Cost of Living Comparison Between Brussels and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Brussels and Chiang Mai

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,649 in Brussels versus $947 in Chiang Mai.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,979 in Brussels versus $1,411 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,309 in Brussels versus $1,874 in Chiang Mai.

Living in Brussels is roughly 180% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, driven mainly by Eating Out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Brussels is 93% above, Chiang Mai is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.25 €19.99

$2.08 ฿68.6

1017.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$94.4 €81.1

$19.64 ฿646

380.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.88 €12.79

$5.65 ฿186

163.36%

Cappuccino

$4.47 €3.85

$1.81 ฿59.4

146.96%

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

$3.60 €3.10

$0.71 ฿23.45

407.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 €2.90

$0.32 ฿10.38

953.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.95 €5.12

$2.24 ฿73.6

165.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.83 €5.01

$3.63 ฿119

60.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.26

$1.96 ฿64.4

-25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$2.92 €2.51

$1.50 ฿49.39

94.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.05 €2.62

$1.34 ฿43.93

127.61%

Eggs

$5.48 €4.71

$2.26 ฿74.5

142.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.85 €15.35

$16.26 ฿535

9.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.43 €11.55

$2.95 ฿97.1

355.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.46 €20.17

$9.94 ฿327

136.02%

Apples (1kg)

$3.39 €2.91

$2.57 ฿84.6

31.91%

Banana (1kg)

$2.71 €2.33

$1.06 ฿34.73

155.66%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.03 €2.61

$1.61 ฿53.0

88.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.31 €3.71

$1.52 ฿49.97

183.55%

Potato (1kg)

$2.75 €2.36

$1.27 ฿41.77

116.54%

Onion (1kg)

$2.43 €2.09

$1.07 ฿35.06

127.10%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.95 €1.67

$0.72 ฿23.68

170.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.24 €1.06

$0.51 ฿16.72

143.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.12 €12.14

$4.19 ฿138

236.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.48 €9.01

$17.87 ฿587

-41.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 €2.44

$1.69 ฿55.7

68.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 €2.78

$2.84 ฿93.3

13.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 €2.42

$0.93 ฿30.43

203.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$64.0 €55.0

$53.9 ฿1,771

18.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.98 €2.56

$1.23 ฿40.59

142.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.11 €1.81

$0.58 ฿18.96

263.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$42.45 €36.49

$2.42 ฿79.7

1654.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.85

$1.41 ฿46.43

53.19%

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

$36.4K €31.3K

$21.4K ฿705.1K

69.55%

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

$34.4K €29.6K

$27.3K ฿898.7K

25.96%

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

$285 €245

$63.7 ฿2,093

347.07%

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

$22.13 €19.03

$12.85 ฿423

72.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$55.5 €47.67

$20.22 ฿665

174.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.05 €30.99

$38.74 ฿1,274

-6.94%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$29.90 €25.71

$3.97 ฿130

653.15%

Cinema Ticket

$16.36 €14.06

$6.74 ฿222

142.73%

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

$1,732 €1,489

$778 ฿25.6K

122.60%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$39.7K €34.2K

$14.6K ฿480.4K

171.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 €93.3

$54.3 ฿1,785

99.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.07 €37.89

$25.45 ฿837

73.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$111 €95.4

$94.3 ฿3,102

17.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 €130

$73.4 ฿2,415

105.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,458 €1,253

$490 ฿16.1K

197.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,203 €1,034

$289 ฿9,512

315.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,533 €2,178

$894 ฿29.4K

183.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,084 €1,792

$517 ฿17.0K

303.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,250 €4,513

$1,955 ฿64.3K

168.51%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,181 €3,594

$1,477 ฿48.6K

183.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,402 €2,925

$602 ฿19.8K

465.10%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.66

5.57

-34.29%

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

Last update for Brussels: August 30, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: August 31, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,458 in Brussels and $490 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brussels pays 465% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $94.0 in Brussels vs $20.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $413 vs $240 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

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

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

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 180% lower than in Brussels. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chiang Mai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 465% higher in Brussels, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,458 in Brussels versus $490 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 72% higher in Brussels. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $20.00 versus $94.0 in Brussels. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $947 in Chiang Mai versus $2,649 in Brussels, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Brussels. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Chiang Mai delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $947 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chiang Mai hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Brussels and Chiang Mai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 180% less than in Brussels. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.