Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thompson and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,806 in Thompson, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

87

Cost of Living Index in Thompson
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Thompson Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Thompson

🇨🇦 Canada

$1,806

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,806 per month in Thompson vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Thompson $1,806
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,737 per month in Thompson vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Thompson $2,737
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,669 per month in Thompson vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Thompson $3,669
Chiang Mai $1,979

Thompson costs about 93% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Thompson sits 33% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.00 CA$25.18

$2.24 ฿75.5

703.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.4 CA$90.1

$19.00 ฿640

238.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.52 CA$14.71

$5.55 ฿187

89.55%

Cappuccino

$3.72 CA$5.20

$1.67 ฿56.4

122.75%

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

$1.97 CA$2.76

$0.64 ฿21.51

207.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.60 CA$2.24

$0.31 ฿10.29

416.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.16 CA$7.22

$2.36 ฿79.5

118.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 CA$8.04

$3.66 ฿123

57.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.09 CA$2.93

$1.95 ฿65.7

7.18%

White Bread (500g)

$2.56 CA$3.58

$1.44 ฿48.41

77.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.51 CA$4.91

$1.33 ฿44.97

163.91%

Eggs

$3.49 CA$4.88

$2.28 ฿77.0

53.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.29 CA$14.40

$16.45 ฿554

-37.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.63 CA$16.27

$2.78 ฿93.8

318.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.89 CA$20.82

$9.31 ฿314

59.94%

Apples (1kg)

$3.93 CA$5.50

$2.35 ฿79.3

67.23%

Banana (1kg)

$1.37 CA$1.91

$0.97 ฿32.75

41.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.98 CA$5.56

$1.60 ฿53.8

148.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.82 CA$5.34

$1.50 ฿50.6

154.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.35 CA$3.29

$1.28 ฿43.06

83.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.21 CA$3.09

$1.10 ฿37.14

100.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.49 CA$3.48

$0.71 ฿23.79

250.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 CA$2.32

$0.49 ฿16.34

238.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.00 CA$19.58

$4.14 ฿140

238.16%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.62 CA$17.65

$17.52 ฿590

-27.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.83 CA$3.96

$1.61 ฿54.4

75.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 CA$4.44

$2.78 ฿93.8

14.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.30 CA$3.22

$0.87 ฿29.27

164.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.9 CA$93.5

$54.1 ฿1,823

23.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.01 CA$4.21

$1.16 ฿39.00

159.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.38 CA$1.93

$0.53 ฿17.78

160.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.88 CA$33.39

$2.42 ฿81.6

886.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.10 CA$1.54

$1.45 ฿48.82

-24.14%

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

$28.2K CA$39.4K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

33.90%

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

$23.6K CA$33.0K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

-12.47%

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

$136 CA$191

$62.2 ฿2,095

119.22%

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

$39.10 CA$54.7

$12.17 ฿410

221.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$54.9 CA$76.8

$20.12 ฿678

172.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.46 CA$52.4

$37.31 ฿1,257

0.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.81 CA$24.91

$3.77 ฿127

372.41%

Cinema Ticket

$10.46 CA$14.63

$6.49 ฿219

61.17%

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

$664 CA$928

$736 ฿24.8K

-9.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.4K CA$16.0K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-22.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.4 CA$76.1

$53.4 ฿1,799

1.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.02 CA$54.6

$24.64 ฿830

58.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 CA$122

$91.5 ฿3,083

-4.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 CA$144

$71.9 ฿2,424

42.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$687 CA$961

$482 ฿16.3K

42.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$674 CA$942

$309 ฿10.4K

118.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,109 CA$1,551

$1,006 ฿33.9K

10.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,114 CA$1,558

$633 ฿21.3K

75.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,361 CA$6,100

$2,363 ฿79.6K

84.54%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,358 CA$4,697

$1,589 ฿53.6K

111.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,567 CA$2,192

$590 ฿19.9K

165.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.68

5.57

-15.98%

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

Last update for Thompson: 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

Thompson

$674 37.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 54.1% $365

Groceries & Markets

Thompson

$358 19.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 34.6% $124

Eating Out

Thompson

$272 15.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 71.5% $194

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thompson

$230 12.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 59% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Thompson

$128 7.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 14.8% $19

Getting Around

Thompson

$86 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 28.7% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Thompson

$58 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 13.9% $8.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $687 in Thompson 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 Thompson are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $64 in Thompson versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $358 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Thompson

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

08:05 8:05 AM

20:05 8:05 PM

12 h ahead of Thompson

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,829

127,240

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.641 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 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 = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.641 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

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Between locations

Thompson Chiang Mai 11,580 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Thompson
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

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

Thompson costs about 93% 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 $2,709 per month in Thompson 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 $687 in Thompson.

Kindergarten costs $664 per month in Thompson 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 53% more in Thompson, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,806 in Thompson 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 $1,806 in Thompson. 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, Thompson makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.