Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Braine-l'Alleud and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,099 in Braine-l’Alleud, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in Braine-l'Alleud
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Braine-l'Alleud Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Braine-l'Alleud

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,099

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,099 per month in Braine-l’Alleud vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Braine-l'Alleud $2,099
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,124 per month in Braine-l’Alleud vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Braine-l'Alleud $3,124
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,150 per month in Braine-l’Alleud vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Braine-l'Alleud $4,150
Chiang Mai $1,979

Braine-l’Alleud costs about 124% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Braine-l’Alleud sits 54% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.62 €20.19

$2.24 ฿75.6

909.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$103 €92.2

$19.00 ฿641

444.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.38 €11.94

$5.55 ฿187

141.08%

Cappuccino

$4.32 €3.86

$1.67 ฿56.5

158.68%

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

$3.51 €3.13

$0.64 ฿21.53

448.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 €2.49

$0.31 ฿10.30

800.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.53 €4.93

$2.36 ฿79.5

134.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.65 €5.04

$3.66 ฿124

54.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.14 €1.02

$1.95 ฿65.7

-41.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 €2.46

$1.44 ฿48.45

91.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.20 €1.97

$1.33 ฿45.01

65.41%

Eggs

$4.03 €3.60

$2.28 ฿77.0

76.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.56 €16.56

$16.45 ฿555

12.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.59 €11.23

$2.78 ฿93.8

352.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.61 €17.49

$9.31 ฿314

110.63%

Apples (1kg)

$2.84 €2.53

$2.35 ฿79.4

20.85%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 €2.18

$0.97 ฿32.78

151.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 €2.26

$1.60 ฿53.9

58.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.91 €2.60

$1.50 ฿50.6

94.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.28 ฿43.10

71.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.10 ฿37.17

74.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.23

$0.71 ฿23.81

92.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.49 ฿16.36

122.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.16 €11.75

$4.14 ฿140

217.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.83 €7.88

$17.52 ฿591

-49.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.61 ฿54.5

24.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 €2.20

$2.78 ฿93.9

-11.15%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.45 €2.19

$0.87 ฿29.29

181.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 €49.00

$54.1 ฿1,825

1.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.07 €9.88

$1.16 ฿39.03

854.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.94 €2.62

$0.53 ฿17.79

454.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$52.1 €46.48

$2.42 ฿81.7

2052.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.00 €1.79

$1.45 ฿48.87

37.93%

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

$34.9K €31.1K

$21.1K ฿710.3K

65.64%

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

$35.9K €32.1K

$26.9K ฿908.7K

33.39%

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

$226 €202

$62.2 ฿2,097

263.55%

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

$21.05 €18.78

$12.17 ฿410

72.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.73 €35.45

$20.12 ฿679

97.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.99 €30.32

$37.31 ฿1,259

-8.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.84 €16.81

$3.77 ฿127

399.73%

Cinema Ticket

$15.76 €14.06

$6.49 ฿219

142.84%

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

$550 €491

$736 ฿24.8K

-25.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.3K €17.2K

$14.8K ฿498.0K

30.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$107 €95.3

$53.4 ฿1,800

100.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.53 €41.51

$24.64 ฿831

88.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.0

$91.5 ฿3,086

18.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$150 €134

$71.9 ฿2,426

108.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$905 €808

$482 ฿16.3K

87.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$777 €693

$309 ฿10.4K

151.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 €1,249

$1,006 ฿33.9K

39.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 €942

$633 ฿21.4K

66.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,636 €4,136

$2,363 ฿79.7K

96.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,045 €2,717

$1,589 ฿53.6K

91.65%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,093 €4,544

$590 ฿19.9K

763.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.14

5.57

-43.63%

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

Last update for Braine-l'Alleud: 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

Braine-l'Alleud

$777 37%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 60.2% $468

Groceries & Markets

Braine-l'Alleud

$357 17%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 34.3% $122

Eating Out

Braine-l'Alleud

$337 16.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 77% $260

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Braine-l'Alleud

$287 13.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 67.1% $192

Clothing & Footwear

Braine-l'Alleud

$185 8.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 41.4% $77

Getting Around

Braine-l'Alleud

$91 4.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 32.2% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Braine-l'Alleud

$66 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 23.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $905 in Braine-l’Alleud 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 Braine-l’Alleud are about 8.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $103 in Braine-l’Alleud 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

🇧🇪 Braine-l'Alleud

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:12 1:12 PM

19:12 7:12 PM

6 h ahead of Braine-l'Alleud

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

38,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Braine-l'Alleud Chiang Mai 8,720 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Braine-l'Alleud
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

Braine-l'Alleud vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Braine-l’Alleud is pricier by about 124%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,149 per month in Braine-l’Alleud 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 $905 in Braine-l’Alleud.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $103 in Braine-l’Alleud and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% more in Braine-l’Alleud, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,099 in Braine-l’Alleud 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 $2,099 in Braine-l’Alleud. 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, Braine-l’Alleud makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.