Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arlon and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,039 in Arlon, rent and utilities included – about $13,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Arlon
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Arlon Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Arlon

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,039

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,039 per month in Arlon vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Arlon $2,039
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,127 per month in Arlon vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Arlon $3,127
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $4,215 per month in Arlon vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Arlon $4,215
Chiang Mai $1,914

Arlon costs about 117% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Arlon sits 51% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.62 €14.79

$2.26 ฿75.4

635.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.7 €80.7

$19.18 ฿641

372.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.24 €9.99

$5.59 ฿187

101.07%

Cappuccino

$2.73 €2.42

$1.72 ฿57.6

58.72%

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

$2.68 €2.39

$0.64 ฿21.54

318.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.63 €2.34

$0.33 ฿11.18

696.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.44 €3.06

$2.36 ฿78.7

45.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.51 €4.02

$3.90 ฿130

15.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.06

$2.05 ฿68.6

-41.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.52 €1.35

$1.40 ฿46.70

8.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.36 €2.10

$1.28 ฿42.89

84.37%

Eggs

$3.74 €3.33

$2.25 ฿75.3

66.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.70 €13.07

$16.94 ฿566

-13.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.59 €10.31

$2.74 ฿91.6

322.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.78 €13.15

$9.36 ฿313

57.91%

Apples (1kg)

$3.01 €2.67

$2.40 ฿80.3

25.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.08 €0.96

$1.01 ฿33.92

6.93%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$1.61 ฿53.9

39.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.01 €2.68

$1.52 ฿50.7

98.03%

Potato (1kg)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.28 ฿42.90

27.34%

Onion (1kg)

$2.05 €1.83

$1.11 ฿37.22

84.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 €1.58

$0.72 ฿24.09

147.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.97

$0.52 ฿17.54

111.54%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.16 €8.15

$4.33 ฿145

111.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.84 €6.98

$17.73 ฿593

-55.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 €1.74

$1.63 ฿54.4

20.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.98

$2.85 ฿95.3

-61.40%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.25 €2.00

$0.85 ฿28.31

164.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.97 €36.44

$53.9 ฿1,801

-23.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.97 €3.53

$1.17 ฿39.18

239.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.66 €2.36

$0.57 ฿19.00

366.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.65 €14.81

$2.37 ฿79.2

602.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.45 ฿48.32

32.41%

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

$34.9K €31.0K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

70.24%

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

$33.8K €30.0K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

27.34%

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

$266 €237

$62.3 ฿2,083

327.29%

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

$24.65 €21.93

$12.27 ฿410

100.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.2 €45.51

$19.97 ฿668

156.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.08 €21.42

$3.76 ฿126

540.43%

Cinema Ticket

$8.73 €7.76

$6.71 ฿224

30.10%

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

$851 €757

$797 ฿26.6K

6.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 €74.9

$53.3 ฿1,780

58.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.9 €45.27

$25.05 ฿837

103.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$50.9 €45.30

$91.6 ฿3,062

-44.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €100

$73.5 ฿2,455

53.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$896 €797

$464 ฿15.5K

92.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$930 €827

$305 ฿10.2K

205.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,694 €1,506

$915 ฿30.6K

85.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,698 €1,510

$552 ฿18.5K

207.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,263 €3,792

$1,912 ฿63.9K

122.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,961 €3,523

$1,438 ฿48.1K

175.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,890 €2,570

$595 ฿19.9K

385.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

5.57

-34.47%

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

Last update for Arlon: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arlon

$930 45.6%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 67.3% $626

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arlon

$342 16.8%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 72.4% $248

Groceries & Markets

Arlon

$300 14.7%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 20.8% $62

Eating Out

Arlon

$247 12.1%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 68% $168

Clothing & Footwear

Arlon

$134 6.6%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 18.6% $25

Getting Around

Arlon

$67 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 8.8% $5.9

Sport & Entertainment

Arlon

$17 * 0.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 194% $34

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $896 in Arlon 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 385% higher in Arlon, 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 $91.0 in Arlon versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $300 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Arlon

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:59 9:59 AM

14:59 2:59 PM

5 h ahead of Arlon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,759

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

On the map

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Between locations

Arlon Chiang Mai 8,650 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Arlon
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

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

Arlon costs about 117% 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 $3,058 per month in Arlon 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.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $2,039 in Arlon and $938 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 117%.

Public transport costs about 32% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Arlon at $2,039. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Arlon it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,039 in Arlon. 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, Arlon makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.