Last update: Oct 2026

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

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Cruz, Laguna: $616 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Santa Cruz, Laguna
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Santa Cruz, Laguna Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Santa Cruz, Laguna

🇵🇭 Philippines

$616

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Cruz, Laguna 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 Cruz, Laguna and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $616 per month in Santa Cruz, Laguna vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santa Cruz, Laguna $616
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $911 per month in Santa Cruz, Laguna vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santa Cruz, Laguna $911
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,206 per month in Santa Cruz, Laguna vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santa Cruz, Laguna $1,206
Chiang Mai $1,979

Santa Cruz, Laguna is about 34% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Santa Cruz, Laguna and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Santa Cruz, Laguna 55% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.55 ₱98.8

$2.24 ฿75.7

-30.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$7.73 ₱494

$19.00 ฿642

-59.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.79 ₱178

$5.55 ฿188

-49.73%

Cappuccino

$1.76 ₱113

$1.67 ฿56.6

5.39%

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

$0.37 ₱23.90

$0.64 ฿21.56

-42.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 ₱15.42

$0.31 ฿10.32

-22.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 ₱64.7

$2.36 ฿79.6

-57.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 ₱57.2

$3.66 ฿124

-75.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.54 ₱98.4

$1.95 ฿65.8

-21.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 ₱73.3

$1.44 ฿48.51

-20.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.91 ₱57.9

$1.33 ฿45.07

-31.58%

Eggs

$1.52 ₱97.0

$2.28 ฿77.1

-33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.82 ₱308

$16.45 ฿556

-70.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.29 ₱210

$2.78 ฿94.0

18.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.20 ₱460

$9.31 ฿314

-22.66%

Apples (1kg)

$1.37 ₱87.7

$2.35 ฿79.5

-41.70%

Banana (1kg)

$0.49 ₱31.52

$0.97 ฿32.82

-49.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 ₱91.7

$1.60 ฿53.9

-10.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.06 ₱67.7

$1.50 ฿50.7

-29.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 ₱107

$1.28 ฿43.15

30.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.68 ₱107

$1.10 ฿37.22

52.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 ₱39.25

$0.71 ฿23.84

-14.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₱33.12

$0.49 ฿16.38

6.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.93 ₱187

$4.14 ฿140

-29.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.49 ₱543

$17.52 ฿592

-51.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₱61.4

$1.61 ฿54.5

-40.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 ₱131

$2.78 ฿94.0

-25.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.21 ₱13.11

$0.87 ฿29.33

-75.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.50 ₱735

$54.1 ฿1,827

-78.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 ₱48.74

$1.16 ฿39.08

-34.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.22 ₱14.00

$0.53 ฿17.82

-58.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.93 ₱124

$2.42 ฿81.8

-20.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 ₱76.5

$1.45 ฿48.93

-17.24%

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

$20.7K ₱1.3M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-1.70%

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

$18.9K ₱1.2M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-29.74%

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

$82.8 ₱5,290

$62.2 ฿2,100

33.17%

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

$17.51 ₱1,118

$12.17 ฿411

43.88%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.58 ₱1,443

$20.12 ฿680

12.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.30 ₱1,744

$37.31 ฿1,260

-26.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.47 ₱285

$3.77 ฿127

18.57%

Cinema Ticket

$5.03 ₱321

$6.49 ฿219

-22.50%

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

$128 ₱8,194

$736 ฿24.9K

-82.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ₱677.6K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-28.17%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.32 ₱1,809

$53.4 ฿1,802

-46.94%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.21 ₱1,227

$24.64 ฿832

-22.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$69.6 ₱4,447

$91.5 ฿3,089

-23.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.7 ₱3,431

$71.9 ฿2,429

-25.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$219 ₱14.0K

$482 ฿16.3K

-54.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$160 ₱10.2K

$309 ฿10.4K

-48.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$480 ₱30.7K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-52.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ₱19.1K

$633 ฿21.4K

-52.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,453 ₱156.7K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

3.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,079 ₱68.9K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-32.11%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

5.57

21.18%

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

Last update for Santa Cruz, Laguna: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$160 26%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 92.9% $149

Groceries & Markets

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$153 24.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 53.3% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$123 20%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 23.1% $28

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$77 12.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 41.3% $32

Eating Out

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$51 8.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 51.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$37 6.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 34.6% $13

Getting Around

Santa Cruz, Laguna

$14 2.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 333% $47

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $219 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $482 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $8 in Santa Cruz, Laguna versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $153 vs $234 – making Santa Cruz, Laguna the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Santa Cruz, Laguna

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:06 3:06 AM

02:06 2:06 AM

1 h behind Santa Cruz, Laguna

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,574

127,240

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.57 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to PHP – Philippine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇵🇭 Philippine Peso (₱)

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 63.89 PHP (100 PHP = 1.57 USD). 1 EUR = 71.13 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Santa Cruz, Laguna Chiang Mai 2,440 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Santa Cruz, Laguna
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 Cruz, Laguna vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 52% more than Santa Cruz, Laguna, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $923 per month in Santa Cruz, Laguna 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 Santa Cruz, Laguna, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $219 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $128 per month in Santa Cruz, Laguna and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 53% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $616 in Santa Cruz, Laguna and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Santa Cruz, Laguna – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

For expats, Santa Cruz, Laguna is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 52% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.