Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between London and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $2,359 in London, rent and utilities included – about $17,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

113

Cost of Living Index in London
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London Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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London

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,359

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,359 per month in London vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

London $2,359
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $3,355 per month in London vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

London $3,355
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $4,351 per month in London vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

London $4,351
Chiang Mai $1,903

London costs about 155% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

London sits 74% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.18 CA$29.94

$2.29 ฿76.5

824.89%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.1 CA$89.2

$19.64 ฿656

221.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.23 CA$17.29

$5.61 ฿188

118.00%

Cappuccino

$3.67 CA$5.19

$1.66 ฿55.6

121.08%

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

$2.18 CA$3.08

$0.70 ฿23.40

211.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.18 CA$3.08

$0.31 ฿10.24

603.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.55 CA$9.27

$2.41 ฿80.4

171.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.28 CA$8.88

$3.71 ฿124

69.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.98 CA$2.79

$1.95 ฿65.3

1.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 CA$3.80

$1.41 ฿47.03

90.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.91 CA$5.53

$1.31 ฿43.62

198.47%

Eggs

$3.67 CA$5.19

$2.18 ฿72.9

68.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.16 CA$14.37

$16.65 ฿556

-38.98%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.60 CA$16.40

$2.76 ฿92.2

320.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.91 CA$21.08

$9.11 ฿304

63.67%

Apples (1kg)

$4.35 CA$6.15

$2.39 ฿80.0

82.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 CA$1.76

$1.03 ฿34.26

20.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.75 CA$5.30

$1.63 ฿54.4

130.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.02 CA$5.69

$1.50 ฿50.0

168.00%

Potato (1kg)

$3.05 CA$4.31

$1.29 ฿43.13

136.43%

Onion (1kg)

$3.04 CA$4.29

$1.11 ฿37.03

173.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.55 CA$3.61

$0.72 ฿24.08

254.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 CA$2.15

$0.53 ฿17.59

186.79%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$11.81 CA$16.70

$4.31 ฿144

174.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.91 CA$18.25

$17.95 ฿600

-28.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.44 CA$3.46

$1.58 ฿52.9

54.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$4.01

$2.84 ฿95.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.27 CA$3.21

$0.86 ฿28.86

163.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$79.4 CA$112

$53.3 ฿1,780

49.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.53 CA$3.57

$1.21 ฿40.29

109.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 CA$2.42

$0.57 ฿18.99

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.96 CA$31.05

$2.35 ฿78.6

834.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 CA$1.76

$1.44 ฿47.96

-13.89%

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

$27.0K CA$38.2K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

30.22%

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

$22.8K CA$32.2K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-15.06%

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

$139 CA$197

$62.3 ฿2,083

123.02%

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

$39.70 CA$56.1

$12.11 ฿405

227.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 CA$80.5

$19.94 ฿666

185.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.60 CA$53.2

$37.07 ฿1,239

1.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.03 CA$41.04

$3.78 ฿126

667.99%

Cinema Ticket

$10.48 CA$14.82

$6.50 ฿217

61.23%

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

$410 CA$580

$793 ฿26.5K

-48.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.3K CA$28.6K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

36.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.0 CA$75.0

$53.7 ฿1,796

-1.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.23 CA$55.5

$24.62 ฿823

59.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.1 CA$115

$90.9 ฿3,036

-10.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.7 CA$127

$71.1 ฿2,378

26.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,297 CA$1,834

$455 ฿15.2K

184.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,172 CA$1,656

$298 ฿9,954

293.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,066 CA$2,920

$908 ฿30.4K

127.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,682 CA$2,378

$554 ฿18.5K

203.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,510 CA$4,962

$1,931 ฿64.5K

81.80%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,683 CA$5,207

$1,445 ฿48.3K

154.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,092 CA$4,371

$591 ฿19.7K

423.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.72

5.57

-15.26%

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

Last update for London: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

London

$1.2K 49.7%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 74.6% $874

Groceries & Markets

London

$362 15.3%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 34.9% $126

Eating Out

London

$313 13.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 74.9% $234

Monthly Utilities & Internet

London

$236 10%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 59.9% $141

Clothing & Footwear

London

$118 5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 8.7% $10

Getting Around

London

$100 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 38.9% $39

Sport & Entertainment

London

$59 2.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 14.5% $8.5

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,297 in London 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 423% higher in London, 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 $63.0 in London versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $362 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 London

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

23:18 11:18 PM

10:18 10:18 AM

11 h ahead of London

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

383,822

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 22, 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 22, 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

London Chiang Mai 13,150 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

London
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

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

London costs about 155% 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 $3,538 per month in London 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 $410 per month in London 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 54% more in London, 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 London at $2,359. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in London it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $2,359 in London. 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, London makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.