Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Fort St John, BC

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,949 in Fort St John, BC, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
94

Cost of Living Index in Fort St John, BC
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Fort St John, BC Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Fort St John, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,949

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Fort St John, BC

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 Fort St John, BC actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,949 in Fort St John, BC, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Fort St John, BC $1,949

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,002 in Fort St John, BC, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Fort St John, BC $3,002

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,055 in Fort St John, BC, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Fort St John, BC $4,055

Chiang Mai is about 53% cheaper than Fort St John, BC, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Chiang Mai sits 32% below the global median, while Fort St John, BC is 44% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$17.70 CA$25.02

-87.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$42.02 CA$59.4

-53.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$9.35 CA$13.22

-40.00%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$3.89 CA$5.49

-57.33%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$1.82 CA$2.58

-61.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$1.22 CA$1.73

-74.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$6.19 CA$8.75

-61.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$4.51 CA$6.38

-17.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$3.34 CA$4.72

-41.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$2.79 CA$3.94

-49.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$3.66 CA$5.17

-64.21%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$4.18 CA$5.90

-47.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$12.02 CA$16.99

38.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$13.69 CA$19.36

-79.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$18.57 CA$26.26

-50.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$5.73 CA$8.10

-58.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$0.73 CA$1.03

41.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$3.77 CA$5.33

-56.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$3.61 CA$5.11

-58.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$2.82 CA$3.98

-54.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$2.76 CA$3.90

-59.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$2.14 CA$3.03

-66.36%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$2.52 CA$3.57

-78.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$14.36 CA$20.29

-69.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$21.42 CA$30.29

-16.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$4.85 CA$6.85

-67.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$5.60 CA$7.91

-49.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$1.44 CA$2.03

-40.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$28.86 CA$40.80

84.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.25 CA$1.76

15.20%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$126 CA$178

-50.45%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$101 CA$142

-87.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$61.0 CA$86.2

-67.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$13.48 CA$19.06

175.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$10.56 CA$14.94

-38.45%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$697 CA$985

13.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$71.2 CA$101

-24.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$47.43 CA$67.0

-48.09%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$105 CA$148

-13.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$143 CA$202

-50.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$733 CA$1,036

-37.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$709 CA$1,002

-57.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$1,542 CA$2,180

-41.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$1,394 CA$1,971

-60.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$1,291 CA$1,824

49.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$3,094 CA$4,374

-80.91%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.1

-8.69%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Fort St John, BC: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Fort St John, BC

$709 36.4% 138% $411

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Fort St John, BC

$450 23.1% 91.1% $215

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Fort St John, BC

$165 8.5% 52.6% $57

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Fort St John, BC

$287 14.7% 204% $193

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Fort St John, BC

$268 13.8% 242% $190

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Fort St John, BC

$35 * 1.8% 43% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Fort St John, BC

$35 1.8% 30.9% $15

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $733 in Fort St John, BC. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 424% higher in Fort St John, BC, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $42.00 in Fort St John, BC. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $450 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇦 Fort St John, BC

🕒 Local time

18:40 6:40 PM

04:40 4:40 AM

14 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

18,609

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Fort St John, BC 10,880 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Fort St John, BC

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 Fort St John, BC: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fort St John, BC costs about 111% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,924 in Fort St John, BC. 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.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $697 in Fort St John, BC. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 91% more in Fort St John, BC, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Fort St John, BC at $1,949. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fort St John, BC it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,949 in Fort St John, BC. 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, Fort St John, BC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.