Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Santarem and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,300 in Santarem, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Santarem
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Santarem Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Santarem

🇵🇹 Portugal

$1,300

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,300 per month in Santarem vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santarem $1,300
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,014 per month in Santarem vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santarem $2,014
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,729 per month in Santarem vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Santarem $2,729
Chiang Mai $1,914

Santarem costs about 38% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Santarem and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Santarem 4% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.30 €10.94

$2.26 ฿75.4

444.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.39 €35.04

$19.18 ฿641

105.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.99 €8.00

$5.59 ฿187

60.82%

Cappuccino

$1.71 €1.52

$1.72 ฿57.6

-0.58%

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

$1.78 €1.59

$0.64 ฿21.54

178.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.03

$0.33 ฿11.18

248.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.36 ฿78.7

-8.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.39 €3.02

$3.90 ฿130

-13.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.01

$2.05 ฿68.6

-44.39%

White Bread (500g)

$0.46 €0.41

$1.40 ฿46.70

-67.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.09 €0.97

$1.28 ฿42.89

-14.84%

Eggs

$3.27 €2.91

$2.25 ฿75.3

45.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.05 €9.83

$16.94 ฿566

-34.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.14 €6.35

$2.74 ฿91.6

160.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.42 €11.93

$9.36 ฿313

43.38%

Apples (1kg)

$2.81 €2.50

$2.40 ฿80.3

17.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.01 ฿33.92

34.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 €2.23

$1.61 ฿53.9

55.28%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 €1.88

$1.52 ฿50.7

39.47%

Potato (1kg)

$1.40 €1.25

$1.28 ฿42.90

9.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.11 ฿37.22

39.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.10 €0.97

$0.72 ฿24.09

52.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.31 €0.28

$0.52 ฿17.54

-40.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.62 €5.00

$4.33 ฿145

29.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.78 €5.14

$17.73 ฿593

-67.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.63 ฿54.4

-25.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.57 €3.17

$2.85 ฿95.3

25.26%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 €2.00

$0.85 ฿28.31

164.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.4 €50.2

$53.9 ฿1,801

4.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.53 €3.14

$1.17 ฿39.18

201.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.45 ฿48.32

40.69%

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

$33.8K €30.1K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

65.06%

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

$38.4K €34.1K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

44.71%

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

$130 €116

$62.3 ฿2,083

108.65%

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

$20.74 €18.45

$12.27 ฿410

69.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$56.0 €49.81

$19.97 ฿668

180.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.97 €33.78

$37.91 ฿1,267

0.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.65 €5.91

$6.71 ฿224

-0.89%

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

$416 €370

$797 ฿26.6K

-47.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.4K €16.4K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

24.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.0 €69.3

$53.3 ฿1,780

46.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.74 €33.57

$25.05 ฿837

50.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.6

$91.6 ฿3,062

17.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €117

$73.5 ฿2,455

79.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$656 €584

$464 ฿15.5K

41.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$412 €366

$305 ฿10.2K

35.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,042 €927

$915 ฿30.6K

13.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$810 €720

$552 ฿18.5K

46.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,167 €1,927

$1,912 ฿63.9K

13.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,103 €981

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-23.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,068 €950

$595 ฿19.9K

79.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.76

5.57

-14.54%

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

Last update for Santarem: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Santarem

$412 31.7%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 26% $107

Groceries & Markets

Santarem

$226 17.4%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 5.5% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Santarem

$207 15.9%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 54.3% $112

Eating Out

Santarem

$175 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 54.9% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Santarem

$160 12.3%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 31.5% $50

Getting Around

Santarem

$69 * 5.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 11% $7.6

Sport & Entertainment

Santarem

$51 4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 0.1% $0.1

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $656 in Santarem versus $464 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 run about 79% higher in Santarem, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $39.00 in Santarem versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $226 in Santarem vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Santarem wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Santarem

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

08:03 8:03 AM

6 h ahead of Santarem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,671

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Santarem Chiang Mai 10,130 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Santarem
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

Santarem vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santarem costs about 38% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,949 per month in Santarem and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $416 per month in Santarem and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Santarem – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Santarem at $1,300. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Santarem it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,300 in Santarem. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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