Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santa Rosa, Philippines and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Rosa: $609 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Santa Rosa
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Santa Rosa Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Santa Rosa

🇵🇭 Philippines

$609

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $609 per month in Santa Rosa vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santa Rosa $609
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $870 per month in Santa Rosa vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santa Rosa $870
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,131 per month in Santa Rosa vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santa Rosa $1,131
Chiang Mai $1,979

Santa Rosa is about 35% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.37 ₱150

$2.13 ฿71.9

11.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$16.73 ₱1,060

$18.62 ฿628

-10.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.79 ₱177

$5.60 ฿189

-50.18%

Cappuccino

$1.12 ₱70.9

$1.66 ฿56.0

-32.53%

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

$0.36 ₱22.52

$0.65 ฿21.80

-44.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 ₱15.26

$0.30 ฿10.28

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 ₱64.9

$2.32 ฿78.3

-56.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 ₱81.2

$3.67 ฿124

-65.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ₱104

$2.02 ฿67.9

-18.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.15 ₱72.8

$1.41 ฿47.45

-18.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.02 ₱64.4

$1.39 ฿46.90

-26.62%

Eggs

$1.55 ₱98.2

$2.37 ฿79.8

-34.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.82 ₱306

$16.52 ฿557

-70.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.33 ₱211

$2.67 ฿90.0

24.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.53 ₱478

$9.02 ฿304

-16.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 ₱138

$2.40 ฿80.8

-9.17%

Banana (1kg)

$0.80 ₱50.6

$1.04 ฿35.09

-23.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 ₱148

$1.66 ฿55.9

40.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.00 ₱63.6

$1.56 ฿52.5

-35.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.64 ₱104

$1.24 ฿41.71

32.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.67 ₱106

$1.09 ฿36.62

53.21%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 ₱55.1

$0.76 ฿25.67

14.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ₱33.17

$0.51 ฿17.33

1.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.95 ₱187

$4.12 ฿139

-28.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.46 ₱536

$17.93 ฿604

-52.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 ₱60.7

$1.62 ฿54.7

-40.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 ₱126

$2.82 ฿95.1

-29.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 ₱13.91

$0.93 ฿31.49

-76.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.12 ₱769

$52.9 ฿1,782

-77.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.81 ₱51.3

$1.18 ฿39.65

-31.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.20 ₱12.66

$0.17 ฿5.78

17.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.91 ₱121

$1.81 ฿61.1

5.52%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 ₱64.8

$1.47 ฿49.63

-30.61%

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

$20.9K ₱1.3M

$21.0K ฿708.1K

-0.60%

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

$19.1K ₱1.2M

$26.5K ฿893.6K

-28.13%

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

$62.5 ₱3,961

$62.6 ฿2,108

-0.11%

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

$6.35 ₱403

$11.60 ฿391

-45.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.61 ₱1,433

$20.30 ฿684

11.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.97 ₱1,963

$37.88 ฿1,277

-18.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.30 ₱336

$3.70 ฿125

43.24%

Cinema Ticket

$5.01 ₱318

$6.51 ฿219

-23.04%

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

$128 ₱8,119

$727 ฿24.5K

-82.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,501 ₱348.6K

$16.6K ฿558.5K

-66.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.15 ₱1,785

$53.5 ฿1,804

-47.42%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.46 ₱1,233

$24.80 ฿836

-21.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.2 ₱4,448

$90.4 ฿3,046

-22.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$54.8 ₱3,473

$72.0 ฿2,425

-23.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$254 ₱16.1K

$481 ฿16.2K

-47.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$167 ₱10.6K

$310 ฿10.4K

-46.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$489 ₱31.0K

$1,058 ฿35.7K

-53.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$173 ₱11.0K

$659 ฿22.2K

-73.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,679 ₱169.8K

$2,418 ฿81.5K

10.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,131 ₱71.7K

$1,609 ฿54.2K

-29.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$142 ₱9,011

$595 ฿20.0K

-76.10%

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 Rosa: October 31, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santa Rosa

$167 27.5%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 85.3% $143

Groceries & Markets

Santa Rosa

$166 27.2%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 42.9% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santa Rosa

$91 15%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 3.3% $3

Clothing & Footwear

Santa Rosa

$78 12.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 39.5% $31

Eating Out

Santa Rosa

$51 8.4%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 50.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Santa Rosa

$41 6.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 24.1% $9.9

Getting Around

Santa Rosa

$15 2.4%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 296% $44

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $255 in Santa Rosa 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.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 4.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $16 in Santa Rosa versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $166 vs $234 – making Santa Rosa the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇵🇭 Santa Rosa

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:02 7:02 PM

18:02 6:02 PM

1 h behind Santa Rosa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

414,812

127,240

💱 Currency

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 PHP = 1.58 USD

100 PHP = 1.41 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 63.38 PHP (100 PHP = 1.58 USD). 1 EUR = 70.96 PHP (100 PHP = 1.41 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to PHP in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Santa Rosa Chiang Mai 2,410 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

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

Chiang Mai costs about 54% more than Santa Rosa, 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 $913 per month in Santa Rosa 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 Rosa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $255 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $132 per month in Santa Rosa 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 41% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $609 in Santa Rosa and $935 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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