Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Prince Albert

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,710 in Prince Albert, rent and utilities included – about $9,300 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 Prince Albert
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Prince Albert Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Prince Albert

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,710

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Prince Albert

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,710 in Prince Albert, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Prince Albert $1,710

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,442 in Prince Albert, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Prince Albert $2,442

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,174 in Prince Albert, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Prince Albert $3,174

Chiang Mai is about 45% cheaper than Prince Albert, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Prince Albert is 26% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$17.52 CA$24.49

-87.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$71.2 CA$99.5

-73.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$9.02 CA$12.61

-38.47%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.68 CA$5.14

-54.62%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$2.06 CA$2.89

-68.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$1.86 CA$2.60

-83.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$4.33 CA$6.06

-45.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$6.24 CA$8.73

-41.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.21 CA$1.69

61.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$1.45 CA$2.02

-0.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$2.45 CA$3.43

-45.71%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$3.61 CA$5.05

-36.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$6.94 CA$9.70

137.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$8.46 CA$11.83

-67.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$4.16 CA$5.81

123.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$4.07 CA$5.69

-42.26%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$1.48 CA$2.07

-34.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$4.28 CA$5.99

-62.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.19 CA$4.45

-52.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$2.11 CA$2.95

-39.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$2.18 CA$3.04

-49.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$2.89 CA$4.04

-75.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$1.50 CA$2.09

-67.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$10.62 CA$14.85

-61.02%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$13.93 CA$19.48

25.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.85 CA$3.99

-43.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.48 CA$4.86

-20.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$1.56 CA$2.18

-44.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$39.11 CA$54.7

38.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$3.00 CA$4.19

-61.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$0.84 CA$1.17

-36.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$14.25 CA$19.91

-83.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.08 CA$1.51

34.26%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$22.2K CA$31.0K

-5.18%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$22.0K CA$30.8K

22.20%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$53.2 CA$74.4

16.77%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$47.67 CA$66.6

-74.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$60.3 CA$84.3

-66.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$118 CA$165

-68.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$16.03 CA$22.40

-76.48%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$9.52 CA$13.30

-31.83%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$492 CA$688

49.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$14.5K CA$20.3K

1.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$49.52 CA$69.2

7.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$35.48 CA$49.58

-30.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$86.9 CA$121

5.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$107 CA$150

-32.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$914 CA$1,277

-47.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$694 CA$970

-55.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,432 CA$2,001

-29.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$780 CA$1,090

-18.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$4,334 CA$6,057

-45.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$3,716 CA$5,194

-57.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$2,755 CA$3,851

-78.60%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.8

16.04%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Prince Albert: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Prince Albert

$694 40.6% 125% $385

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Prince Albert

$278 16.3% 18.6% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Prince Albert

$126 7.3% 15.5% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Prince Albert

$161 9.4% 70.7% $67

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Prince Albert

$261 15.3% 237% $184

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Prince Albert

$53 3.1% 14.4% $8.8

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Prince Albert

$137 8% 173% $87

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $914 in Prince Albert. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Prince Albert are about 4.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $71 in Prince Albert. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $278 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇦 Prince Albert

🕒 Local time

04:17 4:17 AM

15:17 3:17 PM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

35,129

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.638 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.638 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Prince Albert 11,660 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Prince Albert

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 Prince Albert: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Prince Albert 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 $2,565 in Prince Albert. 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 $914 in Prince Albert.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $492 in Prince Albert. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 19% more in Prince Albert, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,710 in Prince Albert. 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 $1,710 in Prince Albert. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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