Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Belfort and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,892 in Belfort, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

91

Cost of Living Index in Belfort
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Belfort Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Belfort

🇫🇷 France

$1,892

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,892 per month in Belfort vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Belfort $1,892
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $2,884 per month in Belfort vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Belfort $2,884
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $3,876 per month in Belfort vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Belfort $3,876
Chiang Mai $1,999

Belfort costs about 102% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Belfort sits 40% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.75 €14.94

$2.13 ฿72.0

686.38%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.9 €60.6

$18.62 ฿628

264.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.66 €12.19

$5.60 ฿189

143.93%

Cappuccino

$4.00 €3.57

$1.66 ฿56.1

140.96%

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

$2.64 €2.35

$0.65 ฿21.82

306.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 €1.48

$0.30 ฿10.29

453.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 €7.19

$2.32 ฿78.3

247.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 €5.11

$3.67 ฿124

56.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 €0.68

$2.02 ฿68.0

-62.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 €0.98

$1.41 ฿47.49

-21.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 €1.53

$1.39 ฿46.94

23.74%

Eggs

$4.59 €4.10

$2.37 ฿79.9

93.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.95 €19.58

$16.52 ฿557

32.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.38 €11.05

$2.67 ฿90.1

363.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.12 €20.63

$9.02 ฿304

156.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 €2.14

$2.40 ฿80.9

-0.42%

Banana (1kg)

$2.47 €2.21

$1.04 ฿35.12

137.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.47 €3.10

$1.66 ฿56.0

109.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.17 €2.83

$1.56 ฿52.6

103.21%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$1.24 ฿41.75

107.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.19 €1.95

$1.09 ฿36.65

100.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.17

$0.76 ฿25.70

73.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 €0.84

$0.51 ฿17.34

84.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.63 €12.15

$4.12 ฿139

230.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.18 €7.29

$17.93 ฿605

-54.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.32 €1.18

$1.62 ฿54.8

-18.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.15 €1.02

$2.82 ฿95.2

-59.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.99 €1.78

$0.93 ฿31.52

113.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.31 €43.10

$52.9 ฿1,784

-8.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.52 €3.14

$1.18 ฿39.69

198.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.17 €1.93

$0.17 ฿5.78

1176.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$46.60 €41.57

$1.81 ฿61.1

2474.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.27 €2.03

$1.47 ฿49.67

54.42%

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

$34.2K €30.5K

$21.0K ฿708.7K

62.56%

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

$37.3K €33.3K

$26.5K ฿894.4K

40.70%

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

$270 €241

$62.6 ฿2,110

331.84%

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

$14.09 €12.56

$11.60 ฿391

21.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.43 €26.25

$20.30 ฿685

44.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$22.00 €19.62

$37.88 ฿1,278

-41.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$14.86 €13.25

$6.51 ฿220

128.26%

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

$617 €551

$727 ฿24.5K

-15.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K €11.1K

$16.6K ฿559.0K

-25.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 €96.5

$53.5 ฿1,806

102.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.71 €38.99

$24.80 ฿836

76.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$124 €110

$90.4 ฿3,049

36.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$127 €113

$72.0 ฿2,428

76.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$770 €686

$481 ฿16.2K

59.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$632 €563

$310 ฿10.5K

103.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,498 €1,336

$1,058 ฿35.7K

41.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,136 €1,014

$659 ฿22.2K

72.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,605 €4,108

$2,418 ฿81.5K

90.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,847 €2,540

$1,609 ฿54.3K

76.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,086 €1,861

$595 ฿20.1K

250.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.68

5.57

-33.93%

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

Last update for Belfort: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Belfort

$631 33.4%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 50.9% $322

Groceries & Markets

Belfort

$352 18.6%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 32.7% $115

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Belfort

$314 16.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 69.9% $219

Eating Out

Belfort

$292 15.4%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 73.8% $215

Clothing & Footwear

Belfort

$181 9.6%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 40.2% $73

Getting Around

Belfort

$71 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 17% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Belfort

$52 2.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 1.6% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $770 in Belfort versus $481 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 Belfort are about 3.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Belfort versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $352 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇫🇷 Belfort

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:16 7:16 AM

13:16 1:16 PM

6 h ahead of Belfort

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

45,155

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Belfort Chiang Mai 8,630 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Belfort
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

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

Belfort costs about 102% 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 $2,838 per month in Belfort 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 $481 there versus $770 in Belfort.

Groceries cost about 49% more in Belfort, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Belfort and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,892 in Belfort and $935 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,892 in Belfort. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Belfort makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.