Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bel Air, Mauritius

For one person, living is cheaper in Bel Air: $596 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Bel Air
Learn more

Bel Air Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Bel Air

🇲🇺 Mauritius

$596

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Bel Air

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in Bel Air actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $596 in Bel Air.

Chiang Mai $936
Bel Air $596

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $1,005 in Bel Air.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Bel Air $1,005

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $1,415 in Bel Air.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Bel Air $1,415

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 57% more expensive than in Bel Air, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Bel Air 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$5.67 MUR 264

-60.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$38.57 MUR 1,797

-50.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.51 MUR 350

-26.10%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.08 MUR 50.4

54.63%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$1.03 MUR 48.03

-37.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.59 MUR 27.71

-47.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.60 MUR 74.5

47.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.09 MUR 144

18.45%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.59 MUR 74.2

22.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$0.74 MUR 34.61

94.59%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.10 MUR 51.1

20.91%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.59 MUR 121

-11.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$5.17 MUR 241

218.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.31 MUR 294

-55.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$11.38 MUR 530

-18.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.77 MUR 129

-15.16%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$2.57 MUR 120

-62.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.41 MUR 65.6

13.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.04 MUR 142

-50.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$1.00 MUR 46.65

28.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$1.02 MUR 47.68

7.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$0.69 MUR 32.26

2.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.86 MUR 39.87

-43.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.62 MUR 308

-37.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$8.43 MUR 393

107.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.72 MUR 79.9

-6.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.27 MUR 106

22.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$4.19 MUR 195

-72.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$3.23 MUR 150

-83.59%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$21.07 MUR 982

-88.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.36 MUR 63.4

6.62%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$36.5K MUR 1.7M

-42.30%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$30.7K MUR 1.4M

-12.16%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$45.82 MUR 2,135

35.68%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$10.71 MUR 499

13.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$29.24 MUR 1,362

-31.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.20 MUR 289

4.68%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$130 MUR 6,047

467.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$7,780 MUR 362.4K

89.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$78.5 MUR 3,655

-31.98%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$73.4 MUR 3,417

-66.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$122 MUR 5,695

-25.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$77.1 MUR 3,590

-6.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.67

-16.49%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bel Air: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Bel Air

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Bel Air

$218 36.5% 7.2% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Bel Air

$158 26.5% 45.4% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Bel Air

$86 14.4% 9.2% $8.7

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Bel Air

$102 17.1% 30.9% $24

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Bel Air

$20 * 3.4% 66.9% $41

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Bel Air

$12 * 2.1% 75.3% $38

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $39 in Bel Air. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $218, with Bel Air cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇺 Bel Air

🕒 Local time

00:19 12:19 AM

21:19 9:19 PM

3 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

17,600

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Mauritian Rupee MUR ₨

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 MUR = 2.15 USD

100 MUR = 1.92 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MUR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Mauritian Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 46.58 MUR (100 MUR = 2.15 USD). 1 EUR = 51.98 MUR (100 MUR = 1.92 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Bel Air 6,250 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bel Air

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

Chiang Mai vs Bel Air: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bel Air wins on cost – living expenses run 36% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Bel Air the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $893 in Bel Air to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 8% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $936 per month in Chiang Mai versus $596 in Bel Air – Bel Air is about 36% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $596 in Bel Air versus $936 in Chiang Mai, a $800 budget is realistic in Bel Air but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Bel Air the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Bel Air are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.