Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oshawa and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,370 in Oshawa, 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 Oshawa
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Oshawa Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Oshawa

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,370

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,370 per month in Oshawa vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Oshawa $2,370
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $3,414 per month in Oshawa vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Oshawa $3,414
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $4,457 per month in Oshawa vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Oshawa $4,457
Chiang Mai $1,999

Oshawa costs about 153% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Oshawa sits 75% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.25 CA$19.98

$2.13 ฿71.4

569.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.6 CA$89.1

$18.62 ฿623

241.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.33 CA$11.67

$5.60 ฿187

48.75%

Cappuccino

$3.54 CA$4.97

$1.66 ฿55.6

113.25%

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

$1.77 CA$2.48

$0.65 ฿21.63

172.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 CA$1.91

$0.30 ฿10.20

353.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.86 CA$6.81

$2.32 ฿77.7

109.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.04 CA$8.47

$3.67 ฿123

64.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.91 CA$4.08

$2.02 ฿67.4

44.06%

White Bread (500g)

$2.91 CA$4.07

$1.41 ฿47.08

106.38%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.12 CA$5.77

$1.39 ฿46.54

196.40%

Eggs

$2.97 CA$4.16

$2.37 ฿79.2

25.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.14 CA$14.21

$16.52 ฿552

-38.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.74 CA$19.27

$2.67 ฿89.3

414.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.60 CA$23.27

$9.02 ฿302

84.04%

Apples (1kg)

$4.20 CA$5.89

$2.40 ฿80.2

75.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 CA$1.71

$1.04 ฿34.82

17.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.94 CA$4.12

$1.66 ฿55.5

77.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 CA$5.39

$1.56 ฿52.1

146.15%

Potato (1kg)

$3.36 CA$4.71

$1.24 ฿41.39

170.97%

Onion (1kg)

$2.57 CA$3.60

$1.09 ฿36.34

135.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.35 CA$3.29

$0.76 ฿25.47

209.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 CA$2.42

$0.51 ฿17.19

239.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.29 CA$20.03

$4.12 ฿138

246.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.63 CA$17.70

$17.93 ฿600

-29.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.53 CA$4.94

$1.62 ฿54.3

117.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.49 CA$4.89

$2.82 ฿94.4

23.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 CA$3.95

$0.93 ฿31.25

203.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$87.1 CA$122

$52.9 ฿1,769

64.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.74 CA$3.84

$1.18 ฿39.35

132.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.01

$0.17 ฿5.73

747.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.58 CA$27.44

$1.81 ฿60.6

981.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 CA$1.74

$1.47 ฿49.25

-15.65%

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

$28.8K CA$40.3K

$21.0K ฿702.6K

36.96%

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

$22.9K CA$32.1K

$26.5K ฿886.7K

-13.57%

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

$139 CA$195

$62.6 ฿2,092

122.09%

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

$37.94 CA$53.2

$11.60 ฿388

227.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.3 CA$76.2

$20.30 ฿679

167.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.91 CA$32.11

$37.88 ฿1,267

-39.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.28 CA$41.05

$3.70 ฿124

691.35%

Cinema Ticket

$10.86 CA$15.23

$6.51 ฿218

66.82%

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

$922 CA$1,292

$727 ฿24.3K

26.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,083 CA$11.3K

$16.6K ฿554.2K

-51.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.3 CA$81.7

$53.5 ฿1,790

8.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.7 CA$80.8

$24.80 ฿829

132.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 CA$150

$90.4 ฿3,023

18.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 CA$181

$72.0 ฿2,407

79.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 CA$1,963

$481 ฿16.1K

190.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,207 CA$1,692

$310 ฿10.4K

289.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,003 CA$2,807

$1,058 ฿35.4K

89.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,824 CA$2,556

$659 ฿22.0K

176.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,158 CA$7,230

$2,418 ฿80.8K

113.33%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$10.3K CA$14.5K

$1,609 ฿53.8K

542.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,049 CA$4,274

$595 ฿19.9K

412.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.53

5.57

-18.67%

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

Last update for Oshawa: October 31, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oshawa

$1.2K 50.9%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 74.3% $897

Groceries & Markets

Oshawa

$390 16.5%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 39.3% $153

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oshawa

$231 9.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 59.1% $137

Eating Out

Oshawa

$230 9.7%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 66.8% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Oshawa

$158 6.7%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 31.6% $50

Getting Around

Oshawa

$108 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 45.8% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Oshawa

$45 1.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 14% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,400 in Oshawa versus $481 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 Oshawa are about 5.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64 in Oshawa versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $390 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Oshawa

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:31 3:31 AM

15:31 3:31 PM

12 h ahead of Oshawa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

159,458

127,240

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.713 USD

1 CAD = 0.635 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 November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.713 USD). 1 EUR = 1.57 CAD (1 CAD = 0.635 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Oshawa Chiang Mai 13,040 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Oshawa
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

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

Oshawa costs about 153% 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 $3,555 per month in Oshawa 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 $481 there versus $1,400 in Oshawa.

Kindergarten costs $922 per month in Oshawa and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 65% more in Oshawa, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,370 in Oshawa and $935 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, Oshawa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.