Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint John, New Brunswick and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,954 in Saint John, New Brunswick, rent and utilities included – about $12,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

95

Cost of Living Index in Saint John, New Brunswick
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Saint John, New Brunswick Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Saint John, New Brunswick

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,954

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,954 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Saint John, New Brunswick $1,954
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $2,938 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Saint John, New Brunswick $2,938
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $3,922 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Saint John, New Brunswick $3,922
Chiang Mai $1,903

Saint John, New Brunswick costs about 111% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Saint John, New Brunswick sits 44% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 32% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.44 CA$26.08

$2.29 ฿76.5

705.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.0 CA$86.2

$19.64 ฿656

210.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.83 CA$15.31

$5.61 ฿188

93.05%

Cappuccino

$2.96 CA$4.18

$1.66 ฿55.6

78.31%

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

$1.77 CA$2.50

$0.70 ฿23.40

152.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 CA$1.52

$0.31 ฿10.24

245.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.49 CA$6.35

$2.41 ฿80.4

86.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.00 CA$7.06

$3.71 ฿124

34.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.23 CA$3.16

$1.95 ฿65.3

14.36%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 CA$3.97

$1.41 ฿47.03

99.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 CA$4.23

$1.31 ฿43.62

128.24%

Eggs

$3.56 CA$5.03

$2.18 ฿72.9

63.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.47 CA$19.05

$16.65 ฿556

-19.10%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.04 CA$17.02

$2.76 ฿92.2

336.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.83 CA$18.14

$9.11 ฿304

40.83%

Apples (1kg)

$5.00 CA$7.07

$2.39 ฿80.0

109.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 CA$2.10

$1.03 ฿34.26

43.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.16 CA$5.88

$1.63 ฿54.4

155.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 CA$5.70

$1.50 ฿50.0

168.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.03 CA$2.86

$1.29 ฿43.13

57.36%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 CA$3.12

$1.11 ฿37.03

99.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.48 CA$3.50

$0.72 ฿24.08

244.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 CA$1.95

$0.53 ฿17.59

160.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.23 CA$20.12

$4.31 ฿144

230.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.67 CA$13.67

$17.95 ฿600

-46.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.78 CA$2.52

$1.58 ฿52.9

12.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 CA$2.93

$2.84 ฿95.0

-26.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.09 CA$2.95

$0.86 ฿28.86

143.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.4 CA$79.8

$53.3 ฿1,780

5.91%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 CA$3.97

$1.21 ฿40.29

132.23%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 CA$1.48

$0.57 ฿18.99

84.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.60 CA$24.89

$2.35 ฿78.6

648.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 CA$1.80

$1.44 ฿47.96

-11.11%

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

$26.4K CA$37.3K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

27.21%

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

$21.4K CA$30.3K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-20.04%

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

$122 CA$173

$62.3 ฿2,083

95.86%

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

$42.20 CA$59.7

$12.11 ฿405

248.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.5 CA$91.2

$19.94 ฿666

223.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$53.3 CA$75.4

$37.07 ฿1,239

43.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.52 CA$50.2

$3.78 ฿126

839.68%

Cinema Ticket

$12.61 CA$17.83

$6.50 ฿217

94.00%

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

$372 CA$526

$793 ฿26.5K

-53.09%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.3K CA$16.0K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-23.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.5 CA$71.4

$53.7 ฿1,796

-6.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.95 CA$50.8

$24.62 ฿823

46.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 CA$143

$90.9 ฿3,036

11.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 CA$151

$71.1 ฿2,378

49.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$966 CA$1,366

$455 ฿15.2K

112.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$826 CA$1,168

$298 ฿9,954

177.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,609 CA$2,275

$908 ฿30.4K

77.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,353 CA$1,913

$554 ฿18.5K

144.31%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,035 CA$2,876

$1,931 ฿64.5K

5.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,131 CA$3,013

$1,445 ฿48.3K

47.54%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,596 CA$3,670

$591 ฿19.7K

339.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.69

5.57

-15.80%

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

Last update for Saint John, New Brunswick: October 17, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Saint John, New Brunswick

$826 42.3%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 63.9% $528

Groceries & Markets

Saint John, New Brunswick

$356 18.2%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 33.8% $120

Eating Out

Saint John, New Brunswick

$259 13.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 69.7% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Saint John, New Brunswick

$229 11.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 58.7% $134

Clothing & Footwear

Saint John, New Brunswick

$132 6.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 18.2% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Saint John, New Brunswick

$79 4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 36.3% $28

Getting Around

Saint John, New Brunswick

$73 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 16.5% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $966 in Saint John, New Brunswick 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 339% higher in Saint John, New Brunswick, 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 $61.0 in Saint John, New Brunswick versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $356 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Saint John, New Brunswick

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:53 7:53 AM

17:53 5:53 PM

10 h ahead of Saint John, New Brunswick

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,063

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 20, 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 20, 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 →

On the map

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Between locations

Saint John, New Brunswick Chiang Mai 12,730 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Saint John, New Brunswick
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

Saint John, New Brunswick vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Saint John, New Brunswick costs about 111% 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 $2,930 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick 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 $372 per month in Saint John, New Brunswick 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 51% more in Saint John, New Brunswick, 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 Saint John, New Brunswick at $1,954. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Saint John, New Brunswick it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $1,954 in Saint John, New Brunswick. 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, Saint John, New Brunswick makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.