Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bel Air, Mauritius and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Bel Air: $596 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Bel Air
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Bel Air Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Bel Air

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$596

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $596 in Bel Air versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Bel Air $596
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,005 in Bel Air versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Bel Air $1,005
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,415 in Bel Air versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Bel Air $1,415
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Bel Air costs roughly 36% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bel Air 56% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$5.67 MUR 267

$2.24 ฿75.6

153.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.57 MUR 1,817

$19.00 ฿641

103.00%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.51 MUR 354

$5.55 ฿187

35.32%

Cappuccino

$1.08 MUR 50.9

$1.67 ฿56.5

-35.33%

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

$1.03 MUR 48.58

$0.64 ฿21.55

60.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.59 MUR 28.03

$0.31 ฿10.31

90.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.60 MUR 75.4

$2.36 ฿79.6

-32.20%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.09 MUR 146

$3.66 ฿124

-15.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 MUR 75.0

$1.95 ฿65.8

-18.46%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 MUR 35.01

$1.44 ฿48.48

-48.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.10 MUR 51.7

$1.33 ฿45.04

-17.29%

Eggs

$2.59 MUR 122

$2.28 ฿77.1

13.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.17 MUR 244

$16.45 ฿555

-68.57%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.31 MUR 297

$2.78 ฿93.9

126.98%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.38 MUR 536

$9.31 ฿314

22.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.77 MUR 131

$2.35 ฿79.4

17.87%

Banana (1kg)

$2.57 MUR 121

$0.97 ฿32.80

164.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.41 MUR 66.4

$1.60 ฿53.9

-11.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.04 MUR 143

$1.50 ฿50.6

102.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 MUR 47.19

$1.28 ฿43.12

-21.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.02 MUR 48.23

$1.10 ฿37.19

-7.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 MUR 32.63

$0.71 ฿23.82

-2.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.86 MUR 40.33

$0.49 ฿16.37

75.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.62 MUR 312

$4.14 ฿140

59.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.43 MUR 397

$17.52 ฿591

-51.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.72 MUR 80.8

$1.61 ฿54.5

6.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.27 MUR 107

$2.78 ฿94.0

-18.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.19 MUR 198

$1.16 ฿39.06

261.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.23 MUR 152

$0.53 ฿17.80

509.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.07 MUR 993

$2.42 ฿81.8

770.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 MUR 64.2

$1.45 ฿48.90

-6.21%

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

$36.5K MUR 1.7M

$21.1K ฿710.7K

73.32%

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

$30.7K MUR 1.4M

$26.9K ฿909.3K

13.84%

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

$45.82 MUR 2,159

$62.2 ฿2,098

-26.30%

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

$10.71 MUR 504

$12.17 ฿411

-12.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.24 MUR 1,378

$20.12 ฿679

45.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.20 MUR 292

$6.49 ฿219

-4.47%

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

$130 MUR 6,117

$736 ฿24.8K

-82.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,780 MUR 366.6K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-47.31%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.5 MUR 3,697

$53.4 ฿1,801

47.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$73.4 MUR 3,456

$24.64 ฿831

197.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$122 MUR 5,761

$91.5 ฿3,087

33.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.1 MUR 3,631

$71.9 ฿2,428

7.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.67

5.57

19.75%

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

Last update for Bel Air: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Bel Air

$218 36.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 7.8% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Bel Air

$158 26.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 31.2% $49

Eating Out

Bel Air

$102 17.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 23.6% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bel Air

$86 14.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 10.1% $8.7

Getting Around

Bel Air

$20 * 3.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 202% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Bel Air

$12 * 2.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 305% $38

Accommodation & Living

Bel Air

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $39 in Bel Air vs $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $218 vs $234, with Bel Air cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇺 Bel Air

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

05:25 5:25 AM

08:25 8:25 AM

3 h ahead of Bel Air

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,600

127,240

💱 Currency

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MUR = 2.12 USD

100 MUR = 1.9 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MUR – Mauritian Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇺 Mauritian Rupee (₨)

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 47.12 MUR (100 MUR = 2.12 USD). 1 EUR = 52.61 MUR (100 MUR = 1.9 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to MUR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bel Air Chiang Mai 6,250 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Bel Air
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

Bel Air vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bel Air wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bel Air the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $893 in Bel Air and $1,403 in Chiang Mai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $596 per month in Bel Air versus $936 in Chiang Mai – Bel Air is about 36% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $596 in Bel Air versus $936 in Chiang Mai, a $800 budget is realistic in Bel Air but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Bel Air the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Bel Air and Chiang Mai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.