Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Quebec City

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,935 in Quebec City, rent and utilities included – about $12,000 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
93

Cost of Living Index in Quebec City
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Quebec City Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Quebec City

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Quebec City

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,935 in Quebec City, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Quebec City $1,935

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,912 in Quebec City, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Quebec City $2,912

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,889 in Quebec City, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Quebec City $3,889

Chiang Mai is about 52% cheaper than Quebec City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Quebec City is 42% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$21.22 CA$29.66

-89.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$63.9 CA$89.3

-70.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$10.75 CA$15.03

-48.37%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.83 CA$5.35

-56.40%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$2.13 CA$2.97

-69.95%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$1.50 CA$2.09

-79.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$5.68 CA$7.94

-58.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$5.88 CA$8.21

-37.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$2.06 CA$2.88

-5.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$2.89 CA$4.04

-50.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$4.14 CA$5.79

-67.87%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$3.15 CA$4.40

-27.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$9.13 CA$12.76

80.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$10.99 CA$15.35

-74.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.62 CA$14.85

-12.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$4.17 CA$5.82

-43.65%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$1.55 CA$2.17

-37.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$3.71 CA$5.19

-56.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$4.04 CA$5.64

-62.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$2.93 CA$4.10

-56.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$2.86 CA$3.99

-61.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$2.73 CA$3.81

-73.99%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$1.52 CA$2.12

-67.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$14.78 CA$20.66

-71.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$11.35 CA$15.87

54.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$3.24 CA$4.53

-50.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.44 CA$4.81

-19.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$2.91 CA$4.06

-70.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$70.6 CA$98.7

-23.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$2.89 CA$4.04

-59.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$1.48 CA$2.07

-64.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$35.46 CA$49.56

-93.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.30 CA$1.81

11.54%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$28.7K CA$40.1K

-26.65%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$22.2K CA$31.0K

21.52%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$100 CA$140

-37.95%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$32.19 CA$44.99

-62.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$45.61 CA$63.7

-55.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$33.12 CA$46.29

12.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$12.66 CA$17.69

-70.22%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$10.56 CA$14.76

-38.54%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$676 CA$945

8.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$9,492 CA$13.3K

55.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$59.3 CA$82.9

-10.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$50.9 CA$71.2

-51.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$89.8 CA$126

1.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$109 CA$152

-33.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,029 CA$1,438

-53.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$821 CA$1,147

-62.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,633 CA$2,282

-38.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,333 CA$1,863

-52.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$4,733 CA$6,615

-50.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,728 CA$3,813

-41.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$2,906 CA$4,062

-79.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.44

25.45%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Quebec City: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Quebec City

$821 42.4% 166% $512

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Quebec City

$347 18% 48.3% $113

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Quebec City

$139 7.2% 27.9% $30

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Quebec City

$178 9.2% 88.4% $84

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Quebec City

$303 15.6% 290% $225

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Quebec City

$93 4.8% 50.8% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Quebec City

$54 2.8% 7.9% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,029 in Quebec City. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Quebec City are about 4.9 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 Quebec City. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $347 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇦 Quebec City

🕒 Local time

20:37 8:37 PM

08:37 8:37 AM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

530,168

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 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 = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Quebec City 12,650 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Quebec City

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 Quebec City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Quebec City costs about 107% 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 $2,902 in Quebec City. 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 $1,029 in Quebec City.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $676 in Quebec City. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 48% more in Quebec City, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,935 in Quebec City. 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 $1,935 in Quebec City. 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, Quebec City makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.