Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kamloops

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,432 in Kamloops, rent and utilities included – about $17,900 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
118

Cost of Living Index in Kamloops
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Kamloops Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Kamloops

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,432

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,432 in Kamloops, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Kamloops $2,432

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,611 in Kamloops, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Kamloops $3,611

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,790 in Kamloops, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Kamloops $4,790

Chiang Mai is about 61% cheaper than Kamloops, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 30% below the global median, while Kamloops is 80% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$21.03 CA$29.73

-89.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$73.0 CA$103

-73.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$10.29 CA$14.55

-45.68%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$3.87 CA$5.47

-55.56%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$2.44 CA$3.45

-73.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$1.72 CA$2.43

-80.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$6.07 CA$8.58

-61.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$6.34 CA$8.97

-38.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$2.28 CA$3.22

-10.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$2.41 CA$3.41

-41.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$3.79 CA$5.35

-66.23%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$4.17 CA$5.89

-46.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$8.31 CA$11.74

103.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$11.99 CA$16.95

-77.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$16.93 CA$23.93

-44.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$4.22 CA$5.97

-43.13%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.76 CA$2.49

-42.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$4.17 CA$5.89

-61.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$4.04 CA$5.72

-62.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$2.82 CA$3.99

-54.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$2.29 CA$3.24

-51.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$2.65 CA$3.74

-72.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$1.78 CA$2.52

-70.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$16.19 CA$22.88

-73.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$12.40 CA$17.53

42.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$4.74 CA$6.70

-65.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$3.74 CA$5.29

-23.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$1.53 CA$2.17

-44.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$36.59 CA$51.7

47.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$3.49 CA$4.93

-66.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$1.93 CA$2.72

-70.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$12.04 CA$17.02

-80.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.28 CA$1.81

13.28%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$27.9K CA$39.4K

-26.57%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$19.1K CA$27.0K

38.69%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$194 CA$274

-67.84%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$48.68 CA$68.8

-74.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$65.0 CA$91.9

-69.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$42.51 CA$60.1

-10.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$26.55 CA$37.53

-85.84%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$11.51 CA$16.27

-41.70%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$755 CA$1,067

5.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$3,819 CA$5,399

288.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$61.4 CA$86.8

-13.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$56.3 CA$79.7

-55.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$78.9 CA$112

16.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$105 CA$148

-29.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$1,297 CA$1,833

-64.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$1,178 CA$1,665

-74.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$2,268 CA$3,207

-59.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$2,002 CA$2,830

-72.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$4,987 CA$7,050

-61.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$3,795 CA$5,365

-62.10%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$2,828 CA$3,998

-78.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.6

21.09%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Kamloops: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Kamloops

$1.2K 48.4% 287% $873

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Kamloops

$384 15.8% 61.3% $146

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Kamloops

$136 5.6% 23.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Kamloops

$307 12.6% 225% $213

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Kamloops

$305 12.6% 286% $226

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Kamloops

$56 2.3% 8.9% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Kamloops

$66 2.7% 27.7% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $1,297 in Kamloops. 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 375% higher in Kamloops, 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $73.0 in Kamloops. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $238 vs $384 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇦 Kamloops

🕒 Local time

08:37 8:37 AM

18:37 6:37 PM

14 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

90,280

💱 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 18, 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 18, 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 Kamloops 11,390 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kamloops

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 Kamloops: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kamloops costs about 159% 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 $3,648 in Kamloops. 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 $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $755 in Kamloops. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 61% more in Kamloops, 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 $938, than in Kamloops at $2,432. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kamloops it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,432 in Kamloops. 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, Kamloops makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.