Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Brest, Belarus

For one person, living is cheaper in Brest: $866 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $840 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
41

Cost of Living Index in Brest
Learn more

Brest Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Brest

🇧🇾 Belarus

$866

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Brest

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $866 in Brest, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Brest $866

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,368 in Brest, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Brest $1,368

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,870 in Brest, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Brest $1,870

Chiang Mai costs about 8% more than Brest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Brest are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Brest 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$12.92 BYN 37.98

-82.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$38.46 BYN 113

-50.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.91 BYN 20.31

-19.68%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.17 BYN 6.38

-23.04%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$1.02 BYN 3.00

-37.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.86 BYN 2.53

-63.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$3.17 BYN 9.31

-25.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.12 BYN 12.11

-11.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.16 BYN 3.40

68.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.04 BYN 3.05

38.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.00 BYN 2.95

33.00%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.61 BYN 4.72

41.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$7.03 BYN 20.67

134.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.64 BYN 10.69

-23.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$3.67 BYN 10.79

153.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.99 BYN 5.86

18.09%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$2.44 BYN 7.17

-60.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.27 BYN 6.68

-29.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.59 BYN 7.63

-42.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.82 BYN 2.41

56.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.66 BYN 4.88

-33.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$2.08 BYN 6.13

-65.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$1.39 BYN 4.08

-64.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.71 BYN 7.96

52.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$7.74 BYN 22.76

126.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.27 BYN 3.73

26.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.01 BYN 5.90

38.31%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.33 BYN 0.98

163.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$16.03 BYN 47.11

237.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$0.77 BYN 2.26

50.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.60 BYN 1.75

-11.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$16.86 BYN 49.58

-85.65%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$0.96 BYN 2.82

51.04%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$19.8K BYN 58.1K

6.57%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$28.5K BYN 83.7K

-5.34%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$66.3 BYN 195

-6.20%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$11.55 BYN 33.96

5.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$23.38 BYN 68.7

-13.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$34.38 BYN 101

8.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$8.31 BYN 24.44

-54.63%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.52 BYN 16.22

17.57%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$340 BYN 1,000

116.53%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$6,463 BYN 19.0K

128.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$52.3 BYN 154

2.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$40.39 BYN 119

-38.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$136 BYN 400

-32.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$87.1 BYN 256

-17.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$351 BYN 1,032

37.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$188 BYN 553

64.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$508 BYN 1,494

97.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$315 BYN 925

101.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$2,486 BYN 7,308

-4.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,547 BYN 7,488

-37.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$529 BYN 1,556

11.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-49.36%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Brest: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Brest

$188 21.7% 39.1% $121

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Brest

$186 21.5% 20.7% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Brest

$142 16.4% 30.8% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Brest

$101 11.7% 7.1% $6.8

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Brest

$182 21% 134% $104

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Brest

$21 2.4% 65.6% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Brest

$45 5.3% 9.7% $4.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $351 in Brest. 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 11% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $38 in Brest. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $186 in Brest – so Brest wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇾 Brest

🕒 Local time

12:43 12:43 PM

08:43 8:43 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

340,521

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Belarusian Ruble BYN Br

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 BYN = 0.34 USD

1 BYN = 0.305 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BYN, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Belarusian Ruble exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 2.94 BYN (1 BYN = 0.34 USD). 1 EUR = 3.28 BYN (1 BYN = 0.305 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Brest

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 Brest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 8% more than Brest, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,298 in Brest. 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $351 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Groceries cost about 26% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $38 in Brest. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $866 in Brest. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Brest – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Brest. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.