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

😐 Solo nomad: Santa Barbara is 70.6% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 75% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Barbara is 84.6% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 74.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.82 ₡5,364

$1.97 ฿62.0

449.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.5 ₡29.5K

$18.68 ฿587

218.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.13 ₡5,025

$7.92 ฿249

27.90%

Cappuccino

$3.89 ₡1,929

$2.02 ฿63.7

92.57%

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

$2.00 ₡989

$0.84 ฿26.45

138.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 ₡788

$0.35 ฿11.07

354.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.95 ₡1,461

$2.22 ฿69.9

32.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.65 ₡2,306

$3.59 ฿113

29.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ₡1,022

$1.67 ฿52.4

23.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 ₡1,368

$1.62 ฿51.1

70.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.24 ₡1,111

$1.20 ฿37.83

86.67%

Eggs

$2.92 ₡1,449

$1.93 ฿60.8

51.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.96 ₡4,443

$16.00 ฿503

-44.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.29 ₡4,608

$3.16 ฿99.2

193.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ₡6,814

$10.93 ฿344

25.71%

Apples (1kg)

$4.53 ₡2,248

$2.67 ฿83.8

69.66%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 ₡622

$1.18 ฿36.99

6.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.35 ₡1,165

$1.64 ฿51.5

43.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.44 ₡1,707

$1.59 ฿49.83

116.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.95 ₡1,464

$1.32 ฿41.64

123.48%

Onion (1kg)

$2.90 ₡1,436

$1.19 ฿37.49

143.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₡362

$0.71 ฿22.20

2.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.81 ₡1,393

$0.56 ฿17.75

401.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.34 ₡2,648

$4.64 ฿146

15.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.28 ₡6,088

$18.96 ฿596

-35.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.42 ₡1,198

$1.77 ฿55.7

36.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 ₡1,445

$3.20 ฿101

-9.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 ₡474

$0.90 ฿28.32

6.67%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.24 ฿605

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.79 ₡885

$1.36 ฿42.78

31.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.97 ₡479

$1.35 ฿42.37

-28.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.78 ₡3,855

$8.15 ฿256

-4.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 ₡700

$1.22 ฿38.43

15.57%

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

$37.5K ₡18.6M

$21.4K ฿671.8K

75.53%

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

$32.0K ₡15.9M

$21.7K ฿683.8K

47.12%

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

$68.6 ₡34.0K

$70.3 ฿2,210

-2.36%

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

$25.60 ₡12.7K

$13.91 ฿437

84.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.2 ₡29.3K

$18.00 ฿566

228.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.1 ₡28.3K

$41.78 ฿1,314

36.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.89 ₡11.8K

$6.80 ฿214

251.32%

Cinema Ticket

$8.89 ₡4,408

$5.72 ฿180

55.42%

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

$568 ₡281.4K

$308 ฿9,693

84.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K ₡6.4M

$14.8K ฿465.7K

-13.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.8 ₡30.6K

$55.9 ฿1,756

10.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.3 ₡25.9K

$26.71 ฿840

95.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡63.3K

$84.5 ฿2,658

51.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 ₡53.7K

$70.8 ฿2,227

52.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$776 ₡384.5K

$431 ฿13.5K

80.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$587 ₡290.9K

$237 ฿7,439

147.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,502 ₡744.8K

$811 ฿25.5K

85.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$957 ₡474.3K

$501 ฿15.7K

91.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,681 ₡833.2K

$2,202 ฿69.2K

-23.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,670 ₡827.9K

$1,600 ฿50.3K

4.35%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$684 ฿21.5K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

80.00%

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

Last update for Santa Barbara: January 12, 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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