Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brussels and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,594 in Brussels, rent and utilities included – about $19,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

125

Cost of Living Index in Brussels
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Brussels Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,594

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,594 in Brussels versus $938 in Chiang Mai.

Brussels $2,594
Chiang Mai $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,876 in Brussels versus $1,426 in Chiang Mai.

Brussels $3,876
Chiang Mai $1,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,157 in Brussels versus $1,914 in Chiang Mai.

Brussels $5,157
Chiang Mai $1,914

Living in Brussels is roughly 176% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Brussels is 92% above, Chiang Mai is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.12 €19.67

$2.26 ฿75.4

878.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.8 €79.9

$19.18 ฿641

368.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.07 €13.41

$5.59 ฿187

169.59%

Cappuccino

$4.49 €4.00

$1.72 ฿57.6

161.05%

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

$3.67 €3.27

$0.64 ฿21.54

473.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 €2.80

$0.33 ฿11.18

854.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 €5.04

$2.36 ฿78.7

140.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.64 €5.01

$3.90 ฿130

44.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.20

$2.05 ฿68.6

-34.15%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 €2.46

$1.40 ฿46.70

97.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.78 €2.48

$1.28 ฿42.89

117.19%

Eggs

$5.22 €4.65

$2.25 ฿75.3

132.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.44 €15.51

$16.94 ฿566

2.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.36 €11.88

$2.74 ฿91.6

387.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.90 €19.48

$9.36 ฿313

133.97%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 €2.70

$2.40 ฿80.3

26.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$1.01 ฿33.92

139.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.83 €2.52

$1.61 ฿53.9

75.78%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.07 €3.62

$1.52 ฿50.7

167.76%

Potato (1kg)

$2.56 €2.28

$1.28 ฿42.90

100.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.24 €1.99

$1.11 ฿37.22

101.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.72 ฿24.09

155.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.26 €1.12

$0.52 ฿17.54

142.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.26 €11.80

$4.33 ฿145

206.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.61 €8.55

$17.73 ฿593

-45.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.60 €2.31

$1.63 ฿54.4

59.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.12 €2.78

$2.85 ฿95.3

9.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.82 €2.50

$0.85 ฿28.31

231.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.6 €54.8

$53.9 ฿1,801

14.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 €2.59

$1.17 ฿39.18

148.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.23 €1.98

$0.57 ฿19.00

291.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.47 €36.00

$2.37 ฿79.2

1607.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.45 ฿48.32

42.07%

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

$36.0K €32.0K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

75.76%

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

$33.2K €29.6K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

25.32%

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

$283 €252

$62.3 ฿2,083

354.61%

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

$21.97 €19.54

$12.27 ฿410

79.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.7 €46.01

$19.97 ฿668

159.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.30 €29.62

$37.91 ฿1,267

-12.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.56 €24.51

$3.76 ฿126

632.98%

Cinema Ticket

$16.33 €14.53

$6.71 ฿224

143.37%

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

$1,569 €1,396

$797 ฿26.6K

96.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.7K €32.6K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

147.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 €91.9

$53.3 ฿1,780

94.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.60 €40.56

$25.05 ฿837

82.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €97.2

$91.6 ฿3,062

19.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$146 €130

$73.5 ฿2,455

98.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,318 €1,172

$464 ฿15.5K

183.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,167 €1,038

$305 ฿10.2K

283.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,463 €2,191

$915 ฿30.6K

169.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,975 €1,756

$552 ฿18.5K

257.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,099 €4,535

$1,912 ฿63.9K

166.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,881 €3,453

$1,438 ฿48.1K

169.86%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,357 €2,986

$595 ฿19.9K

464.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.71

5.57

-33.39%

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

Last update for Brussels: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brussels

$1.2K 45%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 73.9% $862

Groceries & Markets

Brussels

$392 15.1%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 39.4% $154

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brussels

$357 13.8%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 73.5% $262

Eating Out

Brussels

$343 13.2%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 77% $264

Clothing & Footwear

Brussels

$182 7%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 39.8% $72

Getting Around

Brussels

$87 3.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 29.5% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Brussels

$66 2.5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 22.2% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,318 in Brussels and $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brussels pays 464% 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: $90.0 in Brussels vs $19.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $392 vs $238 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Brussels

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:51 5:51 PM

22:51 10:51 PM

5 h ahead of Brussels

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

188,137 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Brussels Chiang Mai 8,720 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Brussels
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

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

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 176% 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 464% 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: $1,318 in Brussels versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 65% 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 $19.00 versus $90.0 in Brussels. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $938 in Chiang Mai versus $2,594 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 $938 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 176% less than in Brussels. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.