Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,128 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, rent and utilities included – about $14,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
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St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,128

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,128 per month in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador $2,128
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,149 per month in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador $3,149
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,170 per month in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador $4,170
Chiang Mai $1,979

St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador costs about 127% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador sits 56% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.60 CA$24.62

$2.24 ฿75.5

685.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$72.0 CA$101

$19.00 ฿640

279.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.73 CA$16.41

$5.55 ฿187

111.35%

Cappuccino

$4.03 CA$5.64

$1.67 ฿56.4

141.32%

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

$2.59 CA$3.62

$0.64 ฿21.51

304.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.20 CA$3.08

$0.31 ฿10.29

609.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.87 CA$6.82

$2.36 ฿79.5

106.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.43 CA$7.59

$3.66 ฿123

48.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.77 CA$3.88

$1.95 ฿65.7

42.05%

White Bread (500g)

$3.07 CA$4.30

$1.44 ฿48.41

113.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.28 CA$5.99

$1.33 ฿44.97

221.80%

Eggs

$3.87 CA$5.42

$2.28 ฿77.0

69.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.53 CA$16.13

$16.45 ฿554

-29.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.32 CA$18.63

$2.78 ฿93.8

379.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.81 CA$16.53

$9.31 ฿314

26.85%

Apples (1kg)

$4.85 CA$6.78

$2.35 ฿79.3

106.38%

Banana (1kg)

$3.09 CA$4.33

$0.97 ฿32.75

218.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.80 CA$6.71

$1.60 ฿53.8

200.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.08 CA$4.30

$1.50 ฿50.6

105.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.65 CA$3.70

$1.28 ฿43.06

107.03%

Onion (1kg)

$2.31 CA$3.23

$1.10 ฿37.14

110.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.86 CA$4.00

$0.71 ฿23.79

302.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 CA$2.82

$0.49 ฿16.34

312.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.80 CA$19.30

$4.14 ฿140

233.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.10 CA$22.52

$17.52 ฿590

-8.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.19 CA$5.87

$1.61 ฿54.4

160.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.33 CA$6.06

$2.78 ฿93.8

55.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.83 CA$2.56

$0.87 ฿29.27

110.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.7 CA$77.9

$54.1 ฿1,823

2.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.22 CA$4.51

$1.16 ฿39.00

177.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 CA$2.45

$0.53 ฿17.78

230.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.39 CA$39.71

$2.42 ฿81.6

1073.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 CA$1.94

$1.45 ฿48.82

-4.14%

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

$28.6K CA$40.1K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

36.04%

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

$23.8K CA$33.4K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

-11.48%

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

$182 CA$255

$62.2 ฿2,095

192.92%

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

$41.72 CA$58.4

$12.17 ฿410

242.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$76.6 CA$107

$20.12 ฿678

280.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.1 CA$95.3

$37.31 ฿1,257

82.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.14 CA$26.77

$3.77 ฿127

407.69%

Cinema Ticket

$10.63 CA$14.87

$6.49 ฿219

63.79%

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

$535 CA$748

$736 ฿24.8K

-27.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,862 CA$13.8K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-33.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$66.9 CA$93.6

$53.4 ฿1,799

25.41%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.5 CA$72.0

$24.64 ฿830

108.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.7 CA$114

$91.5 ฿3,083

-10.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.2 CA$135

$71.9 ฿2,424

33.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 CA$1,457

$482 ฿16.3K

115.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$836 CA$1,169

$309 ฿10.4K

170.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,540 CA$2,153

$1,006 ฿33.9K

53.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,322 CA$1,849

$633 ฿21.3K

108.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,435 CA$3,405

$2,363 ฿79.6K

3.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,776 CA$2,484

$1,589 ฿53.6K

11.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,823 CA$3,949

$590 ฿19.9K

378.71%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.57

5.57

-17.95%

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

Last update for St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador: 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

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$836 39.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 63% $527

Groceries & Markets

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$415 19.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 43.5% $181

Monthly Utilities & Internet

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$300 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 68.6% $206

Eating Out

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$279 13.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 72.2% $201

Clothing & Footwear

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$133 6.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 18.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$89 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 43.8% $39

Getting Around

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

$75 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 18.2% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,041 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador 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 St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador are about 4.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $72 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $415 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:05 2:05 AM

11:35 11:35 AM

9 h 30 min ahead of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

110,525

127,240

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.642 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.642 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador Chiang Mai 12,110 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
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

St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador costs about 127% 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 $3,192 per month in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador 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 $1,041 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador.

Kindergarten costs $535 per month in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador 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 77% more in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,128 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador 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 $2,128 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.