Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Fort St John, BC and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,949 in Fort St John, BC, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

94

Cost of Living Index in Fort St John, BC
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Fort St John, BC Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Fort St John, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,949

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Fort St John, BC 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 Fort St John, BC and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,949 per month in Fort St John, BC vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fort St John, BC $1,949
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $3,002 per month in Fort St John, BC vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fort St John, BC $3,002
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $4,055 per month in Fort St John, BC vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Fort St John, BC $4,055
Chiang Mai $1,903

Fort St John, BC costs about 111% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Fort St John, BC sits 44% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.70 CA$25.02

$2.29 ฿76.5

672.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.02 CA$59.4

$19.64 ฿656

113.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.35 CA$13.22

$5.61 ฿188

66.67%

Cappuccino

$3.89 CA$5.49

$1.66 ฿55.6

134.34%

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

$1.82 CA$2.58

$0.70 ฿23.40

160.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 CA$1.73

$0.31 ฿10.24

293.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.19 CA$8.75

$2.41 ฿80.4

156.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 CA$6.38

$3.71 ฿124

21.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.34 CA$4.72

$1.95 ฿65.3

71.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.79 CA$3.94

$1.41 ฿47.03

97.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.66 CA$5.17

$1.31 ฿43.62

179.39%

Eggs

$4.18 CA$5.90

$2.18 ฿72.9

91.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.02 CA$16.99

$16.65 ฿556

-27.81%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.69 CA$19.36

$2.76 ฿92.2

396.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.57 CA$26.26

$9.11 ฿304

103.84%

Apples (1kg)

$5.73 CA$8.10

$2.39 ฿80.0

139.75%

Banana (1kg)

$0.73 CA$1.03

$1.03 ฿34.26

-29.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.77 CA$5.33

$1.63 ฿54.4

131.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.61 CA$5.11

$1.50 ฿50.0

140.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 CA$3.98

$1.29 ฿43.13

118.60%

Onion (1kg)

$2.76 CA$3.90

$1.11 ฿37.03

148.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 CA$3.03

$0.72 ฿24.08

197.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 CA$3.57

$0.53 ฿17.59

375.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.36 CA$20.29

$4.31 ฿144

233.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$21.42 CA$30.29

$17.95 ฿600

19.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.85 CA$6.85

$1.58 ฿52.9

206.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.60 CA$7.91

$2.84 ฿95.0

97.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$0.86 ฿28.86

67.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.86 CA$40.80

$53.3 ฿1,780

-45.83%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 CA$1.76

$1.44 ฿47.96

-13.19%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

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

$126 CA$178

$62.3 ฿2,083

101.81%

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

$101 CA$142

$12.11 ฿405

730.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$61.0 CA$86.2

$19.94 ฿666

205.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$13.48 CA$19.06

$37.07 ฿1,239

-63.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$10.56 CA$14.94

$6.50 ฿217

62.46%

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

$697 CA$985

$793 ฿26.5K

-12.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.2 CA$101

$53.7 ฿1,796

32.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.43 CA$67.0

$24.62 ฿823

92.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 CA$148

$90.9 ฿3,036

15.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 CA$202

$71.1 ฿2,378

101.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$733 CA$1,036

$455 ฿15.2K

60.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$709 CA$1,002

$298 ฿9,954

138.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,542 CA$2,180

$908 ฿30.4K

69.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,394 CA$1,971

$554 ฿18.5K

151.79%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,291 CA$1,824

$1,931 ฿64.5K

-33.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,094 CA$4,374

$591 ฿19.7K

423.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.1

5.57

9.52%

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

Last update for Fort St John, BC: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Fort St John, BC

$709 36.4%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 58% $411

Groceries & Markets

Fort St John, BC

$450 23.1%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 47.7% $215

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Fort St John, BC

$287 14.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 67.1% $193

Eating Out

Fort St John, BC

$268 13.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 70.7% $190

Clothing & Footwear

Fort St John, BC

$165 8.5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 34.5% $57

Getting Around

Fort St John, BC

$35 * 1.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 75.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Fort St John, BC

$35 1.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 44.6% $15

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $733 in Fort St John, BC versus $455 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 424% higher in Fort St John, BC, 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 $42.00 in Fort St John, BC versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $450 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Fort St John, BC

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:53 3:53 AM

17:53 5:53 PM

14 h ahead of Fort St John, BC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,609

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 20, 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 20, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Fort St John, BC Chiang Mai 10,880 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Fort St John, BC
Chiang Mai

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

Fort St John, BC vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Fort St John, BC costs about 111% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,924 per month in Fort St John, BC and $1,388 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 $697 per month in Fort St John, BC and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 91% more in Fort St John, BC, 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 $925, than in Fort St John, BC at $1,949. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Fort St John, BC it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,949 in Fort St John, BC. 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, Fort St John, BC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.