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

😐 Solo nomad: Santa Cruz is 50.6% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 86.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Cruz is 95.6% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 74.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.98 ₡5,170

$2.03 ฿64.0

440.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$60.6 ₡28.5K

$18.59 ฿586

225.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.73 ₡4,582

$7.48 ฿236

30.08%

Cappuccino

$3.82 ₡1,797

$2.00 ฿63.0

91.00%

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

$2.00 ₡940

$0.85 ฿26.72

135.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 ₡773

$0.35 ฿11.09

368.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.94 ₡1,382

$2.21 ฿69.8

33.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.64 ₡2,184

$3.76 ฿118

23.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₡958

$1.72 ฿54.2

18.60%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 ₡1,314

$1.63 ฿51.5

71.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 ₡1,052

$1.16 ฿36.54

92.24%

Eggs

$3.00 ₡1,410

$1.98 ฿62.4

51.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.71 ₡4,570

$15.93 ฿502

-39.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.05 ₡4,259

$3.17 ฿99.9

185.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.52 ₡6,362

$10.90 ฿344

24.04%

Apples (1kg)

$4.54 ₡2,135

$2.65 ฿83.4

71.32%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 ₡444

$1.22 ฿38.57

-22.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.19 ₡1,970

$1.70 ฿53.5

146.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.59 ₡1,692

$1.59 ฿50.2

125.79%

Potato (1kg)

$3.40 ₡1,601

$1.32 ฿41.76

157.58%

Onion (1kg)

$3.13 ₡1,475

$1.17 ฿36.86

167.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.01 ₡474

$0.68 ฿21.38

48.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.95 ₡1,387

$0.56 ฿17.58

426.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.16 ₡2,427

$4.51 ฿142

14.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.33 ₡9,568

$19.07 ฿602

6.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 ₡1,142

$1.77 ฿55.8

37.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ₡1,313

$3.18 ฿100

-12.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.03 ₡485

$0.96 ฿30.37

7.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.90 ฿596

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.78 ₡838

$1.36 ฿42.83

30.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.79 ₡844

$1.35 ฿42.65

32.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.08 ₡3,805

$8.03 ฿253

0.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 ₡662

$1.24 ฿39.20

13.71%

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

$37.1K ₡17.5M

$21.2K ฿667.5K

75.32%

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

$32.5K ₡15.3M

$21.8K ฿686.1K

49.21%

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

$94.3 ₡44.4K

$71.2 ฿2,247

32.34%

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

$25.42 ₡12.0K

$14.09 ฿444

80.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.4 ₡25.6K

$17.47 ฿551

211.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 ₡26.3K

$42.07 ฿1,327

32.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.89 ₡11.2K

$6.88 ฿217

247.24%

Cinema Ticket

$6.01 ₡2,830

$5.94 ฿187

1.18%

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

$574 ₡270.3K

$307 ฿9,694

86.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.8K ₡6.0M

$14.8K ฿466.6K

-13.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.9 ₡29.1K

$55.7 ฿1,756

11.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.2 ₡24.5K

$26.79 ฿845

94.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 ₡58.5K

$83.2 ฿2,625

49.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ₡50.2K

$70.1 ฿2,211

52.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$775 ₡364.9K

$427 ฿13.5K

81.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$606 ₡285.1K

$237 ฿7,478

155.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,510 ₡710.8K

$802 ฿25.3K

88.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$969 ₡455.9K

$503 ฿15.9K

92.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,061 ฿65.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,533 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$654 ฿20.6K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.17

103.40%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz: March 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 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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