Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Burns Lake

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.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
108

Cost of Living Index in Burns Lake
Learn more

Burns Lake Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Burns Lake

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,212

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Burns Lake

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

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

Chiang Mai $938
Burns Lake $2,212

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

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

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

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

Chiang Mai is about 58% cheaper than Burns Lake, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$15.66 CA$22.14

-85.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$71.4 CA$101

-73.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$10.40 CA$14.70

-46.25%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$3.73 CA$5.27

-53.89%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$2.06 CA$2.91

-68.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$1.50 CA$2.12

-78.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$4.83 CA$6.83

-51.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$4.88 CA$6.90

-20.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.73 CA$2.45

18.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$2.24 CA$3.16

-37.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$3.49 CA$4.94

-63.32%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$3.20 CA$4.53

-29.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$9.50 CA$13.43

78.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$9.79 CA$13.84

-72.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$12.72 CA$17.99

-26.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$3.62 CA$5.12

-33.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.35 CA$1.91

-25.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$3.81 CA$5.38

-57.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$3.94 CA$5.57

-61.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$2.47 CA$3.50

-48.18%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$2.03 CA$2.86

-45.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$2.65 CA$3.75

-72.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$1.80 CA$2.55

-71.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$14.20 CA$20.07

-69.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$12.85 CA$18.16

37.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.56 CA$3.61

-36.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.71 CA$3.84

5.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$2.37 CA$3.34

-64.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$55.3 CA$78.1

-2.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$2.83 CA$4.00

-58.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$1.65 CA$2.33

-65.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$22.52 CA$31.84

-89.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.19 CA$1.68

21.85%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$26.0K CA$36.8K

-21.24%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$18.1K CA$25.6K

46.70%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$132 CA$187

-52.83%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$38.50 CA$54.4

-68.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$52.6 CA$74.3

-62.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$40.39 CA$57.1

-6.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$18.07 CA$25.54

-79.19%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$11.00 CA$15.56

-39.00%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$756 CA$1,068

5.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$11.0K CA$15.6K

34.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$59.6 CA$84.3

-10.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$43.17 CA$61.0

-41.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$82.9 CA$117

10.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$111 CA$157

-34.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$1,255 CA$1,774

-63.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$1,137 CA$1,607

-73.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$1,937 CA$2,739

-52.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$1,720 CA$2,432

-67.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$4,807 CA$6,795

-60.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$3,129 CA$4,424

-54.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.66

19.53%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Burns Lake: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Burns Lake

$1.1K 51.4% 273% $832

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Burns Lake

$331 15% 39% $93

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Burns Lake

$134 6% 22% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Burns Lake

$223 10.1% 136% $129

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Burns Lake

$249 11.3% 216% $170

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Burns Lake

$76 3.4% 23.7% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Burns Lake

$62 2.8% 21.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $1,255 in Burns Lake. 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $71.0 in Burns Lake. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $331 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇦 Burns Lake

🕒 Local time

04:26 4:26 AM

14:26 2:26 PM

14 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,779

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Burns Lake

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 Burns Lake: 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $3,318 in Burns Lake. 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $71.0 in Burns Lake. 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.