Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,128 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 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
102

Cost of Living Index in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
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St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Living Index

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St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,128

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

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 St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,128 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador $2,128

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,149 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador $3,149

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,170 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador $4,170

Chiang Mai is about 56% cheaper than St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador is 56% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$17.60 CA$24.62

-87.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$72.0 CA$101

-73.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$11.73 CA$16.41

-52.69%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$4.03 CA$5.64

-58.56%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$2.59 CA$3.62

-75.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$2.20 CA$3.08

-85.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$4.87 CA$6.82

-51.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$5.43 CA$7.59

-32.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$2.77 CA$3.88

-29.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$3.07 CA$4.30

-53.09%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$4.28 CA$5.99

-68.93%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$3.87 CA$5.42

-41.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$11.53 CA$16.13

42.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$13.32 CA$18.63

-79.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.81 CA$16.53

-21.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$4.85 CA$6.78

-51.55%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$3.09 CA$4.33

-68.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$4.80 CA$6.71

-66.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.08 CA$4.30

-51.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$2.65 CA$3.70

-51.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$2.31 CA$3.23

-52.38%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$2.86 CA$4.00

-75.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$2.02 CA$2.82

-75.74%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$13.80 CA$19.30

-70.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$16.10 CA$22.52

8.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$4.19 CA$5.87

-61.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$4.33 CA$6.06

-35.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$1.83 CA$2.56

-52.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$55.7 CA$77.9

-2.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$3.22 CA$4.51

-63.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$1.75 CA$2.45

-69.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$28.39 CA$39.71

-91.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.39 CA$1.94

4.32%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$28.6K CA$40.1K

-26.49%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$23.8K CA$33.4K

12.96%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$182 CA$255

-65.86%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$41.72 CA$58.4

-70.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$76.6 CA$107

-73.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$68.1 CA$95.3

-45.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$19.14 CA$26.77

-80.30%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$10.63 CA$14.87

-38.95%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$535 CA$748

37.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$9,862 CA$13.8K

49.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$66.9 CA$93.6

-20.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$51.5 CA$72.0

-52.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$81.7 CA$114

11.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$96.2 CA$135

-25.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,041 CA$1,457

-53.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$836 CA$1,169

-63.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,540 CA$2,153

-34.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$1,322 CA$1,849

-52.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$2,435 CA$3,405

-2.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,776 CA$2,484

-10.52%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$2,823 CA$3,949

-79.11%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.57

21.88%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$836 39.3% 171% $527

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$415 19.5% 77.1% $181

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$133 6.3% 22.7% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$300 14.1% 218% $206

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$279 13.1% 259% $201

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$75 3.5% 22.2% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$89 4.2% 77.8% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,041 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador are about 4.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $72 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $415 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇦 St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

🕒 Local time

14:55 2:55 PM

05:25 5:25 AM

9 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

110,525

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 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 October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 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 = 0.641 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador 12,110 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

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 St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador costs about 127% 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 $3,192 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. 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 $1,041 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $535 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 77% more in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,128 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. 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 $2,128 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. 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, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.