Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Maria and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Maria: $732 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Santa Maria
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Santa Maria Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Santa Maria

🇧🇷 Brazil

$732

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $732 per month in Santa Maria vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santa Maria $732
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,224 per month in Santa Maria vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santa Maria $1,224
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,715 per month in Santa Maria vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santa Maria $1,715
Chiang Mai $1,979

Santa Maria is about 22% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Santa Maria and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Santa Maria 46% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.61 R$30.54

$2.24 ฿75.6

150.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.42 R$182

$19.00 ฿641

75.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.46 R$35.14

$5.55 ฿187

16.40%

Cappuccino

$1.70 R$9.26

$1.67 ฿56.5

1.80%

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

$1.03 R$5.60

$0.64 ฿21.54

60.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 R$3.35

$0.31 ฿10.31

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.51 R$8.20

$2.36 ฿79.5

-36.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.26 R$23.16

$3.66 ฿124

16.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 R$5.53

$1.95 ฿65.7

-47.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 R$8.03

$1.44 ฿48.46

2.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.42 R$7.72

$1.33 ฿45.03

6.77%

Eggs

$1.74 R$9.49

$2.28 ฿77.1

-23.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.55 R$46.50

$16.45 ฿555

-48.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.71 R$20.17

$2.78 ฿93.9

33.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.82 R$42.52

$9.31 ฿314

-16.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 R$12.31

$2.35 ฿79.4

-3.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 R$7.51

$0.97 ฿32.79

42.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 R$10.95

$1.60 ฿53.9

25.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.37 R$7.48

$1.50 ฿50.6

-8.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 R$6.15

$1.28 ฿43.11

-11.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.28 R$6.98

$1.10 ฿37.18

16.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 R$4.73

$0.71 ฿23.82

22.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 R$4.46

$0.49 ฿16.36

67.35%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.20 R$11.98

$4.14 ฿140

-46.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.58 R$41.23

$17.52 ฿591

-56.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.21 R$6.57

$1.61 ฿54.5

-24.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 R$14.99

$2.78 ฿93.9

-1.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.22 R$6.65

$0.87 ฿29.30

40.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.50 R$231

$54.1 ฿1,825

-21.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 R$6.41

$1.16 ฿39.04

1.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.79 R$4.28

$0.53 ฿17.80

49.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 R$41.98

$2.42 ฿81.7

219.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.17 R$6.36

$1.45 ฿48.88

-19.31%

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

$22.9K R$124.7K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

8.88%

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

$30.0K R$163.5K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

11.54%

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

$51.1 R$278

$62.2 ฿2,098

-17.77%

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

$15.89 R$86.4

$12.17 ฿411

30.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.02 R$92.6

$20.12 ฿679

-15.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.47 R$122

$37.31 ฿1,259

-39.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.14 R$60.6

$3.77 ฿127

195.49%

Cinema Ticket

$5.46 R$29.70

$6.49 ฿219

-15.87%

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

$147 R$799

$736 ฿24.8K

-80.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,764 R$15.0K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-81.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.1 R$321

$53.4 ฿1,801

10.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.62 R$226

$24.64 ฿831

68.91%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.8 R$505

$91.5 ฿3,087

1.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$60.1 R$327

$71.9 ฿2,427

-16.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$282 R$1,533

$482 ฿16.3K

-41.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$155 R$844

$309 ฿10.4K

-49.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$608 R$3,305

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-39.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 R$2,013

$633 ฿21.4K

-41.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,633 R$8,882

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-30.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$677 R$3,685

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-57.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 R$3,213

$590 ฿19.9K

0.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

79.53%

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

Last update for Santa Maria: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Santa Maria

$186 25.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 26.2% $49

Accommodation & Living

Santa Maria

$155 21.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 99.1% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Maria

$114 15.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 4.8% $5.4

Eating Out

Santa Maria

$107 14.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 27.7% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Maria

$84 11.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 12.4% $10

Getting Around

Santa Maria

$53 7.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 16.9% $8.9

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Maria

$33 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 50.6% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $282 in Santa Maria 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 $33 in Santa Maria versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $186 in Santa Maria vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Santa Maria wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇷 Santa Maria

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:20 7:20 PM

05:20 5:20 AM

10 h ahead of Santa Maria

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

271,735

127,240

💱 Currency

Brazilian Real BRL R$

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BRL = 0.184 USD

1 BRL = 0.165 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BRL – Brazilian Real Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇷 Brazilian Real (R$)

Brazilian Real exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 5.44 BRL (1 BRL = 0.184 USD). 1 EUR = 6.07 BRL (1 BRL = 0.165 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to BRL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Santa Maria Chiang Mai 17,010 km ≈ 22 h nonstop flight

From you

Santa Maria
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 Maria vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 28% more than Santa Maria, 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 $1,098 per month in Santa Maria 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 Maria, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $282 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $147 per month in Santa Maria 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 26% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $732 in Santa Maria and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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