Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Oshawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,370 in Oshawa, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 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
113

Cost of Living Index in Oshawa
Learn more

Oshawa Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Oshawa

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,370

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,370 in Oshawa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Oshawa $2,370

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,414 in Oshawa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Oshawa $3,414

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,457 in Oshawa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Oshawa $4,457

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

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Oshawa is 75% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.6

$14.25 CA$20.05

-85.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿624

$63.6 CA$89.4

-70.70%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$8.33 CA$11.71

-32.77%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.8

$3.54 CA$4.98

-53.11%

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

$0.65 ฿21.69

$1.77 CA$2.49

-63.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.22

$1.36 CA$1.91

-77.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.9

$4.86 CA$6.84

-52.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$6.04 CA$8.50

-39.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.6

$2.91 CA$4.09

-30.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.21

$2.91 CA$4.09

-51.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.67

$4.12 CA$5.79

-66.26%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.4

$2.97 CA$4.17

-20.20%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿554

$10.14 CA$14.25

62.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.5

$13.74 CA$19.33

-80.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$16.60 CA$23.35

-45.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.4

$4.20 CA$5.91

-42.86%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.91

$1.22 CA$1.72

-14.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.94 CA$4.13

-43.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$3.84 CA$5.40

-59.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.50

$3.36 CA$4.72

-63.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.44

$2.57 CA$3.62

-57.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.54

$2.35 CA$3.30

-67.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.24

$1.73 CA$2.43

-70.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$14.29 CA$20.10

-71.17%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿601

$12.63 CA$17.76

41.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$3.53 CA$4.96

-54.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.6

$3.49 CA$4.91

-19.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.33

$2.82 CA$3.96

-67.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,773

$87.1 CA$123

-39.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.45

$2.74 CA$3.85

-56.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.75

$1.44 CA$2.02

-88.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.8

$19.58 CA$27.53

-90.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.38

$1.24 CA$1.75

18.55%

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

$21.0K ฿704.5K

$28.8K CA$40.5K

-26.99%

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

$26.5K ฿889.1K

$22.9K CA$32.2K

15.71%

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

$62.6 ฿2,098

$139 CA$195

-54.97%

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

$11.60 ฿389

$37.94 CA$53.4

-69.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿681

$54.3 CA$76.4

-62.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,270

$22.91 CA$32.22

65.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$29.28 CA$41.18

-87.36%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$10.86 CA$15.28

-40.06%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$922 CA$1,296

-21.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿555.7K

$8,083 CA$11.4K

105.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,795

$58.3 CA$82.0

-8.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿832

$57.7 CA$81.1

-57.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,031

$107 CA$151

-15.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,413

$129 CA$181

-44.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$1,400 CA$1,969

-65.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$1,207 CA$1,698

-74.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$2,003 CA$2,816

-47.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$1,824 CA$2,565

-63.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.1K

$5,158 CA$7,253

-53.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.9K

$10.3K CA$14.5K

-84.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$3,049 CA$4,288

-80.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.53

22.96%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Oshawa: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Oshawa

$1.2K 50.9% 290% $897

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Oshawa

$390 16.5% 64.8% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Oshawa

$158 6.7% 46.2% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Oshawa

$231 9.8% 145% $137

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Oshawa

$230 9.7% 201% $154

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Oshawa

$108 4.6% 84.7% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Oshawa

$45 1.9% 12.3% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $1,400 in Oshawa. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Oshawa 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 $64 in Oshawa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $390 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇦 Oshawa

🕒 Local time

22:44 10:44 PM

10:44 10:44 AM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

159,458

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CAD = 0.711 USD

1 CAD = 0.633 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 = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.711 USD). 1 EUR = 1.58 CAD (1 CAD = 0.633 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Oshawa 13,040 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Oshawa

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 Oshawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oshawa costs about 153% 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 $3,555 in Oshawa. 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 $1,400 in Oshawa.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $922 in Oshawa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 65% more in Oshawa, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $2,370 in Oshawa. 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.

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