Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Laval and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,283 in Laval, rent and utilities included – about $16,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

109

Cost of Living Index in Laval
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Laval Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Laval

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,283

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,283 per month in Laval vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Laval $2,283
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,368 per month in Laval vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Laval $3,368
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,454 per month in Laval vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Laval $4,454
Chiang Mai $1,979

Laval costs about 144% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Laval sits 68% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.73 CA$24.78

$2.24 ฿75.6

691.52%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.6 CA$108

$19.00 ฿641

308.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.77 CA$15.05

$5.55 ฿187

94.05%

Cappuccino

$3.87 CA$5.41

$1.67 ฿56.5

131.74%

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

$2.09 CA$2.93

$0.64 ฿21.53

226.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 CA$2.23

$0.31 ฿10.30

412.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 CA$7.79

$2.36 ฿79.5

136.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$7.20 CA$10.06

$3.66 ฿124

96.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.32 CA$3.25

$1.95 ฿65.7

18.97%

White Bread (500g)

$3.05 CA$4.26

$1.44 ฿48.45

111.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.02 CA$4.22

$1.33 ฿45.01

127.07%

Eggs

$3.24 CA$4.53

$2.28 ฿77.0

42.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.69 CA$16.35

$16.45 ฿555

-28.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.76 CA$16.44

$2.78 ฿93.8

323.02%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.18 CA$19.82

$9.31 ฿314

52.31%

Apples (1kg)

$3.65 CA$5.10

$2.35 ฿79.4

55.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.52 CA$2.12

$0.97 ฿32.78

56.70%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.86 CA$5.39

$1.60 ฿53.9

141.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.63 CA$5.07

$1.50 ฿50.6

142.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.64 CA$3.70

$1.28 ฿43.10

106.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.97 CA$2.75

$1.10 ฿37.17

79.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 CA$3.56

$0.71 ฿23.81

259.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.49 CA$2.08

$0.49 ฿16.36

204.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.34 CA$15.84

$4.14 ฿140

173.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.42 CA$17.36

$17.52 ฿591

-29.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.23 CA$3.12

$1.61 ฿54.5

38.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.89 CA$4.04

$2.78 ฿93.9

3.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.79 CA$3.90

$0.87 ฿29.29

220.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.9 CA$112

$54.1 ฿1,825

47.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.80 CA$3.91

$1.16 ฿39.03

141.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.01

$0.53 ฿17.79

171.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.58 CA$27.37

$2.42 ฿81.7

709.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 CA$1.70

$1.45 ฿48.87

-15.86%

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

$28.4K CA$39.8K

$21.1K ฿710.3K

35.06%

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

$21.6K CA$30.2K

$26.9K ฿908.7K

-19.78%

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

$88.3 CA$123

$62.2 ฿2,097

42.03%

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

$37.26 CA$52.1

$12.17 ฿410

206.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.30 CA$64.7

$20.12 ฿679

130.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$30.54 CA$42.68

$37.31 ฿1,259

-18.15%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$11.37 CA$15.89

$6.49 ฿219

75.19%

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

$831 CA$1,162

$736 ฿24.8K

12.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.9K CA$22.2K

$14.8K ฿498.0K

7.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.8 CA$79.4

$53.4 ฿1,800

6.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.27 CA$54.9

$24.64 ฿831

59.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.3 CA$139

$91.5 ฿3,086

8.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$110 CA$154

$71.9 ฿2,426

53.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,254 CA$1,753

$482 ฿16.3K

160.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,183 CA$1,654

$309 ฿10.4K

283.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,934 CA$2,704

$1,006 ฿33.9K

92.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,855 CA$2,593

$633 ฿21.4K

192.87%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,102 CA$4,335

$2,363 ฿79.7K

31.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,669 CA$3,730

$590 ฿19.9K

352.56%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.48

5.57

-19.57%

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

Last update for Laval: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Laval

$1.2K 51.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 73.9% $874

Groceries & Markets

Laval

$358 15.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 34.5% $123

Eating Out

Laval

$278 12.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 72.1% $200

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Laval

$172 7.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 45% $77

Clothing & Footwear

Laval

$138 6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 21% $29

Getting Around

Laval

$101 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 39.3% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Laval

$53 2.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 5.6% $3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,254 in Laval 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.

Salaries in Laval are about 4.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Laval versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $358 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Laval

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:05 10:05 AM

22:05 10:05 PM

12 h ahead of Laval

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

438,366

127,240

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Laval Chiang Mai 12,820 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Laval
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

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

Laval costs about 144% 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 $3,424 per month in Laval 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 $1,254 in Laval.

Kindergarten costs $831 per month in Laval 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 53% more in Laval, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,283 in Laval and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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