Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between High Level and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,168 in High Level, rent and utilities included – about $14,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in High Level
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High Level Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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High Level

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,168

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,168 per month in High Level vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

High Level $2,168
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,250 per month in High Level vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

High Level $3,250
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,332 per month in High Level vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

High Level $4,332
Chiang Mai $1,979

High Level costs about 132% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

High Level sits 59% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.04 CA$26.71

$2.24 ฿75.7

750.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.0 CA$80.0

$19.00 ฿642

200.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.18 CA$14.28

$5.55 ฿188

83.42%

Cappuccino

$3.41 CA$4.79

$1.67 ฿56.6

104.19%

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

$1.90 CA$2.66

$0.64 ฿21.56

196.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 CA$2.57

$0.31 ฿10.32

490.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.39 CA$7.57

$2.36 ฿79.6

128.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.29 CA$8.82

$3.66 ฿124

71.86%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.30 CA$3.23

$1.95 ฿65.8

17.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.85 CA$4.00

$1.44 ฿48.51

97.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.60 CA$5.05

$1.33 ฿45.07

170.68%

Eggs

$3.62 CA$5.08

$2.28 ฿77.1

58.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.52 CA$13.36

$16.45 ฿556

-42.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.62 CA$14.90

$2.78 ฿94.0

282.01%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.27 CA$20.02

$9.31 ฿314

53.28%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 CA$4.75

$2.35 ฿79.5

44.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 CA$1.91

$0.97 ฿32.82

40.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 CA$4.86

$1.60 ฿53.9

116.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.73 CA$5.23

$1.50 ฿50.7

148.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 CA$3.62

$1.28 ฿43.15

101.56%

Onion (1kg)

$2.12 CA$2.97

$1.10 ฿37.22

92.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.77 CA$3.88

$0.71 ฿23.84

290.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.79 CA$2.52

$0.49 ฿16.38

265.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.78 CA$20.74

$4.14 ฿140

257.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.93 CA$18.14

$17.52 ฿592

-26.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.70 CA$3.79

$1.61 ฿54.5

67.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.02 CA$4.24

$2.78 ฿94.0

8.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 CA$3.11

$0.87 ฿29.33

155.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.5 CA$77.9

$54.1 ฿1,827

2.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.59 CA$3.64

$1.16 ฿39.08

123.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.02

$0.53 ฿17.82

171.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$22.89 CA$32.12

$2.42 ฿81.8

845.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.13 CA$1.59

$1.45 ฿48.93

-22.07%

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

$31.5K CA$44.2K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

49.62%

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

$22.4K CA$31.4K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-17.02%

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

$121 CA$170

$62.2 ฿2,100

95.37%

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

$40.46 CA$56.8

$12.17 ฿411

232.46%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$58.1 CA$81.5

$20.12 ฿680

188.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.13 CA$50.7

$37.31 ฿1,260

-3.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.53 CA$27.41

$3.77 ฿127

418.04%

Cinema Ticket

$10.77 CA$15.11

$6.49 ฿219

65.95%

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

$580 CA$814

$736 ฿24.9K

-21.22%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K CA$20.2K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-2.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.88 CA$70.0

$53.4 ฿1,802

-6.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.48 CA$51.2

$24.64 ฿832

48.05%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$92.9 CA$130

$91.5 ฿3,089

1.60%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.6 CA$126

$71.9 ฿2,429

24.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,288 CA$1,807

$482 ฿16.3K

167.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,064 CA$1,493

$309 ฿10.4K

244.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,988 CA$2,790

$1,006 ฿34.0K

97.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,862 CA$2,614

$633 ฿21.4K

194.01%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,808 CA$6,747

$2,363 ฿79.8K

103.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,870 CA$5,431

$1,589 ฿53.7K

143.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.68

5.57

-15.98%

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

Last update for High Level: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

High Level

$1.1K 49.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 71% $755

Groceries & Markets

High Level

$352 16.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 33.5% $118

Eating Out

High Level

$278 12.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 72.1% $201

Monthly Utilities & Internet

High Level

$220 10.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 57.1% $126

Clothing & Footwear

High Level

$121 5.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 10.2% $12

Getting Around

High Level

$74 3.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 17.3% $13

Sport & Entertainment

High Level

$58 2.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 12.8% $7.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,288 in High Level versus $482 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $57 in High Level versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 High Level

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:48 12:48 PM

01:48 1:48 AM

13 h ahead of High Level

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,200

127,240

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.64 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.64 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

High Level Chiang Mai 10,800 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

High Level
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

High Level vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

High Level costs about 132% 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 $3,251 per month in High Level and $1,403 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,288 in High Level.

Kindergarten costs $580 per month in High Level and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 50% more in High Level, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,168 in High Level and $936 in Chiang Mai. 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 $2,168 in High Level. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and the 132% gap matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.