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

๐Ÿ˜ Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 18.8% more expensive than Santa Cruz, Laguna without rent, and 14.4% more expensive with rent.
๐Ÿ˜ Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 14.8% more expensive than Santa Cruz, Laguna without rent, and 19.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
๐Ÿฝ Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.97 เธฟ62.0
$1.75 โ‚ฑ104
12.57%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.68 เธฟ587
$9.06 โ‚ฑ538
106.18%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.92 เธฟ249
$3.06 โ‚ฑ182
158.82%
Cappuccino
$2.02 เธฟ63.7
$2.08 โ‚ฑ123
-2.88%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 เธฟ26.45
$0.43 โ‚ฑ25.34
95.35%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.35 เธฟ11.07
$0.28 โ‚ฑ16.84
25.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.22 เธฟ69.9
$1.22 โ‚ฑ72.5
81.97%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.59 เธฟ113
$1.08 โ‚ฑ64.4
232.41%
๐Ÿ›’ Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.67 เธฟ52.4
$1.77 โ‚ฑ105
-5.65%
White Bread (500g)
$1.62 เธฟ51.1
$1.21 โ‚ฑ72.1
33.88%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.20 เธฟ37.83
$1.08 โ‚ฑ64.4
11.11%
Eggs
$1.93 เธฟ60.8
$1.74 โ‚ฑ104
10.92%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.00 เธฟ503
$5.19 โ‚ฑ308
208.29%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.16 เธฟ99.2
$4.32 โ‚ฑ257
-26.85%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.93 เธฟ344
$7.02 โ‚ฑ417
55.70%
Apples (1kg)
$2.67 เธฟ83.8
$1.57 โ‚ฑ93.1
70.06%
Banana (1kg)
$1.18 เธฟ36.99
$0.56 โ‚ฑ33.00
110.71%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.64 เธฟ51.5
$1.65 โ‚ฑ97.9
-0.61%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.59 เธฟ49.83
$1.69 โ‚ฑ101
-5.92%
Potato (1kg)
$1.32 เธฟ41.64
$2.76 โ‚ฑ164
-52.17%
Onion (1kg)
$1.19 เธฟ37.49
$4.05 โ‚ฑ241
-70.62%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 เธฟ22.20
$1.57 โ‚ฑ93.5
-54.78%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 เธฟ17.75
$1.04 โ‚ฑ62.0
-46.15%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.64 เธฟ146
$3.23 โ‚ฑ192
43.65%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.96 เธฟ596
$7.46 โ‚ฑ444
154.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 เธฟ55.7
$1.62 โ‚ฑ96.0
9.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.20 เธฟ101
$2.01 โ‚ฑ120
59.20%
๐ŸšŒ Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.90 เธฟ28.32
$0.28 โ‚ฑ16.71
221.43%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$19.24 เธฟ605
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.36 เธฟ42.78
$0.77 โ‚ฑ45.63
76.62%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.35 เธฟ42.37
$0.22 โ‚ฑ13.05
513.64%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.15 เธฟ256
$2.10 โ‚ฑ125
288.10%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.22 เธฟ38.43
$1.14 โ‚ฑ67.7
7.02%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.4K เธฟ671.8K
$26.2K โ‚ฑ1.6M
-18.36%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.7K เธฟ683.8K
$20.2K โ‚ฑ1.2M
7.80%
๐Ÿงพ Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$70.3 เธฟ2,210
$93.8 โ‚ฑ5,576
-25.08%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$13.91 เธฟ437
$33.54 โ‚ฑ1,993
-58.53%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.00 เธฟ566
$29.72 โ‚ฑ1,766
-39.43%
๐ŸŽ‰ Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.78 เธฟ1,314
$34.55 โ‚ฑ2,053
20.93%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.80 เธฟ214
$4.49 โ‚ฑ267
51.45%
Cinema Ticket
$5.72 เธฟ180
$7.07 โ‚ฑ420
-19.09%
๐Ÿงธ Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$308 เธฟ9,693
$82.1 โ‚ฑ4,877
275.69%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K เธฟ465.7K
$2,769 โ‚ฑ164.6K
434.99%
๐Ÿ‘•๐Ÿ‘Ÿ Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.9 เธฟ1,756
$31.34 โ‚ฑ1,863
78.21%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.71 เธฟ840
$29.91 โ‚ฑ1,777
-10.70%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.5 เธฟ2,658
$99.3 โ‚ฑ5,899
-14.82%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$70.8 เธฟ2,227
$95.2 โ‚ฑ5,660
-25.63%
๐Ÿ  Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$431 เธฟ13.5K
$262 โ‚ฑ15.6K
64.39%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$237 เธฟ7,439
$176 โ‚ฑ10.4K
34.76%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$811 เธฟ25.5K
$597 โ‚ฑ35.5K
35.70%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$501 เธฟ15.7K
$396 โ‚ฑ23.5K
26.49%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,202 เธฟ69.2K
$1,751 โ‚ฑ104.1K
25.74%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,600 เธฟ50.3K
$804 โ‚ฑ47.8K
98.92%
๐Ÿ’ต Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Santa Cruz, Laguna
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$684 เธฟ21.5K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
8.13
-38.50%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input โ€“ minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Chiang Mai: January 13, 2026

Last update for Santa Cruz, Laguna: January 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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