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 132.4% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 325.1% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Barbara, CA is 147% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 331.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.07 $25.07

$2.01 ฿64.4

1147.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$100 $100

$18.23 ฿583

451.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.14 $10.14

$7.65 ฿244

32.55%

Cappuccino

$5.57 $5.57

$1.92 ฿61.3

190.10%

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

$2.64 $2.64

$0.84 ฿26.90

214.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$0.36 ฿11.39

480.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.92 $7.92

$2.19 ฿70.0

261.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.60 $8.60

$3.79 ฿121

126.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.33 $1.33

$1.64 ฿52.4

-18.90%

White Bread (500g)

$4.85 $4.85

$1.62 ฿51.8

199.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.73 $4.73

$1.15 ฿36.88

311.30%

Eggs

$5.61 $5.61

$1.94 ฿62.0

189.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.65 $12.65

$15.94 ฿510

-20.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.61 $11.61

$3.10 ฿99.2

274.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.72 $14.72

$11.07 ฿354

32.97%

Apples (1kg)

$6.51 $6.51

$2.71 ฿86.5

140.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 $1.93

$1.18 ฿37.69

63.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.71 ฿54.5

119.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.48 $5.48

$1.61 ฿51.3

240.37%

Potato (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$1.39 ฿44.53

136.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.97 $2.97

$1.15 ฿36.70

158.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.09 $2.09

$0.71 ฿22.76

194.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 $2.09

$0.55 ฿17.60

280.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.16 $13.16

$4.57 ฿146

187.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.23 $16.23

$18.87 ฿603

-13.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 $1.74

$1.82 ฿58.2

-4.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 $3.89

$3.21 ฿103

21.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 $1.72

$0.88 ฿28.16

95.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$63.0 $63.0

$18.89 ฿604

233.46%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.79 $5.79

$1.41 ฿45.17

310.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.02 $2.02

$1.30 ฿41.59

55.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$50.2 $50.2

$8.20 ฿262

512.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 $1.23

$1.23 ฿39.18

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

$28.6K $28.6K

$21.2K ฿677.0K

35.04%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$22.3K ฿713.3K

15.75%

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

$200 $200

$69.9 ฿2,234

186.52%

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

$54.9 $54.9

$14.07 ฿450

290.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$73.7 $73.7

$17.70 ฿566

316.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.4 $66.4

$41.41 ฿1,324

60.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.19 $18.19

$6.69 ฿214

171.90%

Cinema Ticket

$12.54 $12.54

$5.74 ฿184

118.47%

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

$1,410 $1,410

$299 ฿9,566

371.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.5K $36.5K

$15.0K ฿479.8K

143.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.3 $70.3

$54.8 ฿1,753

28.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.14 $40.14

$26.35 ฿842

52.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.0 $78.0

$84.7 ฿2,706

-7.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$145 $145

$69.7 ฿2,229

107.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,642 $2,642

$427 ฿13.6K

518.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,313 $2,313

$241 ฿7,697

860.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,082 $5,082

$811 ฿25.9K

526.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,332 $4,332

$498 ฿15.9K

769.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$9,949 $9,949

$2,022 ฿64.7K

391.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.1K $10.1K

$1,524 ฿48.7K

564.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,139 $5,139

$639 ฿20.4K

703.95%

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: April 14, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: April 13, 2026

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

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