Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Williams Lake, BC and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,038 in Williams Lake, BC, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Williams Lake, BC
Learn more

Williams Lake, BC Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Williams Lake, BC

🇨🇦 Canada

$2,038

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,038 per month in Williams Lake, BC vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Williams Lake, BC $2,038
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,920 per month in Williams Lake, BC vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Williams Lake, BC $2,920
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,801 per month in Williams Lake, BC vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Williams Lake, BC $3,801
Chiang Mai $1,979

Williams Lake, BC costs about 118% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Williams Lake, BC sits 50% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.74 CA$24.90

$2.24 ฿75.7

691.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$63.4 CA$89.0

$19.00 ฿642

233.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.62 CA$14.90

$5.55 ฿188

91.35%

Cappuccino

$3.61 CA$5.07

$1.67 ฿56.6

116.17%

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

$2.08 CA$2.92

$0.64 ฿21.56

225.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 CA$2.37

$0.31 ฿10.32

445.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.88 CA$6.84

$2.36 ฿79.6

106.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 CA$7.53

$3.66 ฿124

46.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.27 CA$3.19

$1.95 ฿65.8

16.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.57 CA$3.61

$1.44 ฿48.51

78.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.80 CA$5.33

$1.33 ฿45.07

185.71%

Eggs

$3.38 CA$4.74

$2.28 ฿77.1

48.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.16 CA$14.26

$16.45 ฿556

-38.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.80 CA$16.56

$2.78 ฿94.0

324.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.60 CA$20.49

$9.31 ฿314

56.82%

Apples (1kg)

$3.75 CA$5.26

$2.35 ฿79.5

59.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 CA$1.87

$0.97 ฿32.82

37.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.57 CA$5.01

$1.60 ฿53.9

123.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.86 CA$5.41

$1.50 ฿50.7

157.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.43 CA$3.41

$1.28 ฿43.15

89.84%

Onion (1kg)

$2.26 CA$3.18

$1.10 ฿37.22

105.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.42 CA$3.40

$0.71 ฿23.84

240.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 CA$2.03

$0.49 ฿16.38

195.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.42 CA$17.43

$4.14 ฿140

200.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.53 CA$20.39

$17.52 ฿592

-17.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 CA$3.65

$1.61 ฿54.5

61.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 CA$3.79

$2.78 ฿94.0

-2.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.37 CA$3.32

$0.87 ฿29.33

172.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.6 CA$85.0

$54.1 ฿1,827

12.04%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.63 CA$3.69

$1.16 ฿39.08

126.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.62 CA$2.27

$0.53 ฿17.82

205.66%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.61 CA$35.94

$2.42 ฿81.8

958.26%

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)

$28.3K CA$39.7K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

34.34%

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

$22.1K CA$31.0K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-18.07%

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

$138 CA$194

$62.2 ฿2,100

122.07%

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

$32.57 CA$45.70

$12.17 ฿411

167.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$84.3 CA$118

$20.12 ฿680

319.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.04 CA$52.0

$37.31 ฿1,260

-0.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.65 CA$24.77

$3.77 ฿127

368.17%

Cinema Ticket

$10.59 CA$14.86

$6.49 ฿219

63.17%

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

$683 CA$959

$736 ฿24.9K

-7.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K CA$20.6K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-0.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.2 CA$78.8

$53.4 ฿1,802

5.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.39 CA$53.9

$24.64 ฿832

55.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.1 CA$136

$91.5 ฿3,089

6.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.6 CA$128

$71.9 ฿2,429

27.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$936 CA$1,314

$482 ฿16.3K

94.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$892 CA$1,252

$309 ฿10.4K

188.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,339 CA$1,879

$1,006 ฿34.0K

33.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,257 CA$1,764

$633 ฿21.4K

98.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,775 CA$6,701

$2,363 ฿79.8K

102.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,838 CA$5,387

$1,589 ฿53.7K

141.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,168 CA$4,445

$590 ฿19.9K

437.14%

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 Williams Lake, BC: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Williams Lake, BC

$892 43.8%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 65.4% $583

Groceries & Markets

Williams Lake, BC

$357 17.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 34.4% $123

Eating Out

Williams Lake, BC

$267 13.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 71% $190

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Williams Lake, BC

$255 12.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 63% $161

Clothing & Footwear

Williams Lake, BC

$127 6.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 14.7% $19

Getting Around

Williams Lake, BC

$81 4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 24.1% $19

Sport & Entertainment

Williams Lake, BC

$58 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 13.6% $7.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $936 in Williams Lake, 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 Williams Lake, BC are about 5.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $63 in Williams Lake, BC versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $357 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Williams Lake, BC

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:23 2:23 PM

04:23 4:23 AM

14 h ahead of Williams Lake, BC

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

10,753

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 28, 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 28, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Williams Lake, BC Chiang Mai 11,180 km ≈ 14 h nonstop flight

From you

Williams Lake, 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

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

Williams Lake, BC costs about 118% 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 $3,057 per month in Williams Lake, 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 $936 in Williams Lake, BC.

Kindergarten costs $683 per month in Williams Lake, 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 52% more in Williams Lake, BC, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,038 in Williams Lake, BC 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 $2,038 in Williams Lake, BC. 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, Williams Lake, BC makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.