Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Aarschot and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $1,990 in Aarschot, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

96

Cost of Living Index in Aarschot
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Aarschot Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Aarschot

🇧🇪 Belgium

$1,990

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,990 in Aarschot versus $925 in Chiang Mai.

Aarschot $1,990
Chiang Mai $925

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,883 in Aarschot versus $1,414 in Chiang Mai.

Aarschot $2,883
Chiang Mai $1,414

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,777 in Aarschot versus $1,903 in Chiang Mai.

Aarschot $3,777
Chiang Mai $1,903

Living in Aarschot is roughly 115% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Aarschot is 47% above, Chiang Mai is 32% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.17 €16.16

$2.29 ฿76.5

693.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$76.7 €68.2

$19.64 ฿656

290.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.00 €9.78

$5.61 ฿188

96.08%

Cappuccino

$3.69 €3.28

$1.66 ฿55.6

122.29%

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

$2.98 €2.65

$0.70 ฿23.40

325.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 €2.32

$0.31 ฿10.24

741.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.33 €4.74

$2.41 ฿80.4

121.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.57 €4.06

$3.71 ฿124

23.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 €1.09

$1.95 ฿65.3

-36.92%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 €2.41

$1.41 ฿47.03

92.20%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.01 €1.79

$1.31 ฿43.62

53.44%

Eggs

$3.65 €3.24

$2.18 ฿72.9

67.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.58 €10.30

$16.65 ฿556

-30.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.65 €10.36

$2.76 ฿92.2

322.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.94 €13.29

$9.11 ฿304

64.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.69 €2.40

$2.39 ฿80.0

12.55%

Banana (1kg)

$2.23 €1.98

$1.03 ฿34.26

116.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.63 ฿54.4

33.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$1.50 ฿50.0

49.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$1.29 ฿43.13

75.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 €1.55

$1.11 ฿37.03

57.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.31

$0.72 ฿24.08

104.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 €0.85

$0.53 ฿17.59

81.13%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.89 €7.90

$4.31 ฿144

106.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 €6.60

$17.95 ฿600

-58.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 €1.86

$1.58 ฿52.9

32.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 €1.58

$2.84 ฿95.0

-37.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.03 €2.69

$0.86 ฿28.86

252.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.7 €49.51

$53.3 ฿1,780

4.47%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.12 €4.56

$1.21 ฿40.29

323.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.46 €2.19

$0.57 ฿18.99

331.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.99 €15.11

$2.35 ฿78.6

622.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.44 ฿47.96

36.81%

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

$36.0K €32.0K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

73.42%

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

$33.4K €29.7K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

24.55%

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

$210 €187

$62.3 ฿2,083

237.33%

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

$18.58 €16.53

$12.11 ฿405

53.43%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.4 €46.56

$19.94 ฿666

162.54%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.52 €32.49

$37.07 ฿1,239

-1.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.21 €17.09

$3.78 ฿126

408.20%

Cinema Ticket

$14.15 €12.59

$6.50 ฿217

117.69%

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

$697 €620

$793 ฿26.5K

-12.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.3K €14.5K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

10.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.4 €76.0

$53.7 ฿1,796

58.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.41 €23.49

$24.62 ฿823

7.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.5 €77.9

$90.9 ฿3,036

-3.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €116

$71.1 ฿2,378

82.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$928 €826

$455 ฿15.2K

103.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$826 €735

$298 ฿9,954

177.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,379 €1,227

$908 ฿30.4K

51.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,165 €1,036

$554 ฿18.5K

110.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,218 €3,752

$1,931 ฿64.5K

118.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,844 €2,530

$1,445 ฿48.3K

96.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,126 €2,780

$591 ฿19.7K

429.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

5.57

-36.80%

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

Last update for Aarschot: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Aarschot

$826 41.5%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 64% $528

Groceries & Markets

Aarschot

$303 15.2%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 22.3% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Aarschot

$281 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 66.4% $187

Eating Out

Aarschot

$281 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 72% $202

Clothing & Footwear

Aarschot

$148 7.5%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 27% $40

Getting Around

Aarschot

$85 4.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 28.7% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Aarschot

$65 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 22.8% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $928 in Aarschot and $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Aarschot pays 429% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $77.0 in Aarschot vs $20.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $303 vs $235 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Aarschot

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

23:36 11:36 PM

04:36 4:36 AM

5 h ahead of Aarschot

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,656

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Aarschot Chiang Mai 8,680 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

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Aarschot
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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

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

Chiang Mai is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 115% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 429% higher in Aarschot, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $928 in Aarschot versus $455 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 29% higher in Aarschot. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $20.00 versus $77.0 in Aarschot. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $925 in Chiang Mai versus $1,990 in Aarschot, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Aarschot. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Chiang Mai is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Aarschot, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Aarschot and Chiang Mai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 115% less than in Aarschot. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.