Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Barbara, CA and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Barbara, CA and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Santa Barbara, CA is 128% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 343% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Barbara, CA is 147.6% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 318.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.90 $24.90

$2.03 ฿64.2

1126.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.7 $99.7

$18.59 ฿588

436.20%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.13 $10.13

$7.48 ฿237

35.43%

Cappuccino

$5.71 $5.71

$2.00 ฿63.2

185.50%

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

$2.65 $2.65

$0.85 ฿26.81

211.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.35 ฿11.13

488.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.78 $7.78

$2.21 ฿70.0

252.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.07 $9.07

$3.76 ฿119

141.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 $1.34

$1.72 ฿54.4

-22.09%

White Bread (500g)

$5.07 $5.07

$1.63 ฿51.7

211.04%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.61 $4.61

$1.16 ฿36.66

297.41%

Eggs

$5.33 $5.33

$1.98 ฿62.6

169.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.53 $12.53

$15.93 ฿504

-21.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.77 $11.77

$3.17 ฿100

271.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.37 $14.37

$10.90 ฿345

31.83%

Apples (1kg)

$6.21 $6.21

$2.65 ฿83.7

134.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.83 $1.83

$1.22 ฿38.70

50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.85 $3.85

$1.70 ฿53.7

126.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.62 $5.62

$1.59 ฿50.3

253.46%

Potato (1kg)

$3.15 $3.15

$1.32 ฿41.90

138.64%

Onion (1kg)

$2.98 $2.98

$1.17 ฿36.99

154.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 $2.13

$0.68 ฿21.46

213.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 $2.11

$0.56 ฿17.64

276.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.05 $13.05

$4.51 ฿143

189.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.25 $16.25

$19.07 ฿604

-14.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 $1.71

$1.77 ฿56.0

-3.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 $4.08

$3.18 ฿101

28.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.96 ฿30.47

84.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.8 $63.8

$18.90 ฿598

237.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.14 $6.14

$1.36 ฿42.98

351.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 $2.01

$1.35 ฿42.80

48.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.7 $51.7

$8.03 ฿254

543.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.24 ฿39.34

-0.81%

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

$28.0K $28.0K

$21.2K ฿669.8K

32.36%

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

$26.1K $26.1K

$21.8K ฿688.5K

20.09%

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

$204 $204

$71.2 ฿2,255

186.06%

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

$53.9 $53.9

$14.09 ฿446

282.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$72.4 $72.4

$17.47 ฿553

314.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.2 $67.2

$42.07 ฿1,332

59.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.01 $18.01

$6.88 ฿218

161.77%

Cinema Ticket

$12.66 $12.66

$5.94 ฿188

113.13%

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

$1,428 $1,428

$307 ฿9,728

364.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$37.0K $37.0K

$14.8K ฿468.2K

150.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$69.8 $69.8

$55.7 ฿1,762

25.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.05 $41.05

$26.79 ฿848

53.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.3 $77.3

$83.2 ฿2,634

-7.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$70.1 ฿2,219

106.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,630 $2,630

$427 ฿13.5K

515.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,301 $2,301

$237 ฿7,504

870.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,234 $5,234

$802 ฿25.4K

553.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,468 $4,468

$503 ฿15.9K

787.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,997 $9,997

$2,061 ฿65.2K

385.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$9,952 $9,952

$1,533 ฿48.5K

549.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,093 $5,093

$654 ฿20.7K

679.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.68

33.60%

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

Last update for Santa Barbara, CA: March 3, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 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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