Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brest and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Brest: $845 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

41

Cost of Living Index in Brest
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Brest Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Brest

🇧🇾 Belarus

$845

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $845 per month in Brest vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Brest $845
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,344 per month in Brest vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Brest $1,344
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,843 per month in Brest vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Brest $1,843
Chiang Mai $1,914

Brest is about 10% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Brest and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Brest 37% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.09 BYN 39.27

$2.26 ฿75.4

479.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$37.95 BYN 114

$19.18 ฿641

97.86%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.49 BYN 19.46

$5.59 ฿187

16.10%

Cappuccino

$2.13 BYN 6.39

$1.72 ฿57.6

23.84%

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

$0.94 BYN 2.82

$0.64 ฿21.54

46.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.89 BYN 2.66

$0.33 ฿11.18

169.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.22 BYN 9.66

$2.36 ฿78.7

36.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.02 BYN 12.05

$3.90 ฿130

3.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 BYN 3.38

$2.05 ฿68.6

-44.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 BYN 3.02

$1.40 ฿46.70

-27.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 BYN 2.94

$1.28 ฿42.89

-23.44%

Eggs

$1.54 BYN 4.62

$2.25 ฿75.3

-31.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.79 BYN 20.37

$16.94 ฿566

-59.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.55 BYN 10.65

$2.74 ฿91.6

29.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.42 BYN 10.25

$9.36 ฿313

-63.46%

Apples (1kg)

$1.94 BYN 5.82

$2.40 ฿80.3

-19.17%

Banana (1kg)

$2.41 BYN 7.24

$1.01 ฿33.92

138.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.13 BYN 6.40

$1.61 ฿53.9

32.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.45 BYN 7.34

$1.52 ฿50.7

61.18%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 BYN 2.39

$1.28 ฿42.90

-37.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 BYN 4.83

$1.11 ฿37.22

45.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 BYN 5.85

$0.72 ฿24.09

170.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 BYN 4.04

$0.52 ฿17.54

159.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.57 BYN 7.72

$4.33 ฿145

-40.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.73 BYN 23.20

$17.73 ฿593

-56.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.19 BYN 3.57

$1.63 ฿54.4

-26.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 BYN 5.81

$2.85 ฿95.3

-31.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.32 BYN 0.97

$0.85 ฿28.31

-62.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.20 BYN 48.60

$53.9 ฿1,801

-69.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.76 BYN 2.28

$1.17 ฿39.18

-35.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 BYN 1.72

$0.57 ฿19.00

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.00 BYN 51.0

$2.37 ฿79.2

617.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.86 BYN 2.58

$1.45 ฿48.32

-40.69%

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

$18.9K BYN 56.8K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

-7.60%

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

$27.7K BYN 83.0K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

4.31%

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

$64.3 BYN 193

$62.3 ฿2,083

3.19%

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

$11.35 BYN 34.04

$12.27 ฿410

-7.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$22.41 BYN 67.2

$19.97 ฿668

12.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.33 BYN 100.0

$37.91 ฿1,267

-12.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$7.98 BYN 23.93

$3.76 ฿126

112.23%

Cinema Ticket

$5.19 BYN 15.58

$6.71 ฿224

-22.65%

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

$336 BYN 1,008

$797 ฿26.6K

-57.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,135 BYN 18.4K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-58.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.5 BYN 154

$53.3 ฿1,780

-3.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.19 BYN 118

$25.05 ฿837

56.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$132 BYN 397

$91.6 ฿3,062

44.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.9 BYN 255

$73.5 ฿2,455

15.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$357 BYN 1,071

$464 ฿15.5K

-23.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$183 BYN 549

$305 ฿10.2K

-39.88%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$509 BYN 1,528

$915 ฿30.6K

-44.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$320 BYN 959

$552 ฿18.5K

-42.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,387 BYN 7,161

$1,912 ฿63.9K

24.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,788 BYN 8,363

$1,438 ฿48.1K

93.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$520 BYN 1,560

$595 ฿19.9K

-12.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

97.49%

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

Last update for Brest: 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

Brest

$183 21.7%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 66.3% $122

Eating Out

Brest

$181 21.4%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 56.4% $102

Groceries & Markets

Brest

$180 21.2%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 32.5% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Brest

$139 16.4%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 21% $29

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brest

$98 11.6%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 3.6% $3.5

Sport & Entertainment

Brest

$44 5.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 17.5% $7.6

Getting Around

Brest

$21 2.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 190% $40

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $357 in Brest 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 14% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $38.00 in Brest versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $180 in Brest vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Brest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇧🇾 Brest

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

15:49 3:49 PM

4 h ahead of Brest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

340,521

127,240

💱 Currency

Belarusian Ruble BYN Br

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BYN = 0.333 USD

1 BYN = 0.297 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BYN – Belarusian Ruble Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇾 Belarusian Ruble (Br)

Belarusian Ruble exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 3 BYN (1 BYN = 0.333 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 BYN (1 BYN = 0.297 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BYN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Brest Chiang Mai 7,370 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Brest
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 11% more than Brest, 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 $1,268 per month in Brest 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 Brest, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 33% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38.00 in Brest and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Brest, where all-in costs run around $845, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Brest it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Brest costs $845 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. 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 Brest. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.