Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Squamish, BC and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,633 in Squamish, BC, rent and utilities included – about $20,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

128

Cost of Living Index in Squamish, BC
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Squamish, BC Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Squamish, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,633

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,633 per month in Squamish, BC vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Squamish, BC $2,633
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,977 per month in Squamish, BC vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Squamish, BC $3,977
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $5,322 per month in Squamish, BC vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Squamish, BC $5,322
Chiang Mai $1,979

Squamish, BC costs about 181% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Squamish, BC sits 93% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.13 CA$22.64

$2.24 ฿75.7

620.09%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$50.9 CA$71.4

$19.00 ฿642

167.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.35 CA$14.53

$5.55 ฿188

86.49%

Cappuccino

$3.87 CA$5.43

$1.67 ฿56.6

131.74%

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

$1.83 CA$2.57

$0.64 ฿21.56

185.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 CA$2.18

$0.31 ฿10.32

403.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.76 CA$8.09

$2.36 ฿79.6

144.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.77 CA$8.10

$3.66 ฿124

57.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 CA$2.42

$1.95 ฿65.8

-11.79%

White Bread (500g)

$2.16 CA$3.03

$1.44 ฿48.51

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 CA$4.93

$1.33 ฿45.07

163.91%

Eggs

$3.13 CA$4.39

$2.28 ฿77.1

37.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.63 CA$17.73

$16.45 ฿556

-23.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.42 CA$21.65

$2.78 ฿94.0

454.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.49 CA$27.35

$9.31 ฿314

109.34%

Apples (1kg)

$5.33 CA$7.48

$2.35 ฿79.5

126.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 CA$1.66

$0.97 ฿32.82

21.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.85 CA$6.80

$1.60 ฿53.9

203.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.69 CA$5.18

$1.50 ฿50.7

146.00%

Potato (1kg)

$4.22 CA$5.92

$1.28 ฿43.15

229.69%

Onion (1kg)

$2.56 CA$3.59

$1.10 ฿37.22

132.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.61 CA$3.67

$0.71 ฿23.84

267.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 CA$2.55

$0.49 ฿16.38

271.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.69 CA$20.62

$4.14 ฿140

254.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.85 CA$15.23

$17.52 ฿592

-38.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.89 CA$4.05

$1.61 ฿54.5

79.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.60 CA$5.06

$2.78 ฿94.0

29.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.46 CA$2.05

$0.87 ฿29.33

67.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$31.22 CA$43.81

$54.1 ฿1,827

-42.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.62 CA$5.07

$1.16 ฿39.08

212.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.44 CA$2.03

$0.53 ฿17.82

171.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.78 CA$34.78

$2.42 ฿81.8

923.97%

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)

$26.6K CA$37.3K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

26.12%

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

$19.0K CA$26.6K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-29.58%

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

$116 CA$163

$62.2 ฿2,100

86.41%

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

$44.40 CA$62.3

$12.17 ฿411

264.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.0 CA$89.9

$20.12 ฿680

218.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 CA$72.2

$37.31 ฿1,260

37.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$11.29 CA$15.84

$6.49 ฿219

73.96%

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

$1,088 CA$1,527

$736 ฿24.9K

47.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,575 CA$12.0K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-41.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 CA$73.3

$53.4 ฿1,802

-2.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.74 CA$60.0

$24.64 ฿832

73.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 CA$111

$91.5 ฿3,089

-13.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$99.4 CA$139

$71.9 ฿2,429

38.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,639 CA$2,301

$482 ฿16.3K

239.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,499 CA$2,104

$309 ฿10.4K

385.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,153 CA$4,425

$1,006 ฿34.0K

213.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,821 CA$3,958

$633 ฿21.4K

345.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,834 CA$8,188

$2,363 ฿79.8K

146.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,121 CA$4,379

$590 ฿19.9K

429.14%

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 Squamish, BC: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Squamish, BC

$1.5K 56.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 79.4% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Squamish, BC

$404 15.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 42% $169

Eating Out

Squamish, BC

$260 9.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 70.2% $183

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Squamish, BC

$224 8.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 57.9% $130

Clothing & Footwear

Squamish, BC

$123 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 11.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Squamish, BC

$74 2.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 32.1% $24

Getting Around

Squamish, BC

$48 1.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 28.2% $13

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,639 in Squamish, BC 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 Squamish, BC are about 5.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $51 in Squamish, BC versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $404 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Squamish, BC

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:48 5:48 PM

07:48 7:48 AM

14 h ahead of Squamish, BC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,512

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 29, 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Squamish, BC Chiang Mai 11,350 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Squamish, BC
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

Squamish, BC vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Squamish, BC costs about 181% 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 $3,949 per month in Squamish, BC 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 $1,639 in Squamish, BC.

Kindergarten costs $1,088 per month in Squamish, BC 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 72% more in Squamish, BC, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,633 in Squamish, BC 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, Squamish, BC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.