Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Joliette

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,717 in Joliette, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 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
82

Cost of Living Index in Joliette
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Joliette Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Joliette

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,717

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,717 in Joliette, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Joliette $1,717

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,629 in Joliette, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Joliette $2,629

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,542 in Joliette, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Joliette $3,542

Chiang Mai is about 46% cheaper than Joliette, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Joliette is 27% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$17.60 CA$24.67

-87.90%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿623

$53.8 CA$75.4

-65.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿187

$10.50 CA$14.71

-46.67%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.43 CA$3.41

-31.69%

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

$0.65 ฿21.63

$2.03 CA$2.84

-67.98%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.20

$1.82 CA$2.55

-83.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.7

$4.35 CA$6.09

-46.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$6.35 CA$8.90

-42.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.4

$2.38 CA$3.34

-15.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.08

$2.55 CA$3.58

-44.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.54

$3.01 CA$4.23

-53.82%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.2

$2.43 CA$3.41

-2.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿552

$11.71 CA$16.41

41.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.3

$11.90 CA$16.68

-77.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$18.48 CA$25.91

-51.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.2

$3.67 CA$5.14

-34.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.82

$1.31 CA$1.84

-20.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.5

$3.78 CA$5.29

-56.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.1

$3.51 CA$4.92

-55.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.39

$2.63 CA$3.69

-52.85%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.34

$2.29 CA$3.21

-52.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.47

$1.59 CA$2.23

-52.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.19

$1.54 CA$2.16

-66.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$14.45 CA$20.26

-71.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿600

$12.40 CA$17.38

44.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$2.58 CA$3.61

-37.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.4

$3.19 CA$4.47

-11.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.25

$2.26 CA$3.16

-58.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,769

$61.9 CA$86.8

-14.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.35

$2.79 CA$3.91

-57.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.73

$1.49 CA$2.09

-88.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.6

$18.92 CA$26.53

-90.43%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.25

$0.99 CA$1.39

48.48%

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

$21.0K ฿702.6K

$27.1K CA$38.0K

-22.52%

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

$26.5K ฿886.7K

$22.5K CA$31.5K

18.08%

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

$62.6 ฿2,092

$136 CA$191

-54.13%

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

$11.60 ฿388

$37.62 CA$52.7

-69.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿679

$51.4 CA$72.0

-60.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,267

$37.77 CA$53.0

0.29%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$18.01 CA$25.24

-79.46%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$13.01 CA$18.24

-49.96%

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$838 CA$1,175

-13.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿554.2K

$16.0K CA$22.5K

3.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,790

$50.3 CA$70.5

6.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿829

$37.63 CA$52.7

-34.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,023

$86.3 CA$121

4.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,407

$97.9 CA$137

-26.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$653 CA$916

-26.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$611 CA$857

-49.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.4K

$1,274 CA$1,786

-16.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

$1,083 CA$1,518

-39.18%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.8K

$4,419 CA$6,195

-45.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.8K

$3,567 CA$5,000

-54.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$2,735 CA$3,833

-78.25%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.16

33.89%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Joliette: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Joliette

$611 35.6% 97.2% $301

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Joliette

$361 21.1% 52.7% $125

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Joliette

$122 7.1% 13% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Joliette

$225 13.1% 139% $131

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Joliette

$251 14.6% 228% $175

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Joliette

$81 4.7% 38.4% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Joliette

$64 3.7% 25.3% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $653 in Joliette. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Joliette are about 4.6 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 Joliette. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $361 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇦 Joliette

🕒 Local time

19:33 7:33 PM

07:33 7:33 AM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

20,484

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Joliette 12,770 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Joliette

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 Joliette: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Joliette costs about 83% 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,575 in Joliette. 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 $481 there versus $653 in Joliette.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $838 in Joliette. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 53% more in Joliette, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,717 in Joliette. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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