Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Markham and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,410 in Markham, rent and utilities included – about $17,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

116

Cost of Living Index in Markham
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Markham Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Markham

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,410

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,410 per month in Markham vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Markham $2,410
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,495 per month in Markham vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Markham $3,495
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,580 per month in Markham vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Markham $4,580
Chiang Mai $1,979

Markham costs about 158% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Markham sits 77% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.09 CA$25.39

$2.24 ฿75.7

707.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.2 CA$76.1

$19.00 ฿642

185.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.73 CA$15.06

$5.55 ฿188

93.33%

Cappuccino

$3.76 CA$5.28

$1.67 ฿56.6

125.15%

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

$1.78 CA$2.50

$0.64 ฿21.56

178.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 CA$1.73

$0.31 ฿10.32

296.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.64 CA$5.11

$2.36 ฿79.6

54.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.72 CA$8.03

$3.66 ฿124

56.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.01 CA$2.83

$1.95 ฿65.8

3.08%

White Bread (500g)

$2.30 CA$3.23

$1.44 ฿48.51

59.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 CA$2.69

$1.33 ฿45.07

44.36%

Eggs

$3.16 CA$4.44

$2.28 ฿77.1

38.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.99 CA$16.82

$2.78 ฿94.0

331.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.16 CA$10.05

$9.31 ฿314

-23.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 CA$5.27

$2.35 ฿79.5

59.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 CA$1.83

$0.97 ฿32.82

34.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 CA$3.32

$1.60 ฿53.9

47.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.31 CA$4.65

$1.50 ฿50.7

120.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.01 CA$2.82

$1.28 ฿43.15

57.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 CA$2.79

$1.10 ฿37.22

80.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.79 CA$3.91

$0.71 ฿23.84

292.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 CA$2.21

$0.49 ฿16.38

222.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.44 CA$18.86

$4.14 ฿140

224.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.79 CA$20.76

$17.52 ฿592

-15.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.50 CA$3.51

$1.61 ฿54.5

55.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 CA$4.42

$2.78 ฿94.0

13.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.10 CA$4.36

$0.87 ฿29.33

256.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$101 CA$142

$54.1 ฿1,827

87.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.34 CA$4.69

$1.16 ฿39.08

187.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.58 CA$26.07

$2.42 ฿81.8

667.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 CA$1.68

$1.45 ฿48.93

-17.24%

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

$28.5K CA$40.0K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

35.42%

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

$21.6K CA$30.3K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-19.75%

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

$130 CA$182

$62.2 ฿2,100

108.98%

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

$27.48 CA$38.57

$12.17 ฿411

125.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.49 CA$63.8

$20.12 ฿680

126.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.54 CA$54.1

$37.31 ฿1,260

3.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.40 CA$30.03

$3.77 ฿127

467.64%

Cinema Ticket

$10.20 CA$14.32

$6.49 ฿219

57.16%

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

$526 CA$738

$736 ฿24.9K

-28.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$27.9K CA$39.1K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

88.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$43.18 CA$60.6

$53.4 ฿1,802

-19.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.46 CA$52.6

$24.64 ฿832

52.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.7 CA$132

$91.5 ฿3,089

2.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 CA$151

$71.9 ฿2,429

49.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,600 CA$2,246

$482 ฿16.3K

231.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,354 CA$1,901

$309 ฿10.4K

338.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,679 CA$3,760

$1,006 ฿34.0K

166.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,237 CA$3,139

$633 ฿21.4K

253.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$6,458 CA$9,063

$2,363 ฿79.8K

173.28%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,229 CA$7,338

$1,589 ฿53.7K

229.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,216 CA$4,513

$590 ฿19.9K

445.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.56

5.57

-18.13%

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

Last update for Markham: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Markham

$1.4K 56.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 77.2% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Markham

$286 * 11.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 18% $52

Eating Out

Markham

$264 10.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 70.6% $186

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Markham

$203 8.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 53.4% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Markham

$127 5.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 14.3% $18

Getting Around

Markham

$117 * 4.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 47.6% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Markham

$59 2.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 14.7% $8.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,600 in Markham 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 Markham are about 5.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $54 in Markham versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $286 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Markham

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:46 11:46 AM

22:46 10:46 PM

11 h ahead of Markham

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

338,503

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 = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Markham Chiang Mai 13,050 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Markham
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

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

Markham costs about 158% 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 $3,615 per month in Markham 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 $1,600 in Markham.

Kindergarten costs $526 per month in Markham 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 22% more in Markham, 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 $2,410 in Markham 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 $2,410 in Markham. 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.

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