Last update: Nov 2026

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

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $3,818 in Santa Clarita, CA, rent and utilities included – about $34,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

184

Cost of Living Index in Santa Clarita, CA
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Santa Clarita, CA Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Santa Clarita, CA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,818

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Clarita, CA and in Chiang Mai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Santa Clarita, CA and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $3,818 per month in Santa Clarita, CA vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santa Clarita, CA $3,818
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $5,123 per month in Santa Clarita, CA vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santa Clarita, CA $5,123
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $6,428 per month in Santa Clarita, CA vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santa Clarita, CA $6,428
Chiang Mai $1,999

Santa Clarita, CA costs about 308% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Santa Clarita, CA sits 182% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.11 $20.11

$2.13 ฿71.6

844.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$99.7 $99.7

$18.62 ฿624

435.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.10 $15.10

$5.60 ฿188

169.64%

Cappuccino

$6.11 $6.11

$1.66 ฿55.8

268.07%

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

$3.57 $3.57

$0.65 ฿21.69

449.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 $3.04

$0.30 ฿10.22

913.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.16 $8.16

$2.32 ฿77.9

251.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.06 $9.06

$3.67 ฿123

146.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$2.02 ฿67.6

-44.06%

White Bread (500g)

$3.98 $3.98

$1.41 ฿47.21

182.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.02 $5.02

$1.39 ฿46.67

261.15%

Eggs

$4.78 $4.78

$2.37 ฿79.4

101.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.18 $19.18

$16.52 ฿554

16.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.98 $7.98

$2.67 ฿89.5

198.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.09 $17.09

$9.02 ฿302

89.47%

Apples (1kg)

$6.56 $6.56

$2.40 ฿80.4

173.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 $1.94

$1.04 ฿34.91

86.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.09 $3.09

$1.66 ฿55.6

86.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.95 $2.95

$1.56 ฿52.3

89.10%

Potato (1kg)

$8.38 $8.38

$1.24 ฿41.50

575.81%

Onion (1kg)

$4.76 $4.76

$1.09 ฿36.44

336.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.45 $3.45

$0.76 ฿25.54

353.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.69 $2.69

$0.51 ฿17.24

427.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.56 $11.56

$4.12 ฿138

180.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.20 $16.20

$17.93 ฿601

-9.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 $1.77

$1.62 ฿54.4

9.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.39 $4.39

$2.82 ฿94.6

55.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.47 $2.47

$0.93 ฿31.33

165.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.33 $27.33

$52.9 ฿1,773

-48.33%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.88 $2.88

$1.18 ฿39.45

144.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.44 $2.44

$0.17 ฿5.75

1335.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$58.9 $58.9

$1.81 ฿60.8

3154.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.26 $1.26

$1.47 ฿49.38

-14.29%

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

$23.6K $23.6K

$21.0K ฿704.5K

12.32%

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

$26.0K $26.0K

$26.5K ฿889.1K

-1.77%

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

$221 $221

$62.6 ฿2,098

253.16%

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

$56.2 $56.2

$11.60 ฿389

384.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$71.2 $71.2

$20.30 ฿681

250.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.80 $36.80

$37.88 ฿1,270

-2.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.47 $25.47

$3.70 ฿124

588.38%

Cinema Ticket

$14.07 $14.07

$6.51 ฿218

116.13%

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

$993 $993

$727 ฿24.4K

36.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$40.0K $40.0K

$16.6K ฿555.7K

141.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.6 $73.6

$53.5 ฿1,795

37.39%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$27.03 $27.03

$24.80 ฿832

8.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.9 $72.9

$90.4 ฿3,031

-19.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 $110

$72.0 ฿2,413

52.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,777 $2,777

$481 ฿16.1K

477.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,418 $2,418

$310 ฿10.4K

680.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,905 $3,905

$1,058 ฿35.5K

269.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,241 $3,241

$659 ฿22.1K

392.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,725 $3,725

$2,418 ฿81.1K

54.06%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,283 $4,283

$1,609 ฿53.9K

166.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,306 $5,306

$595 ฿19.9K

791.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

5.57

16.52%

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

Last update for Santa Clarita, CA: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Santa Clarita, CA

$2.4K 63.4%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 87.2% $2.1K

Groceries & Markets

Santa Clarita, CA

$441 11.6%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 46.4% $205

Eating Out

Santa Clarita, CA

$365 9.6%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 79% $288

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Clarita, CA

$348 9.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 72.9% $254

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Clarita, CA

$128 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 15.1% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Clarita, CA

$65 1.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 21.6% $14

Getting Around

Santa Clarita, CA

$52 1.4%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 12.2% $6.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $2,777 in Santa Clarita, CA versus $481 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Santa Clarita, CA are about 8.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $100 in Santa Clarita, CA versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $441 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Santa Clarita, CA

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:12 7:12 AM

22:12 10:12 PM

15 h ahead of Santa Clarita, CA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

182,371

127,240

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

THB to USD in detail →

On the map

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Santa Clarita, CA Chiang Mai 12,890 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Clarita, CA
Chiang Mai

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

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

Santa Clarita, CA vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Clarita, CA costs about 308% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $5,726 per month in Santa Clarita, CA and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $2,777 in Santa Clarita, CA.

Kindergarten costs $993 per month in Santa Clarita, CA and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 87% more in Santa Clarita, CA, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $3,818 in Santa Clarita, CA and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $935 versus $3,818 in Santa Clarita, CA. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Santa Clarita, CA makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.