Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Yellowknife

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,997 in Yellowknife, rent and utilities included – about $24,700 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
144

Cost of Living Index in Yellowknife
Learn more

Yellowknife Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Yellowknife

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,997

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Yellowknife

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,997 in Yellowknife, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Yellowknife $2,997

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $4,165 in Yellowknife, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Yellowknife $4,165

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $5,333 in Yellowknife, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Yellowknife $5,333

Chiang Mai is about 69% cheaper than Yellowknife, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Yellowknife is 120% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$19.93 CA$27.85

-88.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$86.8 CA$121

-78.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$8.95 CA$12.51

-37.99%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$4.32 CA$6.03

-61.34%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$2.33 CA$3.25

-72.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$2.14 CA$3.00

-85.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$6.52 CA$9.11

-63.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$7.33 CA$10.24

-50.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$2.78 CA$3.88

-29.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$2.63 CA$3.67

-45.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$4.73 CA$6.61

-71.88%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.17 CA$4.43

-28.08%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$7.09 CA$9.90

132.02%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$16.15 CA$22.57

-82.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$15.53 CA$21.70

-40.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$4.85 CA$6.77

-51.55%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.48 CA$2.07

-34.46%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$5.29 CA$7.39

-69.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$7.50 CA$10.48

-80.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$4.44 CA$6.21

-71.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$3.54 CA$4.94

-68.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$3.53 CA$4.93

-79.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$1.08 CA$1.51

-54.63%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$17.18 CA$24.00

-75.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$14.50 CA$20.27

20.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$4.34 CA$6.07

-62.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$6.29 CA$8.79

-55.80%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$1.40 CA$1.96

-37.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$53.5 CA$74.7

1.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$3.19 CA$4.46

-63.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.47 CA$2.05

-63.95%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.28 CA$1.78

13.28%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$24.3K CA$34.0K

-13.39%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$20.1K CA$28.0K

34.32%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$369 CA$516

-83.16%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$59.0 CA$82.5

-79.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$102 CA$142

-80.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$73.6 CA$103

-49.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$9.93 CA$13.87

-34.64%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$594 CA$829

24.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$65.3 CA$91.2

-18.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$36.14 CA$50.5

-31.82%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$103 CA$144

-11.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$119 CA$166

-39.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$1,616 CA$2,257

-70.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$1,419 CA$1,982

-78.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$2,356 CA$3,292

-57.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$2,048 CA$2,861

-69.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$3,093 CA$4,321

-23.59%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,882 CA$4,028

-44.87%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$4,657 CA$6,507

-87.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

5.32

4.70%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Yellowknife: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Yellowknife

$1.4K 47.3% 359% $1.1K

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Yellowknife

$437 14.6% 86.4% $202

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Yellowknife

$145 4.9% 33.9% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Yellowknife

$530 17.7% 461% $436

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Yellowknife

$303 10.1% 291% $226

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Yellowknife

$70 2.3% 13.4% $8.2

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Yellowknife

$93 3.1% 85.9% $43

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $1,616 in Yellowknife. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Yellowknife are about 7.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $87 in Yellowknife. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $437 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇨🇦 Yellowknife

🕒 Local time

01:23 1:23 AM

12:23 12:23 PM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

19,234

💱 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 1, 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 1, 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 Yellowknife 10,520 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Yellowknife

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 Yellowknife: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yellowknife costs about 220% 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 $4,496 in Yellowknife. 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 $1,616 in Yellowknife.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $87 in Yellowknife. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 86% more in Yellowknife, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $2,997 in Yellowknife. 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 $2,997 in Yellowknife. 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, Yellowknife makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.