Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saanich and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,592 in Saanich, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Saanich
Learn more

Saanich Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Saanich

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,592

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,592 per month in Saanich vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Saanich $2,592
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,650 per month in Saanich vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Saanich $3,650
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,707 per month in Saanich vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Saanich $4,707
Chiang Mai $1,979

Saanich costs about 177% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Saanich sits 90% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.77 CA$24.83

$2.24 ฿75.6

693.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.0 CA$99.2

$19.00 ฿641

273.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.26 CA$15.73

$5.55 ฿187

102.88%

Cappuccino

$4.25 CA$5.93

$1.67 ฿56.5

154.49%

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

$2.34 CA$3.27

$0.64 ฿21.54

265.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 CA$2.42

$0.31 ฿10.31

458.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.58 CA$7.80

$2.36 ฿79.5

136.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.59 CA$9.21

$3.66 ฿124

80.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.93 CA$2.70

$1.95 ฿65.7

-1.03%

White Bread (500g)

$3.04 CA$4.25

$1.44 ฿48.46

111.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.12 CA$4.36

$1.33 ฿45.03

134.59%

Eggs

$4.08 CA$5.70

$2.28 ฿77.1

78.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.36 CA$15.88

$16.45 ฿555

-30.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.69 CA$17.74

$2.78 ฿93.9

356.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.34 CA$24.23

$9.31 ฿314

86.25%

Apples (1kg)

$4.62 CA$6.46

$2.35 ฿79.4

96.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 CA$2.02

$0.97 ฿32.79

48.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.23 CA$5.91

$1.60 ฿53.9

164.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.78 CA$8.07

$1.50 ฿50.6

285.33%

Potato (1kg)

$3.45 CA$4.82

$1.28 ฿43.11

169.53%

Onion (1kg)

$2.89 CA$4.04

$1.10 ฿37.18

162.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$3.26 CA$4.56

$0.71 ฿23.82

359.15%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 CA$3.10

$0.49 ฿16.36

353.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.46 CA$20.20

$4.14 ฿140

249.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.63 CA$21.84

$17.52 ฿591

-10.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.67 CA$3.73

$1.61 ฿54.5

65.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.64 CA$5.09

$2.78 ฿93.9

30.94%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.29 CA$3.20

$0.87 ฿29.30

163.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$80.0 CA$112

$54.1 ฿1,825

47.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.83 CA$3.95

$1.16 ฿39.04

143.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 CA$2.19

$0.53 ฿17.80

196.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.10 CA$39.27

$2.42 ฿81.7

1061.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 CA$1.94

$1.45 ฿48.88

-4.14%

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

$28.4K CA$39.7K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

35.00%

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

$21.0K CA$29.4K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

-21.91%

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

$119 CA$166

$62.2 ฿2,098

91.28%

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

$41.27 CA$57.7

$12.17 ฿411

239.11%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.2 CA$92.5

$20.12 ฿679

228.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$69.6 CA$97.2

$37.31 ฿1,259

86.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$11.22 CA$15.68

$6.49 ฿219

72.88%

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

$877 CA$1,225

$736 ฿24.8K

19.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$13.3K CA$18.6K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-9.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.3 CA$75.8

$53.4 ฿1,801

1.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.53 CA$49.65

$24.64 ฿831

44.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 CA$126

$91.5 ฿3,087

-1.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 CA$150

$71.9 ฿2,427

49.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,470 CA$2,053

$482 ฿16.3K

204.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,347 CA$1,882

$309 ฿10.4K

335.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,039 CA$2,849

$1,006 ฿33.9K

102.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,890 CA$2,641

$633 ฿21.4K

198.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,819 CA$5,336

$1,589 ฿53.6K

140.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,903 CA$4,057

$590 ฿19.9K

392.33%

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 Saanich: 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

Saanich

$1.3K 52%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 77.1% $1K

Groceries & Markets

Saanich

$413 16%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 43.3% $179

Eating Out

Saanich

$284 11%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 72.7% $207

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saanich

$226 8.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 58.3% $132

Clothing & Footwear

Saanich

$129 5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 16% $21

Getting Around

Saanich

$100 3.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 38.5% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Saanich

$92 3.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 45.4% $42

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,470 in Saanich 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 Saanich are about 4.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $71 in Saanich versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $413 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Saanich

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:56 12:56 AM

14:56 2:56 PM

14 h ahead of Saanich

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

117,735

127,240

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.716 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.716 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Saanich Chiang Mai 11,440 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Saanich
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

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

Saanich costs about 177% 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 $3,888 per month in Saanich 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 $1,470 in Saanich.

Kindergarten costs $877 per month in Saanich 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 76% more in Saanich, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,592 in Saanich 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, Saanich makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.