Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Maria and Chengdu

For one person, living costs are similar in Santa Maria and in Chengdu: $743 and $741 a month, rent and utilities included.

36

Cost of Living Index in Santa Maria
Learn more

Santa Maria Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Chengdu
Learn more

Chengdu Living Index

Jump to prices

Santa Maria

🇧🇷 Brazil

$743

/mo nomad

Chengdu

🇨🇳 China

$741

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Santa Maria and in Chengdu

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Santa Maria and in Chengdu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $743 per month in Santa Maria vs $741 in Chengdu, rent included.

Santa Maria $743
Chengdu $741

A couple spends around $1,242 per month in Santa Maria vs $1,204 in Chengdu, rent included.

Santa Maria $1,242
Chengdu $1,204

A family of three spends $1,742 per month in Santa Maria vs $1,667 in Chengdu, rent included.

Santa Maria $1,742
Chengdu $1,667

Santa Maria and Chengdu have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Santa Maria and Chengdu are more affordable than the global median – Santa Maria 45% lower, Chengdu 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.45 R$27.65

$2.80 ¥18.69

94.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.62 R$186

$22.37 ¥149

63.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.82 R$34.57

$4.91 ¥32.81

38.90%

Cappuccino

$1.85 R$9.36

$2.88 ¥19.26

-35.76%

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

$1.07 R$5.40

$0.50 ¥3.37

114.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.68 R$3.46

$0.28 ¥1.88

142.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.63 R$8.29

$1.53 ¥10.19

6.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 R$15.55

$2.19 ¥14.59

40.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 R$5.27

$1.90 ¥12.71

-45.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.64 R$8.31

$1.50 ¥10.01

9.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.08 R$5.48

$0.99 ¥6.61

9.09%

Eggs

$2.10 R$10.64

$1.56 ¥10.40

34.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.43 R$47.80

$14.54 ¥97.1

-35.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.96 R$20.07

$3.66 ¥24.45

8.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.20 R$41.58

$11.19 ¥74.7

-26.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.48 R$12.57

$1.85 ¥12.38

34.05%

Banana (1kg)

$1.50 R$7.61

$1.37 ¥9.18

9.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.36 R$6.91

$1.09 ¥7.27

24.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 R$7.75

$1.16 ¥7.73

31.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.16 R$5.88

$0.70 ¥4.70

65.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.13 R$5.71

$0.72 ¥4.83

56.94%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.86 R$4.37

$0.62 ¥4.16

38.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 R$4.12

$0.54 ¥3.63

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.38 R$12.07

$3.72 ¥24.86

-36.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 R$41.44

$4.58 ¥30.57

78.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.14 R$5.77

$0.82 ¥5.48

39.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 R$11.09

$1.48 ¥9.85

47.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.01 R$5.13

$0.43 ¥2.87

134.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 R$155

$24.50 ¥164

24.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.32 R$6.70

$1.30 ¥8.69

1.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 R$4.39

$0.29 ¥1.94

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.16 R$41.36

$4.46 ¥29.81

82.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 R$6.21

$1.32 ¥8.80

-6.82%

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

$23.9K R$121.2K

$19.6K ¥130.7K

22.18%

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

$32.6K R$165.3K

$17.4K ¥115.9K

87.82%

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

$53.4 R$271

$47.19 ¥315

13.20%

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

$12.65 R$64.1

$9.21 ¥61.5

37.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.66 R$84.5

$12.45 ¥83.1

33.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.82 R$121

$26.80 ¥179

-11.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$12.05 R$61.1

$11.39 ¥76.1

5.79%

Cinema Ticket

$5.66 R$28.68

$6.08 ¥40.57

-6.91%

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

$163 R$828

$379 ¥2,531

-56.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,049 R$15.5K

$14.8K ¥98.9K

-79.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.2 R$260

$25.28 ¥169

102.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.38 R$220

$27.77 ¥185

56.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 R$486

$56.9 ¥380

68.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.3 R$316

$52.6 ¥351

18.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$293 R$1,486

$464 ¥3,099

-36.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$172 R$870

$248 ¥1,657

-30.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$648 R$3,285

$813 ¥5,429

-20.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$391 R$1,982

$533 ¥3,560

-26.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,029 R$10.3K

$3,762 ¥25.1K

-46.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$674 R$3,416

$1,902 ¥12.7K

-64.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$637 R$3,227

$1,252 ¥8,356

-49.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.38

195.86%

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

Last update for Santa Maria: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chengdu: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Santa Maria

$192 25.9%

Chengdu

$196 26.5% 2.2% $4.1

Accommodation & Living

Santa Maria

$172 23.1%

Chengdu

$248 33.5% 44.7% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Maria

$114 15.3%

Chengdu

$73 9.9% 35.7% $41

Eating Out

Santa Maria

$108 14.5%

Chengdu

$87 11.7% 19.2% $21

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Maria

$83 11.1%

Chengdu

$69 9.3% 16.8% $14

Getting Around

Santa Maria

$40 5.4%

Chengdu

$29 3.9% 27.9% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Maria

$35 4.7%

Chengdu

$39 5.3% 10.9% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $293 in Santa Maria versus $464 in Chengdu. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 97% higher in Chengdu. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Santa Maria versus $22.00 in Chengdu. Groceries tell a different story – $192 in Santa Maria vs $196 in Chengdu – so Santa Maria wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Santa Maria

🇨🇳 Chengdu

🕒 Local time

04:59 4:59 AM

15:59 3:59 PM

11 h ahead of Santa Maria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

271,735

20,937,757

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.197 USD

1 BRL = 0.175 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.133 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 5.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.197 USD). 1 EUR = 5.7 BRL (1 BRL = 0.175 EUR).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 6.68 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.51 CNY (1 CNY = 0.133 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Santa Maria Chengdu 17,890 km ≈ 23 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Maria
Chengdu

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 Maria vs Chengdu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,114 per month in Santa Maria and $1,112 in Chengdu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chengdu, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Santa Maria and $22.00 in Chengdu. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 25% less in Chengdu. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $743 in Santa Maria and $741 in Chengdu, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

If budget matters most, go with Chengdu. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Santa Maria makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.