Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ajax, ON

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,515 in Ajax, ON, rent and utilities included – about $18,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
122

Cost of Living Index in Ajax, ON
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Ajax, ON Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Ajax, ON

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,515

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Ajax, ON

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in Ajax, ON actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,515 in Ajax, ON, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Ajax, ON $2,515

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,611 in Ajax, ON, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Ajax, ON $3,611

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,707 in Ajax, ON, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Ajax, ON $4,707

Chiang Mai is about 63% cheaper than Ajax, ON, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Ajax, ON is 85% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$18.19 CA$25.42

-87.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$53.8 CA$75.2

-64.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$10.50 CA$14.67

-47.14%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.76 CA$5.25

-55.59%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.83 CA$2.55

-65.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$1.52 CA$2.13

-79.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$3.52 CA$4.91

-32.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$5.62 CA$7.86

-34.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$2.02 CA$2.82

-3.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$2.99 CA$4.18

-51.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$3.41 CA$4.77

-61.00%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.87 CA$5.41

-41.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$10.56 CA$14.75

55.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$11.77 CA$16.44

-76.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$17.12 CA$23.92

-45.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$4.14 CA$5.78

-43.24%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.73 CA$2.42

-43.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.15 CA$4.40

-49.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.37 CA$4.70

-55.49%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$2.31 CA$3.23

-44.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$2.46 CA$3.44

-55.28%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$2.20 CA$3.08

-67.73%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$1.94 CA$2.71

-74.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$14.11 CA$19.72

-70.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$13.79 CA$19.27

27.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.12 CA$2.97

-24.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.55 CA$3.57

9.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$2.47 CA$3.45

-64.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$86.5 CA$121

-37.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$3.38 CA$4.73

-65.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$24.55 CA$34.30

-90.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.18 CA$1.65

22.88%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$28.2K CA$39.3K

-25.20%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$21.8K CA$30.4K

23.76%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$128 CA$179

-51.34%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$29.35 CA$41.00

-58.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$58.9 CA$82.3

-65.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$33.96 CA$47.45

9.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$10.73 CA$15.00

-64.86%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$10.33 CA$14.43

-37.17%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$522 CA$729

41.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$16.7K CA$23.4K

-11.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$51.9 CA$72.6

2.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$51.8 CA$72.4

-52.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$94.9 CA$133

-3.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$107 CA$150

-33.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,510 CA$2,110

-68.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$1,374 CA$1,920

-77.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$2,351 CA$3,285

-57.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$2,173 CA$3,037

-70.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$3,081 CA$4,304

-80.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.8

16.04%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ajax, ON: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Ajax, ON

$1.4K 54.6% 345% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Ajax, ON

$369 14.7% 57.4% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Ajax, ON

$138 5.5% 26.8% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Ajax, ON

$216 8.6% 129% $122

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Ajax, ON

$264 10.5% 241% $187

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Ajax, ON

$100 * 4% 62.6% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Ajax, ON

$55 2.2% 8.6% $4.3

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,510 in Ajax, ON. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Ajax, ON are about 5.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $54 in Ajax, ON. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $369 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇦 Ajax, ON

🕒 Local time

06:50 6:50 AM

18:50 6:50 PM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

119,677

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Ajax, ON 13,050 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Ajax, ON

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

Chiang Mai vs Ajax, ON: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Ajax, ON is pricier by about 169%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $3,773 in Ajax, ON. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,510 in Ajax, ON.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,515 in Ajax, ON. That makes Chiang Mai about 63% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 37% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,515 in Ajax, ON. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $2,515 in Ajax, ON. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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