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 14.3% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 2.4% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Cruz is 65.9% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 8.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.70 JMD 1,204

$2.03 ฿63.1

279.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.5 JMD 9,763

$18.34 ฿570

240.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.86 JMD 1,385

$7.56 ฿235

17.20%

Cappuccino

$4.24 JMD 663

$1.94 ฿60.2

118.56%

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

$1.37 JMD 215

$0.79 ฿24.68

73.42%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 JMD 110

$0.36 ฿11.06

97.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 JMD 396

$2.21 ฿68.8

14.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 JMD 475

$3.75 ฿117

-18.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$4.33 JMD 677

$1.66 ฿51.6

160.84%

White Bread (500g)

$3.59 JMD 561

$1.60 ฿49.82

124.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 JMD 251

$1.20 ฿37.16

34.17%

Eggs

$3.56 JMD 557

$1.92 ฿59.6

85.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.94 JMD 1,710

$15.90 ฿494

-31.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.43 JMD 1,005

$3.03 ฿94.1

112.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.53 JMD 1,177

$11.09 ฿345

-32.10%

Apples (1kg)

$5.86 JMD 916

$2.74 ฿85.2

113.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.99 JMD 467

$1.22 ฿37.78

145.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.31 JMD 674

$1.71 ฿53.0

152.05%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.99 JMD 468

$1.53 ฿47.48

95.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 JMD 314

$1.40 ฿43.36

43.57%

Onion (1kg)

$2.00 JMD 312

$1.20 ฿37.16

66.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.00 JMD 469

$0.68 ฿21.04

341.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 JMD 237

$0.57 ฿17.61

164.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.66 JMD 1,354

$4.56 ฿142

89.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.44 JMD 1,788

$19.32 ฿600

-40.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.91 JMD 454

$1.85 ฿57.5

57.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 JMD 482

$3.30 ฿102

-6.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ฿27.44

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.26 ฿599

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 JMD 170

$1.41 ฿43.91

-22.70%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.24 JMD 506

$1.30 ฿40.25

149.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.34 JMD 991

$7.85 ฿244

-19.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 JMD 193

$1.25 ฿38.72

-1.60%

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

$43.1K JMD 6.7M

$21.8K ฿676.2K

98.18%

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

$33.2K JMD 5.2M

$21.9K ฿680.6K

51.70%

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

$164 JMD 25.7K

$69.7 ฿2,166

135.88%

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

$22.36 JMD 3,495

$14.20 ฿441

57.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.9 JMD 8,113

$17.55 ฿545

195.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.89 ฿1,302

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.93 ฿215

Cinema Ticket

$13.02 JMD 2,034

$5.70 ฿177

128.42%

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

$226 JMD 35.2K

$310 ฿9,650

-27.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,526 JMD 394.8K

$14.9K ฿463.8K

-83.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.85 JMD 4,041

$55.0 ฿1,711

-53.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.88 JMD 4,045

$26.47 ฿823

-2.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.2 JMD 11.3K

$85.2 ฿2,648

-15.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$75.5 JMD 11.8K

$71.6 ฿2,225

5.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$435 ฿13.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$240 ฿7,463

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$804 ฿25.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$498 ฿15.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,102 ฿65.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,541 ฿47.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$418 JMD 65.3K

$654 ฿20.3K

-36.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

9.15

83.00%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz: February 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: February 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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