent, and 5.6% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 34.8% cheaper than Santa Cruz without rent, and 5.8% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.98 ฿63.0

$7.37 JMD 1,155

-73.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.64 ฿593

$62.2 JMD 9,749

-70.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.90 ฿251

$9.00 JMD 1,411

-12.22%

Cappuccino

$1.99 ฿63.4

$4.36 JMD 683

-54.36%

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

$0.82 ฿26.13

$1.37 JMD 215

-40.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿10.36

$0.70 JMD 109

-52.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 ฿69.1

$2.55 JMD 400

-14.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 ฿121

$3.17 JMD 497

19.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ฿52.3

$4.41 JMD 692

-62.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.58 ฿50.2

$3.62 JMD 568

-56.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.19 ฿37.84

$1.62 JMD 254

-26.54%

Eggs

$1.90 ฿60.5

$3.49 JMD 547

-45.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.99 ฿509

$10.93 JMD 1,713

46.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.13 ฿99.7

$6.34 JMD 994

-50.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.79 ฿343

$7.69 JMD 1,206

40.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.72 ฿86.5

$6.09 JMD 955

-55.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.17 ฿37.34

$3.15 JMD 494

-62.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.65 ฿52.6

$4.10 JMD 643

-59.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿48.66

$2.93 JMD 459

-47.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 ฿44.51

$2.09 JMD 327

-33.01%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 ฿38.05

$2.00 JMD 314

-40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 ฿21.13

$3.00 JMD 471

-78.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿16.74

$1.44 JMD 226

-63.19%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.48 ฿143

$8.62 JMD 1,351

-48.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.25 ฿612

$11.63 JMD 1,824

65.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 ฿58.6

$2.75 JMD 431

-33.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 ฿101

$3.04 JMD 476

3.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ฿28.34

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.97 ฿603

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.37 ฿43.55

$1.13 JMD 176

21.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 ฿43.09

$3.17 JMD 497

-57.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.16 ฿260

$6.40 JMD 1,004

27.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ฿39.22

$1.23 JMD 193

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

$21.7K ฿691.2K

$43.0K JMD 6.7M

-49.47%

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

$22.0K ฿700.1K

$33.5K JMD 5.3M

-34.36%

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

$70.2 ฿2,234

$163 JMD 25.6K

-56.96%

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

$14.08 ฿448

$22.28 JMD 3,493

-36.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.81 ฿566

$51.4 JMD 8,064

-65.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.70 ฿1,326

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.65 ฿211

Cinema Ticket

$5.82 ฿185

$13.32 JMD 2,088

-56.31%

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

$310 ฿9,857

$229 JMD 35.9K

35.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K ฿467.9K

$2,477 JMD 388.3K

493.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.5 ฿1,797

$25.96 JMD 4,070

117.72%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.79 ฿852

$25.35 JMD 3,974

5.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.2 ฿2,646

$71.6 JMD 11.2K

16.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,260

$76.2 JMD 11.9K

-6.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$430 ฿13.7K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 ฿7,544

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$821 ฿26.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$507 ฿16.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,088 ฿66.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,525 ฿48.5K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$644 ฿20.5K

$411 JMD 64.5K

56.71%

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: March 10, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz: March 10, 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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