Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vaughan and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,554 in Vaughan, rent and utilities included – about $19,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

123

Cost of Living Index in Vaughan
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Vaughan Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Vaughan

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,554

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,554 per month in Vaughan vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Vaughan $2,554
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,726 per month in Vaughan vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Vaughan $3,726
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $4,898 per month in Vaughan vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Vaughan $4,898
Chiang Mai $1,914

Vaughan costs about 172% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Vaughan sits 89% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.73 CA$23.66

$2.26 ฿75.4

640.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.5 CA$95.4

$19.18 ฿641

251.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.99 CA$14.13

$5.59 ฿187

78.71%

Cappuccino

$3.64 CA$5.15

$1.72 ฿57.6

111.63%

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

$1.97 CA$2.78

$0.64 ฿21.54

207.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 CA$2.21

$0.33 ฿11.18

372.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.29 CA$8.89

$2.36 ฿78.7

166.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.07 CA$8.58

$3.90 ฿130

55.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 CA$2.74

$2.05 ฿68.6

-5.37%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 CA$3.19

$1.40 ฿46.70

61.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.69 CA$3.80

$1.28 ฿42.89

110.16%

Eggs

$2.99 CA$4.22

$2.25 ฿75.3

32.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.22 CA$13.03

$16.94 ฿566

-45.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.10 CA$17.10

$2.74 ฿91.6

341.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.60 CA$19.22

$9.36 ฿313

45.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.41 CA$4.82

$2.40 ฿80.3

42.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.26 CA$1.78

$1.01 ฿33.92

24.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.50 CA$4.95

$1.61 ฿53.9

117.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.21 CA$4.54

$1.52 ฿50.7

111.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.59 CA$2.24

$1.28 ฿42.90

24.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.59 CA$2.25

$1.11 ฿37.22

43.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.21 CA$3.12

$0.72 ฿24.09

206.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.17 CA$1.66

$0.52 ฿17.54

125.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.50 CA$17.68

$4.33 ฿145

188.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.92 CA$16.85

$17.73 ฿593

-32.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 CA$2.78

$1.63 ฿54.4

20.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 CA$2.02

$2.85 ฿95.3

-49.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.74 CA$3.87

$0.85 ฿28.31

222.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$104 CA$147

$53.9 ฿1,801

93.34%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.06 CA$4.32

$1.17 ฿39.18

161.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.19 CA$1.69

$0.57 ฿19.00

108.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.75 CA$30.74

$2.37 ฿79.2

817.72%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 CA$1.54

$1.45 ฿48.32

-24.83%

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

$24.1K CA$34.0K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

17.57%

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

$18.8K CA$26.6K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-28.99%

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

$110 CA$156

$62.3 ฿2,083

77.01%

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

$29.17 CA$41.24

$12.27 ฿410

137.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$49.57 CA$70.1

$19.97 ฿668

148.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.67 CA$44.77

$37.91 ฿1,267

-16.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.84 CA$29.46

$3.76 ฿126

454.26%

Cinema Ticket

$9.76 CA$13.80

$6.71 ฿224

45.45%

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

$910 CA$1,286

$797 ฿26.6K

14.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K CA$24.0K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

14.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.04 CA$59.4

$53.3 ฿1,780

-21.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.75 CA$52.0

$25.05 ฿837

46.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 CA$150

$91.6 ฿3,062

15.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 CA$148

$73.5 ฿2,455

42.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,669 CA$2,359

$464 ฿15.5K

259.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,478 CA$2,090

$305 ฿10.2K

385.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,629 CA$3,716

$915 ฿30.6K

187.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,416 CA$3,415

$552 ฿18.5K

337.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,700 CA$12.3K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

355.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,171 CA$8,724

$1,438 ฿48.1K

329.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,905 CA$4,107

$595 ฿19.9K

388.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.39

5.57

-3.23%

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

Last update for Vaughan: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Vaughan

$1.5K 57.9%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 79.4% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Vaughan

$316 12.4%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 24.6% $78

Eating Out

Vaughan

$265 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 70.2% $186

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Vaughan

$189 7.4%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 50% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Vaughan

$130 5.1%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 15.9% $21

Getting Around

Vaughan

$124 4.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 50.6% $63

Sport & Entertainment

Vaughan

$51 2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 0.3% $0.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,669 in Vaughan versus $464 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 388% higher in Vaughan, 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 $67.0 in Vaughan versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $316 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Vaughan

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:53 2:53 PM

01:53 1:53 AM

11 h ahead of Vaughan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

323,103

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 19, 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 19, 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

Vaughan Chiang Mai 13,050 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Vaughan
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

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

Vaughan costs about 172% 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 $3,831 per month in Vaughan and $1,408 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 $910 per month in Vaughan and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Vaughan, 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 $938, than in Vaughan at $2,554. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vaughan it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,554 in Vaughan. 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, Vaughan makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.