Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hamilton and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,253 in Hamilton, rent and utilities included – about $15,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

110

Cost of Living Index in Hamilton
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Hamilton Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Hamilton

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,253

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,253 per month in Hamilton vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hamilton $2,253
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,331 per month in Hamilton vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hamilton $3,331
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $4,408 per month in Hamilton vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hamilton $4,408
Chiang Mai $1,914

Hamilton costs about 140% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Hamilton sits 67% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.21 CA$24.33

$2.26 ฿75.4

661.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.7 CA$92.8

$19.18 ฿641

242.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.87 CA$16.77

$5.59 ฿187

112.34%

Cappuccino

$3.37 CA$4.77

$1.72 ฿57.6

95.93%

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

$2.22 CA$3.14

$0.64 ฿21.54

246.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 CA$2.39

$0.33 ฿11.18

412.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.99 CA$7.05

$2.36 ฿78.7

111.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.03 CA$8.52

$3.90 ฿130

54.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 CA$2.67

$2.05 ฿68.6

-7.80%

White Bread (500g)

$2.12 CA$2.99

$1.40 ฿46.70

51.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.13 CA$4.43

$1.28 ฿42.89

144.53%

Eggs

$3.33 CA$4.70

$2.25 ฿75.3

48.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.88 CA$11.13

$16.94 ฿566

-53.48%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.30 CA$15.98

$2.74 ฿91.6

312.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.24 CA$20.13

$9.36 ฿313

52.14%

Apples (1kg)

$3.81 CA$5.38

$2.40 ฿80.3

58.75%

Banana (1kg)

$1.27 CA$1.79

$1.01 ฿33.92

25.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.98 CA$5.63

$1.61 ฿53.9

147.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.82 CA$5.40

$1.52 ฿50.7

151.32%

Potato (1kg)

$2.71 CA$3.83

$1.28 ฿42.90

111.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 CA$2.69

$1.11 ฿37.22

72.07%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 CA$2.75

$0.72 ฿24.09

170.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 CA$1.88

$0.52 ฿17.54

155.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.49 CA$17.65

$4.33 ฿145

188.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.95 CA$19.72

$17.73 ฿593

-21.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.65 CA$3.74

$1.63 ฿54.4

62.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 CA$5.33

$2.85 ฿95.3

32.28%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.56 CA$3.62

$0.85 ฿28.31

201.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$84.1 CA$119

$53.9 ฿1,801

56.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.36 CA$4.76

$1.17 ฿39.18

187.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.28 CA$1.82

$0.57 ฿19.00

124.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.24 CA$32.85

$2.37 ฿79.2

880.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.21 CA$1.71

$1.45 ฿48.32

-16.55%

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

$27.6K CA$39.1K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

34.95%

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

$19.6K CA$27.7K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-26.03%

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

$152 CA$214

$62.3 ฿2,083

143.25%

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

$41.21 CA$58.3

$12.27 ฿410

235.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.2 CA$70.9

$19.97 ฿668

151.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.85 CA$52.1

$37.91 ฿1,267

-2.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.62 CA$24.91

$3.76 ฿126

368.62%

Cinema Ticket

$10.23 CA$14.46

$6.71 ฿224

52.46%

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

$600 CA$848

$797 ฿26.6K

-24.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K CA$23.4K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

11.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.93 CA$67.8

$53.3 ฿1,780

-9.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.45 CA$43.05

$25.05 ฿837

21.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 CA$118

$91.6 ฿3,062

-8.51%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 CA$161

$73.5 ฿2,455

54.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,251 CA$1,769

$464 ฿15.5K

169.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,123 CA$1,588

$305 ฿10.2K

268.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,042 CA$2,887

$915 ฿30.6K

123.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,873 CA$2,647

$552 ฿18.5K

239.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,695 CA$3,810

$1,912 ฿63.9K

40.97%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,668 CA$3,771

$1,438 ฿48.1K

85.47%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,860 CA$4,044

$595 ฿19.9K

380.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.6

5.57

-17.41%

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

Last update for Hamilton: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hamilton

$1.1K 49.9%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 72.9% $819

Groceries & Markets

Hamilton

$335 14.9%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 28.9% $97

Eating Out

Hamilton

$266 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 70.3% $187

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hamilton

$243 10.8%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 61.1% $148

Clothing & Footwear

Hamilton

$124 5.5%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 11.8% $15

Getting Around

Hamilton

$104 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 41.1% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Hamilton

$57 2.5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 10.4% $6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,251 in Hamilton 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 381% higher in Hamilton, 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 $66.0 in Hamilton versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $335 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Hamilton

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

08:34 8:34 AM

19:34 7:34 PM

11 h ahead of Hamilton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

519,949

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 17, 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Hamilton Chiang Mai 13,120 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Hamilton
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

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

Hamilton costs about 140% 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 $3,380 per month in Hamilton 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 $600 per month in Hamilton 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 41% more in Hamilton, 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 Hamilton at $2,253. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hamilton it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,253 in Hamilton. 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, Hamilton makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.