Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Brussels

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.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
125

Cost of Living Index in Brussels
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Brussels Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Brussels

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,594

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

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

Chiang Mai $938
Brussels $2,594

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

Chiang Mai $1,426
Brussels $3,876

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

Chiang Mai $1,914
Brussels $5,157

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 64% less than in Brussels, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$22.12 €19.67

-89.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$89.8 €79.9

-78.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$15.07 €13.41

-62.91%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$4.49 €4.00

-61.69%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$3.67 €3.27

-82.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$3.15 €2.80

-89.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$5.67 €5.04

-58.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$5.64 €5.01

-30.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.35 €1.20

51.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$2.77 €2.46

-49.46%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$2.78 €2.48

-53.96%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$5.22 €4.65

-56.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$17.44 €15.51

-2.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$13.36 €11.88

-79.49%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$21.90 €19.48

-57.26%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$3.03 €2.70

-20.79%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$2.42 €2.15

-58.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$2.83 €2.52

-43.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$4.07 €3.62

-62.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$2.56 €2.28

-50.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$2.24 €1.99

-50.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$1.84 €1.64

-60.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$1.26 €1.12

-58.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$13.26 €11.80

-67.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$9.61 €8.55

84.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.60 €2.31

-37.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$3.12 €2.78

-8.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$2.82 €2.50

-69.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$61.6 €54.8

-12.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$2.91 €2.59

-59.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$2.23 €1.98

-74.44%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$40.47 €36.00

-94.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$2.06 €1.83

-29.61%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$36.0K €32.0K

-43.11%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$33.2K €29.6K

-20.21%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$283 €252

-78.00%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$21.97 €19.54

-44.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$51.7 €46.01

-61.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$33.30 €29.62

13.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$27.56 €24.51

-86.36%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$16.33 €14.53

-58.91%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$1,569 €1,396

-49.21%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$36.7K €32.6K

-59.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$103 €91.9

-48.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$45.60 €40.56

-45.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$109 €97.2

-16.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$146 €130

-49.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$1,318 €1,172

-64.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$1,167 €1,038

-73.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$2,463 €2,191

-62.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$1,975 €1,756

-72.03%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$5,099 €4,535

-62.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$3,881 €3,453

-62.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$3,357 €2,986

-82.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.71

50.13%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Brussels: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Brussels

$1.2K 45% 283% $862

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Brussels

$392 15.1% 64.9% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Brussels

$182 7% 66.2% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Brussels

$357 13.8% 278% $262

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Brussels

$343 13.2% 334% $264

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Brussels

$87 3.4% 41.8% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Brussels

$66 2.5% 28.5% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $464 in Chiang Mai and $1,318 in Brussels. 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: $19.00 in Chiang Mai vs $90.0 in Brussels for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $238 vs $392 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇧🇪 Brussels

🕒 Local time

23:20 11:20 PM

18:20 6:20 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

188,137 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Brussels

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 Brussels: 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.

On paper, salaries run 464% lower in Brussels. 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: $464 in Chiang Mai versus $1,318 in Brussels. 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, Chiang Mai and Brussels 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.