Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Thetford Mines

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,989 in Thetford Mines, rent and utilities included – about $12,600 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
96

Cost of Living Index in Thetford Mines
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Thetford Mines Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Thetford Mines

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,989

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Thetford Mines

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,989 in Thetford Mines, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Thetford Mines $1,989

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,415 in Thetford Mines, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Thetford Mines $2,415

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,840 in Thetford Mines, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Thetford Mines $2,840

Chiang Mai is about 53% cheaper than Thetford Mines, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Thetford Mines is 46% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$11.64 CA$16.26

-80.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$40.40 CA$56.5

-52.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$8.62 CA$12.05

-35.61%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.56 CA$4.98

-53.09%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$2.01 CA$2.81

-68.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.92 CA$1.29

-66.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$3.20 CA$4.47

-26.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.67 CA$6.53

-21.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.61 CA$2.24

21.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$2.46 CA$3.44

-41.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$2.18 CA$3.05

-38.99%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.47 CA$3.46

-7.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$9.89 CA$13.81

66.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$6.44 CA$9.00

-56.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$14.03 CA$19.60

-33.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.17 CA$3.03

8.29%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.50 CA$2.10

-35.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.17 CA$3.03

-26.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.19 CA$3.06

-31.51%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.94 CA$2.70

-34.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$1.85 CA$2.58

-40.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.66 CA$0.93

7.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$1.56 CA$2.18

-68.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$11.35 CA$15.85

-63.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$10.50 CA$14.67

66.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.44 CA$2.01

11.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.92 CA$4.08

-4.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$2.43 CA$3.39

-64.20%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$62.3 CA$87.1

-13.23%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$3.23 CA$4.51

-64.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.45 CA$2.02

-63.45%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$33.06 CA$46.19

-92.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.06 CA$1.49

36.79%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$21.4K CA$29.9K

-1.48%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$21.0K CA$29.3K

28.57%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$79.6 CA$111

-21.88%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$34.44 CA$48.13

-64.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$43.75 CA$61.1

-54.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$40.20 CA$56.2

-7.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$15.88 CA$22.19

-76.26%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$11.30 CA$15.78

-42.57%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$521 CA$727

41.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$16.3K CA$22.8K

-9.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$46.78 CA$65.4

14.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$24.79 CA$34.64

-0.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$60.0 CA$83.8

52.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$68.6 CA$95.9

4.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,308 CA$1,828

-63.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$1,130 CA$1,578

-72.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$869 CA$1,214

15.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$919 CA$1,285

-31.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$4,936 CA$6,896

-52.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$3,606 CA$5,039

-55.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,305 CA$1,824

-54.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.48

24.33%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Thetford Mines: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Thetford Mines

$1.1K 56.8% 266% $821

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Thetford Mines

$268 13.5% 14.2% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Thetford Mines

$90 4.5% 17.1% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Thetford Mines

$158 7.9% 67% $63

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Thetford Mines

$199 10% 156% $121

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Thetford Mines

$83 4.2% 34.5% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Thetford Mines

$63 3.2% 24.9% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,308 in Thetford Mines. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Thetford Mines are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $40 in Thetford Mines. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $268 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇦 Thetford Mines

🕒 Local time

07:13 7:13 AM

19:13 7:13 PM

12 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

26,072

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Canadian Dollar CAD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 CAD = 0.716 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 = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 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 Thetford Mines 12,730 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Thetford Mines

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 Thetford Mines: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Thetford Mines costs about 113% 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 $2,984 in Thetford Mines. 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 $1,308 in Thetford Mines.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $521 in Thetford Mines. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Thetford Mines, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,989 in Thetford Mines. 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 $1,989 in Thetford Mines. 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, Thetford Mines makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.