Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Santa Maria

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Maria: $732 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
35

Cost of Living Index in Santa Maria
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Santa Maria Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Santa Maria

🇧🇷 Brazil

$732

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Santa Maria

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 Maria actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $732 in Santa Maria, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Santa Maria $732

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,224 in Santa Maria, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Santa Maria $1,224

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,715 in Santa Maria, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Santa Maria $1,715

Chiang Mai costs about 28% more than Santa Maria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Santa Maria are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Santa Maria 46% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$5.61 R$30.54

-60.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$33.42 R$182

-43.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.46 R$35.14

-14.09%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.70 R$9.26

-1.76%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.03 R$5.60

-37.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.62 R$3.35

-50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.51 R$8.20

56.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.26 R$23.16

-14.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.02 R$5.53

91.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$1.48 R$8.03

-2.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.42 R$7.72

-6.34%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.74 R$9.49

31.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$8.55 R$46.50

92.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.71 R$20.17

-25.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.82 R$42.52

19.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.26 R$12.31

3.98%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.38 R$7.51

-29.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.01 R$10.95

-20.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.37 R$7.48

9.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.13 R$6.15

13.27%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$1.28 R$6.98

-14.06%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.87 R$4.73

-18.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.82 R$4.46

-40.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.20 R$11.98

88.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$7.58 R$41.23

131.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.21 R$6.57

33.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.75 R$14.99

1.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$1.22 R$6.65

-28.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$42.50 R$231

27.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$1.18 R$6.41

-1.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.79 R$4.28

-32.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$7.72 R$41.98

-68.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.17 R$6.36

23.93%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$22.9K R$124.7K

-8.16%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$30.0K R$163.5K

-10.34%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$51.1 R$278

21.62%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$15.89 R$86.4

-23.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$17.02 R$92.6

18.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$22.47 R$122

66.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$11.14 R$60.6

-66.16%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.46 R$29.70

18.86%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$147 R$799

401.33%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$2,764 R$15.0K

434.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$59.1 R$321

-9.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$41.62 R$226

-40.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$92.8 R$505

-1.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$60.1 R$327

19.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$282 R$1,533

71.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$155 R$844

99.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$608 R$3,305

65.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$370 R$2,013

71.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,633 R$8,882

44.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$677 R$3,685

134.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$591 R$3,213

-0.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-44.30%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Santa Maria: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Santa Maria

$155 21.2% 49.8% $154

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Santa Maria

$186 25.4% 20.8% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Santa Maria

$114 15.6% 5% $5.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Santa Maria

$84 11.5% 11% $10

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Santa Maria

$107 14.7% 38.4% $30

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Santa Maria

$53 7.2% 14.4% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Santa Maria

$33 4.6% 33.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $282 in Santa Maria. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $33 in Santa Maria. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $186 in Santa Maria – so Santa Maria wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇷 Santa Maria

🕒 Local time

09:05 9:05 AM

23:05 11:05 PM

10 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

271,735

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Brazilian Real BRL R$

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BRL, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.165 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Santa Maria 17,010 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Santa Maria

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 Maria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 28% more than Santa Maria, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $1,098 in Santa Maria. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Santa Maria, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $282 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $147 in Santa Maria. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $732 in Santa Maria, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Maria – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.