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 77.6% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 80.1% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Cruz is 64% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 77.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.96 ₡5,007

$2.01 ฿64.5

445.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$59.5 ₡27.2K

$18.23 ฿584

226.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.01 ₡4,571

$7.65 ฿245

30.85%

Cappuccino

$3.80 ₡1,737

$1.92 ฿61.5

97.92%

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

$1.96 ₡897

$0.84 ฿26.97

133.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 ₡756

$0.36 ฿11.42

358.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.03 ₡1,383

$2.19 ฿70.2

38.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.69 ₡2,143

$3.79 ฿121

23.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.04 ₡931

$1.64 ฿52.5

24.39%

White Bread (500g)

$2.90 ₡1,326

$1.62 ฿52.0

79.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 ₡1,016

$1.15 ฿36.98

93.91%

Eggs

$2.99 ₡1,366

$1.94 ฿62.2

54.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.69 ₡4,428

$15.94 ฿511

-39.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.37 ₡4,280

$3.10 ฿99.5

202.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.81 ₡6,309

$11.07 ฿355

24.75%

Apples (1kg)

$4.55 ₡2,081

$2.71 ฿86.8

67.90%

Banana (1kg)

$1.00 ₡457

$1.18 ฿37.80

-15.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.38 ₡2,000

$1.71 ฿54.7

156.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.45 ₡1,574

$1.61 ฿51.5

114.29%

Potato (1kg)

$3.37 ₡1,541

$1.39 ฿44.66

142.45%

Onion (1kg)

$3.11 ₡1,421

$1.15 ฿36.81

170.43%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.04 ₡474

$0.71 ฿22.83

46.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.80 ₡1,279

$0.55 ฿17.65

409.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.34 ₡2,441

$4.57 ฿146

16.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.35 ₡9,753

$18.87 ฿605

13.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 ₡1,119

$1.82 ฿58.4

34.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 ₡1,343

$3.21 ฿103

-8.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 ₡460

$0.88 ฿28.24

14.77%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.89 ฿606

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.85 ₡847

$1.41 ฿45.30

31.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 ₡838

$1.30 ฿41.71

41.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.81 ₡3,568

$8.20 ฿263

-4.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 ₡644

$1.23 ฿39.29

14.63%

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

$37.6K ₡17.2M

$21.2K ฿678.9K

77.48%

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

$33.1K ₡15.1M

$22.3K ฿715.3K

48.28%

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

$93.3 ₡42.6K

$69.9 ฿2,240

33.52%

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

$25.56 ₡11.7K

$14.07 ฿451

81.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.1 ₡24.7K

$17.70 ฿567

205.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.5 ₡25.8K

$41.41 ฿1,328

36.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.49 ₡10.7K

$6.69 ฿215

251.12%

Cinema Ticket

$5.98 ₡2,734

$5.74 ฿184

4.18%

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

$574 ₡262.1K

$299 ฿9,593

91.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.7K ₡5.8M

$15.0K ฿481.2K

-15.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ₡28.2K

$54.8 ฿1,758

12.51%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.1 ₡23.8K

$26.35 ฿845

97.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$128 ₡58.4K

$84.7 ฿2,714

51.06%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 ₡48.8K

$69.7 ฿2,236

53.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ₡348.6K

$427 ฿13.7K

78.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$600 ₡274.3K

$241 ฿7,718

149.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,503 ₡686.6K

$811 ฿26.0K

85.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$959 ₡438.0K

$498 ฿16.0K

92.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,022 ฿64.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,524 ฿48.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$639 ฿20.5K

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: 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 vs other spots: cost of living compared

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