Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burns Lake and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,212 in Burns Lake, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Burns Lake
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Burns Lake Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Burns Lake

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,212

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,212 per month in Burns Lake vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Burns Lake $2,212
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,200 per month in Burns Lake vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Burns Lake $3,200
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $4,187 per month in Burns Lake vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Burns Lake $4,187
Chiang Mai $1,914

Burns Lake costs about 136% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Burns Lake sits 64% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.66 CA$22.14

$2.26 ฿75.4

592.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.4 CA$101

$19.18 ฿641

272.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.40 CA$14.70

$5.59 ฿187

86.05%

Cappuccino

$3.73 CA$5.27

$1.72 ฿57.6

116.86%

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

$2.06 CA$2.91

$0.64 ฿21.54

221.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 CA$2.12

$0.33 ฿11.18

354.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.83 CA$6.83

$2.36 ฿78.7

104.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.88 CA$6.90

$3.90 ฿130

25.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 CA$2.45

$2.05 ฿68.6

-15.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.24 CA$3.16

$1.40 ฿46.70

60.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.49 CA$4.94

$1.28 ฿42.89

172.66%

Eggs

$3.20 CA$4.53

$2.25 ฿75.3

42.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.50 CA$13.43

$16.94 ฿566

-43.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.79 CA$13.84

$2.74 ฿91.6

257.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.72 CA$17.99

$9.36 ฿313

35.90%

Apples (1kg)

$3.62 CA$5.12

$2.40 ฿80.3

50.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.35 CA$1.91

$1.01 ฿33.92

33.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.81 CA$5.38

$1.61 ฿53.9

136.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.94 CA$5.57

$1.52 ฿50.7

159.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 CA$3.50

$1.28 ฿42.90

92.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.03 CA$2.86

$1.11 ฿37.22

82.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.65 CA$3.75

$0.72 ฿24.09

268.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 CA$2.55

$0.52 ฿17.54

246.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.20 CA$20.07

$4.33 ฿145

227.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.85 CA$18.16

$17.73 ฿593

-27.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.56 CA$3.61

$1.63 ฿54.4

57.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 CA$3.84

$2.85 ฿95.3

-4.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.37 CA$3.34

$0.85 ฿28.31

178.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.3 CA$78.1

$53.9 ฿1,801

2.54%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 CA$4.00

$1.17 ฿39.18

141.88%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.65 CA$2.33

$0.57 ฿19.00

189.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.52 CA$31.84

$2.37 ฿79.2

850.21%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 CA$1.68

$1.45 ฿48.32

-17.93%

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

$26.0K CA$36.8K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

26.97%

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

$18.1K CA$25.6K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-31.83%

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

$132 CA$187

$62.3 ฿2,083

111.98%

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

$38.50 CA$54.4

$12.27 ฿410

213.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.6 CA$74.3

$19.97 ฿668

163.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.39 CA$57.1

$37.91 ฿1,267

6.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.07 CA$25.54

$3.76 ฿126

380.59%

Cinema Ticket

$11.00 CA$15.56

$6.71 ฿224

63.93%

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

$756 CA$1,068

$797 ฿26.6K

-5.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.0K CA$15.6K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-25.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.6 CA$84.3

$53.3 ฿1,780

11.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.17 CA$61.0

$25.05 ฿837

72.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.9 CA$117

$91.6 ฿3,062

-9.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 CA$157

$73.5 ฿2,455

51.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,255 CA$1,774

$464 ฿15.5K

170.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,137 CA$1,607

$305 ฿10.2K

273.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,937 CA$2,739

$915 ฿30.6K

111.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,720 CA$2,432

$552 ฿18.5K

211.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,807 CA$6,795

$1,912 ฿63.9K

151.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,129 CA$4,424

$1,438 ฿48.1K

117.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.66

5.57

-16.34%

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

Last update for Burns Lake: 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

Burns Lake

$1.1K 51.4%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 73.2% $832

Groceries & Markets

Burns Lake

$331 15%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 28.1% $93

Eating Out

Burns Lake

$249 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 68.3% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burns Lake

$223 10.1%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 57.6% $129

Clothing & Footwear

Burns Lake

$134 6%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 18% $24

Getting Around

Burns Lake

$76 3.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 19.1% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Burns Lake

$62 2.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 17.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,255 in Burns Lake 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Burns Lake versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $331 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Burns Lake

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:30 1:30 PM

03:30 3:30 AM

14 h ahead of Burns Lake

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,779

127,240

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Burns Lake Chiang Mai 10,850 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Burns Lake
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

Burns Lake vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Burns Lake costs about 136% 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 $3,318 per month in Burns Lake 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.

Groceries cost about 39% more in Burns Lake, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71.0 in Burns Lake and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Burns Lake at $2,212. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Burns Lake it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,212 in Burns Lake. 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, Burns Lake makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.