For one person, living is cheaper in Thailand: $990 a month against $2,310 in Canada, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Canada and in Thailand actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
A single person spends $2,310 per month in Canada vs $990 in Thailand, rent included.
Canada $2,310
Thailand $990
A couple spends around $3,356 per month in Canada vs $1,614 in Thailand, rent included.
Canada $3,356
Thailand $1,614
A family of three spends $4,403 per month in Canada vs $2,238 in Thailand, rent included.
Canada $4,403
Thailand $2,238
📏
The regional cost range is wider in Canada ($889–$3,737) than in Thailand ($608–$2,241), so city choice matters more there.
🌍
The cost of living in Canada is about 133% higher than in Thailand on average.
📊
Canada sits 70% above the global median, while Thailand is 27% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Canada
Thailand
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$18.16CA$25.38
$2.98฿101
509.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$71.2CA$99.5
$26.37฿890
170.04%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$10.81CA$15.11
$6.69฿226
61.58%
Cappuccino
$3.78CA$5.28
$2.02฿68.0
87.13%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11CA$2.96
$0.66฿22.18
219.70%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.66CA$2.32
$0.33฿11.11
403.03%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$5.62CA$7.85
$2.26฿76.4
148.67%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$5.72CA$7.99
$3.65฿123
56.71%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Canada
Thailand
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$2.17CA$3.04
$1.79฿60.4
21.23%
White Bread(500g)
$2.60CA$3.64
$1.34฿45.11
94.03%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$3.65CA$5.11
$1.23฿41.34
196.75%
Eggs
$3.63CA$5.07
$2.03฿68.5
78.82%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$10.76CA$15.04
$16.57฿559
-35.06%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$11.90CA$16.62
$2.98฿100
299.33%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$15.42CA$21.55
$10.84฿366
42.25%
Apples(1kg)
$4.03CA$5.63
$2.96฿100.0
36.15%
Banana(1kg)
$1.38CA$1.94
$1.26฿42.40
9.52%
Oranges(1kg)
$3.88CA$5.41
$2.03฿68.4
91.13%
Tomato(1kg)
$4.08CA$5.70
$1.71฿57.8
138.60%
Potato(1kg)
$2.57CA$3.59
$1.47฿49.56
74.83%
Onion(1kg)
$2.48CA$3.46
$1.32฿44.38
87.88%
Lettuce(1 head)
$2.65CA$3.70
$1.14฿38.44
132.46%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$1.71CA$2.40
$0.48฿16.32
256.25%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$14.32CA$20.01
$4.27฿144
235.36%
Wine(Bottle)
$13.49CA$18.85
$16.99฿573
-20.60%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$2.84CA$3.97
$1.66฿56.1
71.08%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$3.30CA$4.62
$2.74฿92.6
20.44%
🚌 Getting Around
Canada
Thailand
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$2.55CA$3.57
$0.91฿30.84
180.22%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$71.9CA$101
$34.94฿1,179
105.87%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$3.18CA$4.44
$1.16฿39.25
174.14%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$1.54CA$2.15
$1.16฿39.01
32.76%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$26.69CA$37.30
$5.77฿195
362.56%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$1.24CA$1.74
$1.34฿45.28
-7.46%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$27.9KCA$39.0K
$30.7K฿1.0M
-9.07%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.1KCA$29.4K
$26.6K฿896.9K
-20.75%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Canada
Thailand
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$147CA$206
$81.7฿2,757
80.33%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$41.80CA$58.4
$12.47฿421
235.20%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$60.2CA$84.1
$18.20฿614
230.88%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Canada
Thailand
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$39.01CA$54.5
$50.2฿1,692
-22.21%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.06CA$26.64
$11.64฿393
63.75%
Cinema Ticket
$11.21CA$15.66
$6.41฿216
74.88%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Canada
Thailand
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$721CA$1,008
$558฿18.8K
29.23%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$14.8KCA$20.7K
$12.3K฿415.3K
20.62%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Canada
Thailand
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.3CA$77.2
$52.3฿1,765
5.66%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.95CA$54.4
$31.83฿1,074
22.37%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$87.4CA$122
$88.2฿2,977
-0.93%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$101CA$142
$78.5฿2,649
29.00%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Canada
Thailand
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,290CA$1,803
$495฿16.7K
160.69%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$1,130CA$1,579
$320฿10.8K
253.51%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$2,036CA$2,845
$1,355฿45.7K
50.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$1,731CA$2,418
$771฿26.0K
124.56%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$4,769CA$6,664
$3,611฿121.8K
32.06%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$3,730CA$5,211
$2,072฿69.9K
79.99%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Canada
Thailand
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$3,070CA$4,289
$562฿19.0K
446.52%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
4.87
5.67
-14.11%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Canada: October 26, 2026
Last update for Thailand: October 25, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Canada
$1.1K 48.9%
Thailand
$320 32.3% ↓ 71.7%$810
🛒Groceries & Markets
Canada
$371 16.1%
Thailand
$246 24.8% ↓ 33.8%$125
🍽Eating Out
Canada
$278 12%
Thailand
$91 9.2% ↓ 67.4%$187
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Canada
$249 10.8%
Thailand
$112 11.4% ↓ 54.9%$137
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Canada
$127 5.5%
Thailand
$113 11.4% ↓ 11.3%$14
🚌Getting Around
Canada
$93 4%
Thailand
$46 4.6% ↓ 51%$47
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Canada
$61 2.7%
Thailand
$63 6.4% ↑ 2.5%$1.5
🏠Accommodation & Living
Canada
$1.7K 39.3%
Thailand
$771 34.4% ↓ 55.5%$960
🛒Groceries & Markets
Canada
$847 19.2%
Thailand
$555 24.8% ↓ 34.5%$292
🍽Eating Out
Canada
$918 20.9%
Thailand
$306 13.7% ↓ 66.7%$612
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Canada
$291 6.6%
Thailand
$125 5.6% ↓ 57.1%$166
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Canada
$283 6.4%
Thailand
$251 11.2% ↓ 11.3%$32
🚌Getting Around
Canada
$191 4.3%
Thailand
$93 4.2% ↓ 51.4%$98
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Canada
$142 3.2%
Thailand
$138 6.2% ↓ 3.1%$4.3
Cost Breakdown
🏠Average rent: $1,250 in Canada vs $463 in Thailand. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,434 in Ottawa and $713 in Bangkok.
💰Average salary: $2,968 in Canada vs $612 in Thailand. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.
Cost Highlights
⭐Rent is 170% higher in Canada.
⭐Dining out costs 137% more in Canada.
⭐Public transport is 53% more expensive in Canada.
⭐Salaries are about 4.8 times higher in Canada, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Canada.
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
Canada vs Thailand: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Canada more expensive than Thailand?
Thailand is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 57% lower on average.
Which country has higher housing costs?
Housing costs more in Canada: a central one-bedroom averages $1,250 versus $463 in Thailand.
Which country is cheaper for everyday spending?
Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Thailand – part of why living there is about 57% cheaper overall.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget in Canada or in Thailand?
$2,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Thailand, but in Canada it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.
Should I move to Canada or to Thailand?
Thailand is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.