Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Diest and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,088 in Diest, rent and utilities included – about $13,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Diest
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Diest Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Diest

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,088

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,088 per month in Diest vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Diest $2,088
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $3,070 per month in Diest vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Diest $3,070
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $4,052 per month in Diest vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Diest $4,052
Chiang Mai $1,999

Diest costs about 123% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Diest sits 54% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.93 €19.53

$2.13 ฿71.2

929.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 €75.7

$18.62 ฿622

356.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.89 €10.59

$5.60 ฿187

112.32%

Cappuccino

$3.54 €3.15

$1.66 ฿55.5

113.25%

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

$2.94 €2.62

$0.65 ฿21.59

352.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 €2.50

$0.30 ฿10.18

833.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.38 €4.79

$2.32 ฿77.5

131.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.35 €3.87

$3.67 ฿122

18.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.26 €1.12

$2.02 ฿67.3

-37.62%

White Bread (500g)

$2.73 €2.43

$1.41 ฿47.00

93.62%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.39 ฿46.46

61.87%

Eggs

$3.93 €3.50

$2.37 ฿79.0

65.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.20 €13.54

$16.52 ฿551

-7.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.87 €10.57

$2.67 ฿89.1

344.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.91 €16.84

$9.02 ฿301

109.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.78 €2.48

$2.40 ฿80.1

15.83%

Banana (1kg)

$2.25 €2.01

$1.04 ฿34.76

116.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$1.66 ฿55.4

57.23%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.93 €2.61

$1.56 ฿52.0

87.82%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.24 ฿41.31

75.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.72 €1.54

$1.09 ฿36.27

57.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 €1.36

$0.76 ฿25.43

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 €0.91

$0.51 ฿17.16

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.13 €11.69

$4.12 ฿138

218.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.44 €7.52

$17.93 ฿598

-52.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.62 ฿54.2

20.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.05 €1.82

$2.82 ฿94.2

-27.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.07 €2.74

$0.93 ฿31.19

230.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.4 €48.47

$52.9 ฿1,766

2.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.69 €5.07

$1.18 ฿39.28

382.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.47 €2.20

$0.17 ฿5.72

1352.94%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.18 €26.89

$1.81 ฿60.5

1567.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.84

$1.47 ฿49.16

40.82%

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

$36.0K €32.1K

$21.0K ฿701.4K

71.55%

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

$36.1K €32.1K

$26.5K ฿885.1K

35.99%

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

$209 €186

$62.6 ฿2,088

233.36%

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

$20.59 €18.34

$11.60 ฿387

77.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$51.4 €45.77

$20.30 ฿678

153.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.60 €32.60

$37.88 ฿1,264

-3.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.94 €17.76

$3.70 ฿123

438.92%

Cinema Ticket

$14.29 €12.73

$6.51 ฿217

119.51%

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

$781 €696

$727 ฿24.3K

7.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.3K €17.2K

$16.6K ฿553.2K

16.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$103 €91.9

$53.5 ฿1,787

92.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.33 €43.05

$24.80 ฿828

94.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$106 €94.8

$90.4 ฿3,017

17.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$147 €131

$72.0 ฿2,402

104.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$938 €836

$481 ฿16.1K

95.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$825 €735

$310 ฿10.3K

166.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,367 €1,217

$1,058 ฿35.3K

29.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,168 €1,040

$659 ฿22.0K

77.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,180 €3,723

$2,418 ฿80.7K

72.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,949 €2,627

$1,609 ฿53.7K

83.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,138 €1,905

$595 ฿19.9K

259.51%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.53

5.57

-36.62%

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

Last update for Diest: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Diest

$825 39.5%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 62.4% $515

Groceries & Markets

Diest

$338 16.2%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 29.9% $101

Eating Out

Diest

$312 15%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 75.5% $236

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Diest

$281 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 66.3% $186

Clothing & Footwear

Diest

$182 8.7%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 40.6% $74

Getting Around

Diest

$85 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 30.8% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Diest

$65 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 21.9% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $938 in Diest versus $481 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Diest are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $85 in Diest versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $338 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Diest

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

23:52 11:52 PM

05:52 5:52 AM

6 h ahead of Diest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,516

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 3 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Diest Chiang Mai 8,660 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Diest
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

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

Diest costs about 123% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,131 per month in Diest and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $938 in Diest.

Kindergarten costs $781 per month in Diest and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 43% more in Diest, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,088 in Diest and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Diest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.