Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Parry Sound

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,269 in Parry Sound, rent and utilities included – about $16,000 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
108

Cost of Living Index in Parry Sound
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Parry Sound Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Parry Sound

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Parry Sound

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,269 in Parry Sound, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Parry Sound $2,269

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,202 in Parry Sound, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Parry Sound $3,202

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,135 in Parry Sound, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Parry Sound $4,135

Chiang Mai is about 59% cheaper than Parry Sound, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Parry Sound is 67% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$17.94 CA$25.17

-87.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$51.8 CA$72.6

-63.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$10.66 CA$14.97

-47.94%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.17 CA$4.45

-47.32%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.40 CA$1.96

-54.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$1.06 CA$1.48

-70.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$3.48 CA$4.89

-32.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.24 CA$5.95

-13.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.99 CA$2.80

-2.01%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$2.23 CA$3.12

-35.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.59 CA$2.23

-16.35%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.03 CA$4.25

-24.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$4.19 CA$5.88

292.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$10.49 CA$14.73

-73.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.04 CA$9.87

32.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$3.34 CA$4.69

-29.64%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$0.74 CA$1.04

31.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.69 CA$0.97

131.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$2.20 CA$3.09

-31.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.66 CA$2.33

-22.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.37 CA$1.92

-19.71%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.46 CA$2.05

-51.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$1.52 CA$2.13

-67.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$12.29 CA$17.24

-66.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$11.59 CA$16.27

51.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.81 CA$3.95

-42.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.45 CA$4.84

-19.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$8.33 CA$11.69

-86.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$18.67 CA$26.20

-87.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.08 CA$1.51

34.26%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$28.4K CA$39.8K

-25.76%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$21.6K CA$30.3K

24.91%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$126 CA$177

-50.59%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$26.66 CA$37.41

-54.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$46.46 CA$65.2

-56.69%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$33.08 CA$46.42

12.79%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$10.33 CA$14.50

-37.17%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$523 CA$734

40.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$28.0K CA$39.3K

-47.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$43.09 CA$60.5

23.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$38.27 CA$53.7

-35.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$94.6 CA$133

-3.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$106 CA$149

-32.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,127 CA$1,581

-57.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$1,374 CA$1,928

-77.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$2,117 CA$2,972

-52.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$2,156 CA$3,026

-70.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$2,153 CA$3,021

-72.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.56

22.15%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Parry Sound: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Parry Sound

$1.4K 60.6% 345% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Parry Sound

$258 11.4% 10% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Parry Sound

$127 5.6% 16.8% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Parry Sound

$199 8.8% 111% $104

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Parry Sound

$249 11% 221% $172

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Parry Sound

$8.3 * 0.4% 86.4% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Parry Sound

$54 2.4% 6.9% $3.5

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,127 in Parry Sound. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Parry Sound are about 3.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $52 in Parry Sound. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $258 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇦 Parry Sound

🕒 Local time

05:59 5:59 AM

18:59 6:59 PM

11 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

6,800

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Parry Sound 12,880 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Parry Sound

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 Parry Sound: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Parry Sound costs about 143% 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 $3,403 in Parry Sound. 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 $482 there versus $1,127 in Parry Sound.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $52 in Parry Sound. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 10% more in Parry Sound, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,269 in Parry Sound. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $2,269 in Parry Sound. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Parry Sound makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.