Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Picton

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,020 in Picton, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. The total is higher in Picton despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Picton
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Picton Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Picton

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,020

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,020 in Picton, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Picton $1,020

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,686 in Picton, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Picton $1,686

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,353 in Picton, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Picton $2,353

Chiang Mai is about 8% cheaper than Picton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Picton are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Picton 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$17.64 CA$24.67

-87.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$71.0 CA$99.2

-73.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$9.88 CA$13.82

-43.83%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$3.49 CA$4.89

-52.15%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$2.06 CA$2.88

-68.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$1.68 CA$2.35

-81.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$5.67 CA$7.93

-58.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$5.77 CA$8.07

-36.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.67 CA$2.34

16.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$1.99 CA$2.79

-27.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$2.27 CA$3.18

-41.41%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.92 CA$4.08

-21.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$9.14 CA$12.78

79.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$11.72 CA$16.39

-76.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$14.94 CA$20.89

-37.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.73 CA$3.82

-13.92%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.19 CA$1.66

-18.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$3.47 CA$4.85

-53.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.01 CA$5.61

-62.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.83 CA$2.56

-30.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$1.67 CA$2.34

-34.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$2.31 CA$3.24

-69.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$1.20 CA$1.68

-59.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$13.71 CA$19.17

-69.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$13.97 CA$19.53

25.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$2.10 CA$2.93

-23.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.44 CA$3.42

13.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$2.19 CA$3.07

-60.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$19.77 CA$27.65

173.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$2.96 CA$4.14

-60.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$1.28 CA$1.79

-58.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$21.77 CA$30.45

-88.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.13 CA$1.57

28.32%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$26.1K CA$36.5K

-19.26%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$21.6K CA$30.2K

24.72%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$125 CA$175

-50.30%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$28.11 CA$39.32

-56.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$49.12 CA$68.7

-59.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$42.10 CA$58.9

-11.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$8.80 CA$12.30

-26.25%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$283 CA$396

160.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$23.6K CA$33.0K

-37.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$49.98 CA$69.9

6.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$35.89 CA$50.2

-31.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$85.1 CA$119

7.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$126 CA$176

-42.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,025 CA$1,434

-52.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,642 CA$2,297

-38.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$3,772 CA$5,276

-37.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$3,151 CA$4,407

-81.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.45

25.17%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Picton: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Picton

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Picton

$319 31.3% 36% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Picton

$133 13.1% 22.9% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Picton

$202 19.8% 114% $108

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Picton

$268 26.2% 245% $190

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Picton

$38 3.7% 38.3% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Picton

$60 5.9% 18.7% $9.4

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 $1,025 in Picton. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Picton are about 5.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $71 in Picton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $319 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇦 Picton

🕒 Local time

08:24 8:24 AM

21:24 9:24 PM

11 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

4,702

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.642 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.642 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Picton 13,020 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Picton

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 Picton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Picton costs about 9% 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 $1,530 in Picton. 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 $1,025 in Picton.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $283 in Picton. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 36% more in Picton, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,020 in Picton. 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 $1,020 in Picton. 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, Picton makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.