Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Edmonton and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,170 in Edmonton, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Edmonton
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Edmonton Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Edmonton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,170

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Edmonton and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,170 per month in Edmonton vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Edmonton $2,170
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,160 per month in Edmonton vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Edmonton $3,160
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $4,150 per month in Edmonton vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Edmonton $4,150
Chiang Mai $1,914

Edmonton costs about 131% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Edmonton sits 61% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.45 CA$27.49

$2.26 ฿75.4

760.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$74.3 CA$105

$19.18 ฿641

287.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.51 CA$13.45

$5.59 ฿187

70.13%

Cappuccino

$3.96 CA$5.60

$1.72 ฿57.6

130.23%

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

$2.30 CA$3.25

$0.64 ฿21.54

259.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 CA$2.71

$0.33 ฿11.18

481.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.52 CA$7.81

$2.36 ฿78.7

133.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.24 CA$8.82

$3.90 ฿130

60.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 CA$2.17

$2.05 ฿68.6

-25.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.11 CA$2.98

$1.40 ฿46.70

50.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.90 CA$4.10

$1.28 ฿42.89

126.56%

Eggs

$3.53 CA$4.99

$2.25 ฿75.3

56.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.95 CA$15.48

$16.94 ฿566

-35.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.39 CA$16.11

$2.74 ฿91.6

315.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.22 CA$25.76

$9.36 ฿313

94.66%

Apples (1kg)

$4.16 CA$5.88

$2.40 ฿80.3

73.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.95

$1.01 ฿33.92

36.63%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.31 CA$6.09

$1.61 ฿53.9

167.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 CA$5.62

$1.52 ฿50.7

161.84%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 CA$2.97

$1.28 ฿42.90

64.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.83 CA$2.59

$1.11 ฿37.22

64.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.33 CA$3.30

$0.72 ฿24.09

223.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 CA$2.51

$0.52 ฿17.54

240.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.56 CA$19.17

$4.33 ฿145

213.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.40 CA$16.12

$17.73 ฿593

-35.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.46 CA$4.88

$1.63 ฿54.4

112.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 CA$4.00

$2.85 ฿95.3

-0.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.61 CA$3.68

$0.85 ฿28.31

207.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$70.0 CA$99.0

$53.9 ฿1,801

29.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 CA$3.98

$1.17 ฿39.18

140.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.34 CA$1.89

$0.57 ฿19.00

135.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.32 CA$30.14

$2.37 ฿79.2

799.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.12 CA$1.58

$1.45 ฿48.32

-22.76%

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

$27.4K CA$38.7K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

33.80%

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

$19.2K CA$27.2K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-27.49%

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

$230 CA$325

$62.3 ฿2,083

269.02%

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

$42.84 CA$60.6

$12.27 ฿410

249.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.8 CA$74.6

$19.97 ฿668

164.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.96 CA$63.6

$37.91 ฿1,267

18.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.06 CA$25.53

$3.76 ฿126

380.32%

Cinema Ticket

$12.84 CA$18.16

$6.71 ฿224

91.36%

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

$766 CA$1,083

$797 ฿26.6K

-3.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,441 CA$13.3K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-36.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.07 CA$62.3

$53.3 ฿1,780

-17.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.73 CA$64.7

$25.05 ฿837

82.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.1 CA$119

$91.6 ฿3,062

-8.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.9 CA$136

$73.5 ฿2,455

30.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,086 CA$1,535

$464 ฿15.5K

134.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$915 CA$1,293

$305 ฿10.2K

200.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,704 CA$2,409

$915 ฿30.6K

86.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,386 CA$1,960

$552 ฿18.5K

150.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,206 CA$3,119

$1,912 ฿63.9K

15.40%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,983 CA$2,804

$1,438 ฿48.1K

37.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,595 CA$5,083

$595 ฿19.9K

504.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.32

5.57

-22.44%

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

Last update for Edmonton: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Edmonton

$915 42.2%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 66.7% $610

Groceries & Markets

Edmonton

$359 16.6%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 33.7% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Edmonton

$326 15%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 71% $231

Eating Out

Edmonton

$289 13.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 72.6% $210

Clothing & Footwear

Edmonton

$121 5.6%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 9.8% $12

Getting Around

Edmonton

$90 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 31.8% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Edmonton

$71 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 27.3% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,086 in Edmonton versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 504% higher in Edmonton, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $74.0 in Edmonton versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $359 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Edmonton

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:24 5:24 PM

06:24 6:24 AM

13 h ahead of Edmonton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,010,899

127,240

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.707 USD

1 CAD = 0.629 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 1.41 CAD (1 CAD = 0.707 USD). 1 EUR = 1.59 CAD (1 CAD = 0.629 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Edmonton Chiang Mai 11,390 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

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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

Edmonton vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Edmonton costs about 131% 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 $3,255 per month in Edmonton and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $766 per month in Edmonton and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 51% more in Edmonton, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Edmonton at $2,170. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Edmonton it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,170 in Edmonton. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Edmonton makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.