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

😐 Solo nomad: Santa Cruz, CA is 185.3% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 383.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Cruz, CA is 140.6% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 328.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.67 $22.67

$2.01 ฿64.4

1027.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.2 $80.2

$18.23 ฿583

339.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.29 $12.29

$7.65 ฿244

60.65%

Cappuccino

$5.94 $5.94

$1.92 ฿61.3

209.38%

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

$3.34 $3.34

$0.84 ฿26.90

297.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 $2.54

$0.36 ฿11.39

605.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.98 $6.98

$2.19 ฿70.0

218.72%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.45 $7.45

$3.79 ฿121

96.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.36 $1.36

$1.64 ฿52.4

-17.07%

White Bread (500g)

$5.17 $5.17

$1.62 ฿51.8

219.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.81 $6.81

$1.15 ฿36.88

492.17%

Eggs

$5.94 $5.94

$1.94 ฿62.0

206.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.83 $23.83

$15.94 ฿510

49.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.71 $14.71

$3.10 ฿99.2

374.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.70 $23.70

$11.07 ฿354

114.09%

Apples (1kg)

$7.27 $7.27

$2.71 ฿86.5

168.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.82 $2.82

$1.18 ฿37.69

138.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.32 $5.32

$1.71 ฿54.5

211.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.33 $7.33

$1.61 ฿51.3

355.28%

Potato (1kg)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.39 ฿44.53

169.78%

Onion (1kg)

$3.89 $3.89

$1.15 ฿36.70

238.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.90 $2.90

$0.71 ฿22.76

308.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.77 $2.77

$0.55 ฿17.60

403.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.11 $14.11

$4.57 ฿146

208.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$27.97 $27.97

$18.87 ฿603

48.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$1.82 ฿58.2

17.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 $2.83

$3.21 ฿103

-11.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.05 $2.05

$0.88 ฿28.16

132.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$65.3 $65.3

$18.89 ฿604

245.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.08 $4.08

$1.41 ฿45.17

189.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 $1.84

$1.30 ฿41.59

41.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$38.91 $38.91

$8.20 ฿262

374.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.31 $1.31

$1.23 ฿39.18

6.50%

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

$35.3K $35.3K

$21.2K ฿677.0K

66.73%

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

$26.2K $26.2K

$22.3K ฿713.3K

17.41%

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

$222 $222

$69.9 ฿2,234

217.26%

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

$47.02 $47.02

$14.07 ฿450

234.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.6 $67.6

$17.70 ฿566

282.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$59.4 $59.4

$41.41 ฿1,324

43.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.69 ฿214

Cinema Ticket

$17.22 $17.22

$5.74 ฿184

200.00%

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

$3,211 $3,211

$299 ฿9,566

973.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$38.4K $38.4K

$15.0K ฿479.8K

155.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.7 $63.7

$54.8 ฿1,753

16.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.07 $46.07

$26.35 ฿842

74.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.5 $80.5

$84.7 ฿2,706

-4.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 $114

$69.7 ฿2,229

63.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,895 $2,895

$427 ฿13.6K

578.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,674 $2,674

$241 ฿7,697

1010.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,516 $5,516

$811 ฿25.9K

580.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$4,288 $4,288

$498 ฿15.9K

760.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,202 $8,202

$2,022 ฿64.7K

305.55%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$11.0K $11.0K

$1,524 ฿48.7K

623.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,539 $5,539

$639 ฿20.4K

766.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.36

27.20%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz, CA: April 13, 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

Santa Cruz, CA vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Zurich

🇨🇭 Switzerland

Boston, MA

🇺🇸 United States

Geneva

🇨🇭 Switzerland

San Jose, CA

🇺🇸 United States

Zug

🇨🇭 Switzerland

Winterthur

🇨🇭 Switzerland

Pasadena, CA

🇺🇸 United States

St Thomas

🇻🇮 Us Virgin Islands