Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Belleville

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,363 in Belleville, rent and utilities included – about $17,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Belleville, Canada
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Belleville
🇨🇦 Canada
$2,363
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Belleville

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 Belleville actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,363 in Belleville, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $936
  • Belleville $2,363

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,243 in Belleville, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,457
  • Belleville $3,243

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,122 in Belleville, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,979
  • Belleville $4,122

Chiang Mai is about 60% cheaper than Belleville, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Belleville is 74% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Belleville
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.24 ฿75.7
$18.16 CA$25.48
-87.67%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.00 ฿642
$56.3 CA$79.0
-66.25%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.55 ฿188
$10.54 CA$14.79
-47.34%
Cappuccino
$1.67 ฿56.6
$3.59 CA$5.04
-53.48%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿21.56
$1.50 CA$2.10
-57.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ฿10.32
$1.42 CA$1.99
-78.17%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 ฿79.6
$5.11 CA$7.17
-53.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 ฿124
$5.22 CA$7.32
-29.89%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Belleville
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ฿65.8
$1.78 CA$2.50
9.55%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 ฿48.51
$2.41 CA$3.38
-40.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 ฿45.07
$2.17 CA$3.05
-38.71%
Eggs
$2.28 ฿77.1
$3.49 CA$4.90
-34.67%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.45 ฿556
$9.58 CA$13.44
71.71%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.78 ฿94.0
$8.81 CA$12.36
-68.44%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.31 ฿314
$14.44 CA$20.26
-35.53%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ฿79.5
$3.68 CA$5.16
-36.14%
Banana (1kg)
$0.97 ฿32.82
$1.16 CA$1.63
-16.38%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 ฿53.9
$3.50 CA$4.92
-54.29%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.7
$3.30 CA$4.63
-54.55%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿43.15
$1.82 CA$2.56
-29.67%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 ฿37.22
$1.59 CA$2.24
-30.82%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿23.84
$2.23 CA$3.13
-68.16%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.38
$1.23 CA$1.72
-60.16%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.14 ฿140
$12.32 CA$17.29
-66.40%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.52 ฿592
$11.60 CA$16.28
51.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 ฿54.5
$2.27 CA$3.19
-29.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿94.0
$2.58 CA$3.61
7.75%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Belleville
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 ฿29.33
$2.39 CA$3.36
-63.60%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.1 ฿1,827
$61.4 CA$86.2
-11.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.16 ฿39.08
$3.04 CA$4.27
-61.84%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 ฿17.82
$1.27 CA$1.78
-58.27%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.42 ฿81.8
$22.30 CA$31.29
-89.15%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.93
$1.17 CA$1.65
23.93%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ฿711.2K
$26.3K CA$36.9K
-19.92%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿909.8K
$21.0K CA$29.5K
28.31%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Belleville
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.2 ฿2,100
$121 CA$170
-48.78%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.17 ฿411
$32.45 CA$45.54
-62.50%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.12 ฿680
$48.98 CA$68.7
-58.92%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Belleville
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.31 ฿1,260
$40.61 CA$57.0
-8.13%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.77 ฿127
$24.11 CA$33.84
-84.36%
Cinema Ticket
$6.49 ฿219
$10.68 CA$14.99
-39.23%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Belleville
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$736 ฿24.9K
$448 CA$629
64.14%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿498.6K
$6,134 CA$8,608
140.71%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Belleville
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 ฿1,802
$34.61 CA$48.58
54.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.64 ฿832
$34.11 CA$47.87
-27.76%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 ฿3,089
$99.6 CA$140
-8.18%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.9 ฿2,429
$89.0 CA$125
-19.18%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Belleville
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$482 ฿16.3K
$1,378 CA$1,934
-65.00%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ฿10.4K
$1,326 CA$1,861
-76.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,006 ฿34.0K
$1,921 CA$2,697
-47.65%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$633 ฿21.4K
$1,781 CA$2,499
-64.42%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,363 ฿79.8K
$2,188 CA$3,070
8.02%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,589 ฿53.7K
$2,277 CA$3,195
-30.21%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Belleville
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$590 ฿19.9K
$2,988 CA$4,193
-80.26%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
4.45
25.17%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Belleville: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$309
Belleville
$1.3K 329% $1K
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$234
Belleville
$309 31.6% $74
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$109
Belleville
$116 6.6% $7.2
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Belleville
$203 115% $108
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$78
Belleville
$268 245% $190
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Belleville
$80 30.9% $19
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$50
Belleville
$62 23.2% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,378 in Belleville. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Belleville are about 5.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $56 in Belleville. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $309 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇨🇦 Belleville
🕒 Local time
05:59 5:59 AM
18:59 6:59 PM
11 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
50,716
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

CAD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Belleville 13,010 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Belleville

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 Belleville: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Chiang Mai cheaper than Belleville?
Yes – Belleville is pricier by about 153%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.
What income do you need for each city?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $3,545 in Belleville. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has lower housing costs?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,378 in Belleville.
Which city has cheaper kindergarten?
Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $448 in Belleville. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
How do food prices compare in Chiang Mai and in Belleville?
Groceries cost about 32% more in Belleville, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Is $800 enough to cover costs in Chiang Mai or in Belleville?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,363 in Belleville. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Is it better to live in Chiang Mai or in Belleville?
It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $2,363 in Belleville. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Belleville makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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