Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Belize City

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $906 a month against $1,218 in Belize City, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 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
60

Cost of Living Index in Belize City
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Belize City Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$906

/mo nomad

Belize City

🇧🇿 Belize

$1,218

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Belize City

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 Belize City actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $906 in Chiang Mai versus $1,218 in Belize City.

Chiang Mai $906
Belize City $1,218

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,385 in Chiang Mai versus $1,805 in Belize City.

Chiang Mai $1,385
Belize City $1,805

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,864 in Chiang Mai versus $2,391 in Belize City.

Chiang Mai $1,864
Belize City $2,391

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 26% less than in Belize City, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 32% lower, Belize City 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$6.34 BZD 12.67

-66.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.40 ฿649

$49.01 BZD 98.0

-60.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.47 ฿183

$9.56 BZD 19.12

-42.78%

Cappuccino

$1.68 ฿56.4

$3.52 BZD 7.04

-52.27%

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

$0.66 ฿22.10

$1.67 BZD 3.33

-60.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.34 ฿11.52

$1.40 BZD 2.80

-75.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 ฿81.0

$2.53 BZD 5.05

-4.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.73 ฿125

$2.96 BZD 5.92

26.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.06 ฿68.9

$3.71 BZD 7.43

-44.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.46 ฿48.78

$2.49 BZD 4.98

-41.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 ฿45.09

$3.39 BZD 6.79

-60.18%

Eggs

$2.27 ฿76.0

$3.54 BZD 7.08

-35.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.31 ฿546

$6.61 BZD 13.23

146.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.70 ฿90.3

$9.69 BZD 19.38

-72.14%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.20 ฿308

$9.02 BZD 18.04

2.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.1

$2.79 BZD 5.58

-14.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.66

$1.83 BZD 3.66

-43.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.7

$2.79 BZD 5.57

-42.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 ฿48.37

$2.95 BZD 5.90

-51.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.30 ฿43.59

$4.14 BZD 8.28

-68.60%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.29

$2.82 BZD 5.65

-60.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 ฿23.55

$2.32 BZD 4.64

-69.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿16.99

$1.53 BZD 3.05

-66.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.13 ฿138

$4.56 BZD 9.11

-9.43%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.78 ฿595

$9.72 BZD 19.44

82.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.7

$2.40 BZD 4.81

-32.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 ฿96.0

$2.13 BZD 4.25

34.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.76

$4.04 BZD 8.07

-78.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.2 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.22 ฿40.81

$5.06 BZD 10.12

-75.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.56 ฿18.81

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.31 ฿77.5

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 ฿50.2

$2.50 BZD 4.99

-40.00%

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

$20.9K ฿698.3K

$10.5K BZD 21.0K

98.76%

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

$26.7K ฿895.0K

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

$61.3 ฿2,051

$367 BZD 734

-83.30%

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

$12.50 ฿419

$49.86 BZD 99.7

-74.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.36 ฿682

$27.07 BZD 54.2

-24.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.94 ฿1,270

$25.19 BZD 50.4

50.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿126

$2.42 BZD 4.83

55.79%

Cinema Ticket

$6.60 ฿221

$4.88 BZD 9.76

35.25%

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

$774 ฿25.9K

$65.3 BZD 131

1086.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.4K ฿483.2K

$666 BZD 1,332

2067.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ฿1,835

$32.73 BZD 65.5

67.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.26 ฿846

$24.42 BZD 48.84

3.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 ฿3,032

$36.85 BZD 73.7

145.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.3 ฿2,453

$37.54 BZD 75.1

95.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$459 ฿15.4K

$349 BZD 697

31.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 ฿9,835

$191 BZD 382

53.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$919 ฿30.8K

$575 BZD 1,150

59.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$326 BZD 653

69.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,917 ฿64.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$592 ฿19.8K

$845 BZD 1,691

-29.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

11.5

-51.57%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 5, 2026

Last update for Belize City: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$294 31.8%

Belize City

$191 15.6% 35.1% $103

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$236 25.6%

Belize City

$317 26% 34.4% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.9%

Belize City

$59 4.9% 46.1% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Belize City

$444 36.4% 372% $350

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.4%

Belize City

$152 12.5% 97.3% $75

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Belize City

$21 * 1.7% 65% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Belize City

$35 2.9% 31.6% $16

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $459 in Chiang Mai and $349 in Belize City. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Belize City pays 43% 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: $19.00 in Chiang Mai vs $49.00 in Belize City for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $236 vs $317 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇿 Belize City

🕒 Local time

14:55 2:55 PM

01:55 1:55 AM

13 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

63,999

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Belize Dollar BZD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 BZD = 0.5 USD

1 BZD = 0.446 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BZD, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Belize Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 2 BZD (1 BZD = 0.5 USD). 1 EUR = 2.24 BZD (1 BZD = 0.446 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Belize City 15,900 km ≈ 20 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Belize City

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 Belize City: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 34% lower than in Belize City. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Chiang Mai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 43% lower in Belize City. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $459 in Chiang Mai versus $349 in Belize City. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 34% higher in Belize City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $906 per month in Chiang Mai versus $1,218 in Belize City – a 34% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $906 in Chiang Mai versus $1,218 in Belize City, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Belize City. 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 $906 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Chiang Mai hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Chiang Mai and Belize City 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 34% less than in Belize City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.