Cost of Living Comparison Between Salinas, CA and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Salinas, CA and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Salinas, CA is 164.2% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 328.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Salinas, CA is 174.4% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 294.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$29.67 $29.67

$1.97 ฿62.0

1406.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.5 $91.5

$18.68 ฿587

389.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.79 $11.79

$7.92 ฿249

48.86%

Cappuccino

$4.83 $4.83

$2.02 ฿63.6

139.11%

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

$2.62 $2.62

$0.84 ฿26.44

211.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.15 $2.15

$0.35 ฿11.06

514.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 $7.79

$2.22 ฿69.9

250.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.85 $7.85

$3.59 ฿113

118.66%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.42 $1.42

$1.67 ฿52.3

-14.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.55 $3.55

$1.62 ฿51.1

119.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.52 $6.52

$1.20 ฿37.82

443.33%

Eggs

$5.63 $5.63

$1.93 ฿60.8

191.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.58 $20.58

$16.00 ฿503

28.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.09 $13.09

$3.16 ฿99.2

314.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.10 $17.10

$10.93 ฿343

56.45%

Apples (1kg)

$5.77 $5.77

$2.67 ฿83.8

116.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.18 ฿36.98

88.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 $3.63

$1.64 ฿51.5

121.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.29 $6.29

$1.59 ฿49.82

295.60%

Potato (1kg)

$4.46 $4.46

$1.32 ฿41.63

237.88%

Onion (1kg)

$3.38 $3.38

$1.19 ฿37.48

184.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.12 $2.12

$0.71 ฿22.19

198.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.85 $1.85

$0.56 ฿17.74

230.36%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.14 $11.14

$4.64 ฿146

140.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.01 $10.01

$18.96 ฿596

-47.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.77 ฿55.6

-1.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.41 $5.41

$3.20 ฿101

69.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 $1.99

$0.90 ฿28.31

121.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.9 $70.9

$19.24 ฿605

268.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.41 $3.41

$1.36 ฿42.77

150.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.35 ฿42.35

43.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$39.83 $39.83

$8.15 ฿256

388.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.22 ฿38.42

1.64%

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

$23.5K $23.5K

$21.4K ฿671.6K

9.89%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$21.7K ฿683.6K

20.19%

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

$277 $277

$70.3 ฿2,210

293.66%

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

$52.9 $52.9

$13.91 ฿437

280.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$70.8 $70.8

$18.00 ฿566

293.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.31 $39.31

$41.78 ฿1,313

-5.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.80 ฿214

Cinema Ticket

$14.44 $14.44

$5.72 ฿180

152.45%

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

$1,970 $1,970

$308 ฿9,690

538.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.6K $37.6K

$14.8K ฿465.6K

153.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.8 $55.8

$55.9 ฿1,755

-0.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.84 $36.84

$26.71 ฿839

37.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.8 $93.8

$84.5 ฿2,657

10.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 $127

$70.8 ฿2,226

79.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,163 $2,163

$431 ฿13.5K

402.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,156 $2,156

$237 ฿7,437

811.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$4,351 $4,351

$811 ฿25.5K

436.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,706 $3,706

$501 ฿15.7K

640.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,236 $6,236

$2,202 ฿69.2K

183.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,390 $7,390

$1,600 ฿50.3K

361.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,585 $4,585

$684 ฿21.5K

569.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.41

28.20%

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

Last update for Salinas, CA: January 13, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: January 13, 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

Similar cities

Singapore

🇸🇬 Singapore

Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

Los Angeles, CA

🇺🇸 United States

Miami, FL

🇺🇸 United States

Washington, DC

🇺🇸 United States

Reykjavik

🇮🇸 Iceland

Basel

🇨🇭 Switzerland

Lausanne

🇨🇭 Switzerland