Cost of living comparison
compared to
Santa Monica vs. Bangkok Cost of Living Summary
Santa Monica is 2.6 times more expensive than Bangkok.
- Restaurants
- pay 4.9 times more in Santa Monica
- Groceries
- pay 2.0 times more in Santa Monica
- Transportation
- pay 31.3% more in Santa Monica
- Housing
- pay 4.7 times more in Santa Monica
- Childcare
- pay 2.0 times more in Santa Monica
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 2.3 times more in Santa Monica
- Clothing
- pay 20.0% more in Santa Monica
Santa Monica vs. Bangkok Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Santa Monica instead of Bangkok, you would:
pay 4.9 times more for restaurants
Bangkok | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $3.10 THB103.53 | $25.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $6.20 THB207.06 | $12.50 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $0.79 THB26.44 | $2.83 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $0.33 THB11.13 | $2.00 | |
Bangkok vs. Santa Monica - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.0 times more for groceries
Bangkok | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $1.44 THB48.08 | $4.41 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $8.50 THB283.98 | $6.67 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $7.23 THB241.39 | $4.71 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $2.28 THB76.27 | $5.00 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $1.38 THB46.08 | $6.33 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.59 THB53.11 | $2.00 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.82 THB27.27 | $0.87 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $1.02 THB34.17 | $1.84 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $0.85 THB28.48 | $2.53 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.72 THB24.05 | $1.38 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.65 THB21.68 | $1.22 | |
Bangkok vs. Santa Monica - Cost of groceries
pay 31.3% more for transportation
Bangkok | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.69 THB156.69 | $4.74 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $37.21 THB1,242.35 | $67.50 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $37,206.42 THB1M | $32,727.50 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $11.63 THB388.23 | $18.01 | |
Bangkok vs. Santa Monica - Cost of transportation
pay 4.7 times more for housing
Bangkok | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $16.91 THB564.51 | $69.00 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $675.06 THB22,540.61 | $3,175.00 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $321.97 THB10,750.66 | $2,533.33 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $68.69 THB2,293.50 | $155.53 | |
Bangkok vs. Santa Monica - Cost of housing
pay 2.0 times more for childcare
Bangkok | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $609.37 THB20,347.42 | $1,762.50 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $13,346.39 THB446K | $15,000.00 | |
Bangkok vs. Santa Monica - Cost of childcare
pay 2.3 times more for entertainment and sports
Bangkok | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $2.79 THB93.18 | $8.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $2.54 THB84.83 | $5.58 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $4.40 THB146.75 | $11.00 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $51.03 THB1,704.07 | $90.00 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $8.06 THB269.18 | $18.00 | |
Bangkok vs. Santa Monica - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 20.0% more for clothing
Bangkok | Santa Monica | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $58.81 THB1,963.54 | $61.25 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $38.03 THB1,269.95 | $44.15 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $104.24 THB3,480.54 | $100.09 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $91.47 THB3,054.10 | $149.85 | |
Bangkok vs. Santa Monica - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: June 2026
Change currency:
Compare further: Bangkok vs. Santa Monica
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the cost of living in Thailand vs. United States. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Thailand and United States.
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Santa Monica or Bangkok. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.