Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Prince George

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,140 in Prince George, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 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
102

Cost of Living Index in Prince George
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Prince George Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Prince George

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,140

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,140 in Prince George, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Prince George $2,140

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,209 in Prince George, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Prince George $3,209

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,277 in Prince George, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Prince George $4,277

Chiang Mai is about 56% cheaper than Prince George, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Prince George is 58% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$18.02 CA$25.24

-88.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$71.2 CA$99.8

-73.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$8.67 CA$12.14

-35.41%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$3.87 CA$5.42

-57.11%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$2.23 CA$3.12

-70.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$2.39 CA$3.35

-87.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$5.60 CA$7.85

-58.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$7.25 CA$10.16

-49.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.74 CA$2.44

16.09%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$2.53 CA$3.54

-44.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$4.60 CA$6.44

-69.78%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$4.19 CA$5.87

-43.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$6.35 CA$8.89

160.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$14.24 CA$19.95

-81.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$14.24 CA$19.94

-36.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$4.03 CA$5.64

-40.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$2.83 CA$3.96

-63.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$5.50 CA$7.70

-69.82%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$3.81 CA$5.33

-59.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$3.07 CA$4.29

-59.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$2.31 CA$3.23

-52.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$3.02 CA$4.22

-74.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$2.12 CA$2.97

-75.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$15.06 CA$21.10

-72.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$10.81 CA$15.14

65.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$5.62 CA$7.87

-71.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

$2.00 CA$2.80

-53.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

$44.99 CA$63.0

17.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$2.92 CA$4.09

-59.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$1.76 CA$2.47

-90.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$33.81 CA$47.36

-94.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$1.36 CA$1.90

8.09%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$27.5K CA$38.5K

-23.53%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$22.6K CA$31.7K

17.31%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$171 CA$239

-63.38%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$42.01 CA$58.8

-72.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$60.8 CA$85.2

-66.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$43.23 CA$60.6

-12.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$17.74 CA$24.84

-79.14%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$8.93 CA$12.50

-27.10%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$410 CA$574

77.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$3,568 CA$4,997

364.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$61.2 CA$85.7

-12.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$38.92 CA$54.5

-36.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$94.4 CA$132

-4.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$147 CA$206

-51.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$1,124 CA$1,574

-57.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$919 CA$1,287

-66.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$1,732 CA$2,425

-38.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$1,548 CA$2,167

-57.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

$3,089 CA$4,327

-80.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.96

12.30%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Prince George: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Prince George

$919 43% 197% $609

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Prince George

$390 * 18.2% 64.8% $153

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Prince George

$154 7.2% 42% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Prince George

$274 12.8% 190% $179

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Prince George

$278 13% 263% $201

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Prince George

$65 3% 10.3% $6

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Prince George

$61 2.9% 20% $10

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $1,124 in Prince George. 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 George are about 5.2 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 George. 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

🇨🇦 Prince George

🕒 Local time

17:56 5:56 PM

03:56 3:56 AM

14 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

71,974

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 CAD = 0.714 USD

1 CAD = 0.637 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.714 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.637 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Prince George 11,000 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Prince George

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 George: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Prince George costs about 129% 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 $3,210 in Prince George. 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 $1,124 in Prince George.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $410 in Prince George. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $2,140 in Prince George. 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $2,140 in Prince George. 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 George makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.