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 133.4% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 339% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Barbara, CA is 149.1% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 316.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.27 $25.27

$1.97 ฿62.0

1182.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100.0 $100.0

$18.68 ฿587

435.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.83 $9.83

$7.92 ฿249

24.12%

Cappuccino

$5.56 $5.56

$2.02 ฿63.7

175.25%

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

$2.66 $2.66

$0.84 ฿26.45

216.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.35 ฿11.07

488.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.18 $8.18

$2.22 ฿69.9

268.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.80 $8.80

$3.59 ฿113

145.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 $1.28

$1.67 ฿52.4

-23.35%

White Bread (500g)

$5.00 $5.00

$1.62 ฿51.1

208.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.78 $4.78

$1.20 ฿37.83

298.33%

Eggs

$5.48 $5.48

$1.93 ฿60.8

183.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.21 $12.21

$16.00 ฿503

-23.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.51 $11.51

$3.16 ฿99.2

264.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.63 $14.63

$10.93 ฿344

33.85%

Apples (1kg)

$6.21 $6.21

$2.67 ฿83.8

132.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.85 $1.85

$1.18 ฿36.99

56.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 $3.77

$1.64 ฿51.5

129.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.33 $5.33

$1.59 ฿49.83

235.22%

Potato (1kg)

$3.30 $3.30

$1.32 ฿41.64

150.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.19 ฿37.49

147.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.13 $2.13

$0.71 ฿22.20

200.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.10 $2.10

$0.56 ฿17.75

275.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.92 $12.92

$4.64 ฿146

178.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.17 $17.17

$18.96 ฿596

-9.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 $1.75

$1.77 ฿55.7

-1.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 $3.89

$3.20 ฿101

21.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.70 $1.70

$0.90 ฿28.32

88.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.3 $64.3

$19.24 ฿605

233.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.12 $6.12

$1.36 ฿42.78

350.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.07 $2.07

$1.35 ฿42.37

53.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.2 $51.2

$8.15 ฿256

527.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.22 ฿38.43

0.82%

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

$28.4K $28.4K

$21.4K ฿671.8K

33.12%

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

$25.9K $25.9K

$21.7K ฿683.8K

18.95%

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

$199 $199

$70.3 ฿2,210

182.76%

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

$55.1 $55.1

$13.91 ฿437

296.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.3 $71.3

$18.00 ฿566

296.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.9 $66.9

$41.78 ฿1,314

60.17%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.01 $18.01

$6.80 ฿214

164.85%

Cinema Ticket

$12.53 $12.53

$5.72 ฿180

119.06%

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

$1,430 $1,430

$308 ฿9,693

363.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.5K $36.5K

$14.8K ฿465.7K

146.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.8 $68.8

$55.9 ฿1,756

23.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.27 $40.27

$26.71 ฿840

50.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.9 $76.9

$84.5 ฿2,658

-9.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 $144

$70.8 ฿2,227

103.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,683 $2,683

$431 ฿13.5K

522.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,241 $2,241

$237 ฿7,439

847.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,110 $5,110

$811 ฿25.5K

530.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,322 $4,322

$501 ฿15.7K

763.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,965 $9,965

$2,202 ฿69.2K

352.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.2K $10.2K

$1,600 ฿50.3K

538.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,148 $5,148

$684 ฿21.5K

652.15%

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: January 11, 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

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