Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Monica, CA and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Monica, CA and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Santa Monica, CA is 154% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 418.4% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Santa Monica, CA is 169.6% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 419.9% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.98 $24.98

$2.01 ฿64.4

1142.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 $102

$18.23 ฿583

458.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.56 $12.56

$7.65 ฿244

64.18%

Cappuccino

$5.76 $5.76

$1.92 ฿61.3

200.00%

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

$2.96 $2.96

$0.84 ฿26.90

252.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 $2.29

$0.36 ฿11.39

536.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.33 $8.33

$2.19 ฿70.0

280.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.43 $9.43

$3.79 ฿121

148.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 $1.20

$1.64 ฿52.4

-26.83%

White Bread (500g)

$4.46 $4.46

$1.62 ฿51.8

175.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.43 $4.43

$1.15 ฿36.88

285.22%

Eggs

$6.85 $6.85

$1.94 ฿62.0

253.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 $12.87

$15.94 ฿510

-19.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.85 $13.85

$3.10 ฿99.2

346.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.56 $14.56

$11.07 ฿354

31.53%

Apples (1kg)

$5.41 $5.41

$2.71 ฿86.5

99.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$1.18 ฿37.69

65.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.14 $4.14

$1.71 ฿54.5

142.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.63 $5.63

$1.61 ฿51.3

249.69%

Potato (1kg)

$3.04 $3.04

$1.39 ฿44.53

118.71%

Onion (1kg)

$2.47 $2.47

$1.15 ฿36.70

114.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.83 $1.83

$0.71 ฿22.76

157.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.14 $2.14

$0.55 ฿17.60

289.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.04 $11.04

$4.57 ฿146

141.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.93 $14.93

$18.87 ฿603

-20.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.53 $2.53

$1.82 ฿58.2

39.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.16 $5.16

$3.21 ฿103

60.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.06 $2.06

$0.88 ฿28.16

134.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.5 $79.5

$18.89 ฿604

320.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.13 $3.13

$1.41 ฿45.17

121.99%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$1.30 ฿41.59

27.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.09 $29.09

$8.20 ฿262

254.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 $1.24

$1.23 ฿39.18

0.81%

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

$24.2K $24.2K

$21.2K ฿677.0K

14.23%

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

$25.8K $25.8K

$22.3K ฿713.3K

15.58%

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

$189 $189

$69.9 ฿2,234

171.05%

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

$58.3 $58.3

$14.07 ฿450

314.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.0 $66.0

$17.70 ฿566

272.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$119 $119

$41.41 ฿1,324

187.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$45.85 $45.85

$6.69 ฿214

585.35%

Cinema Ticket

$17.73 $17.73

$5.74 ฿184

208.89%

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

$1,786 $1,786

$299 ฿9,566

496.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.3K $15.3K

$15.0K ฿479.8K

1.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.2 $63.2

$54.8 ฿1,753

15.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.32 $34.32

$26.35 ฿842

30.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 $102

$84.7 ฿2,706

20.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 $151

$69.7 ฿2,229

116.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,263 $3,263

$427 ฿13.6K

664.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,904 $2,904

$241 ฿7,697

1106.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$6,827 $6,827

$811 ฿25.9K

742.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$5,956 $5,956

$498 ฿15.9K

1095.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.7K $10.7K

$2,022 ฿64.7K

427.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$7,974 $7,974

$1,524 ฿48.7K

423.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,856 $6,856

$639 ฿20.4K

972.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.49

29.80%

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

Last update for Santa Monica, CA: April 12, 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 Monica, CA vs other spots: cost of living compared

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