Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Genk and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,828 in Genk, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

89

Cost of Living Index in Genk
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Genk Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Genk

🇧🇪 Belgium

$1,828

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,828 per month in Genk vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Genk $1,828
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,767 per month in Genk vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Genk $2,767
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,706 per month in Genk vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Genk $3,706
Chiang Mai $1,979

Genk costs about 95% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Genk sits 34% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$23.16 €20.75

$2.24 ฿75.5

933.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.2 €80.0

$19.00 ฿640

369.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.32 €11.94

$5.55 ฿187

140.00%

Cappuccino

$4.32 €3.87

$1.67 ฿56.4

158.68%

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

$2.64 €2.37

$0.64 ฿21.51

312.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.04

$0.31 ฿10.29

635.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 €4.07

$2.36 ฿79.5

92.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.95 €3.54

$3.66 ฿123

7.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.91 €0.82

$1.95 ฿65.7

-53.33%

White Bread (500g)

$2.87 €2.58

$1.44 ฿48.41

99.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.32 €2.08

$1.33 ฿44.97

74.44%

Eggs

$3.93 €3.52

$2.28 ฿77.0

72.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.08 €8.14

$16.45 ฿554

-44.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.42 €6.65

$2.78 ฿93.8

166.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.26 €10.09

$9.31 ฿314

20.95%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 €2.17

$2.35 ฿79.3

2.98%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 €2.12

$0.97 ฿32.75

144.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.56 €2.29

$1.60 ฿53.8

60.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.93 €2.62

$1.50 ฿50.6

95.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.54 €2.28

$1.28 ฿43.06

98.44%

Onion (1kg)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.10 ฿37.14

63.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.50 €1.35

$0.71 ฿23.79

111.27%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.99

$0.49 ฿16.34

124.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.70 €11.38

$4.14 ฿140

206.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 €6.65

$17.52 ฿590

-57.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.61 ฿54.4

6.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.14 €1.02

$2.78 ฿93.8

-58.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.27 €2.93

$0.87 ฿29.27

275.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.1 €49.39

$54.1 ฿1,823

1.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.54 €4.96

$1.16 ฿39.00

377.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.75 €2.46

$0.53 ฿17.78

418.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.28 €40.58

$2.42 ฿81.6

1771.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.65

$1.45 ฿48.82

26.90%

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

$22.4K €20.1K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

6.48%

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

$27.4K €24.5K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

1.62%

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

$169 €152

$62.2 ฿2,095

172.01%

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

$20.43 €18.30

$12.17 ฿410

67.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.91 €36.66

$20.12 ฿678

103.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.82 €33.00

$37.31 ฿1,257

-1.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.80 €17.74

$3.77 ฿127

425.20%

Cinema Ticket

$15.93 €14.27

$6.49 ฿219

145.45%

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

$281 €252

$736 ฿24.8K

-61.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.8K €29.4K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

122.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$108 €96.6

$53.4 ฿1,799

101.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.61 €41.76

$24.64 ฿830

89.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.1 €70.9

$91.5 ฿3,083

-13.55%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 €92.3

$71.9 ฿2,424

43.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$952 €853

$482 ฿16.3K

97.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$694 €622

$309 ฿10.4K

124.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,295 €1,161

$1,006 ฿33.9K

28.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 €933

$633 ฿21.3K

64.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,107 €3,680

$2,363 ฿79.6K

73.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,908 €2,606

$1,589 ฿53.6K

83.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,275 €2,039

$590 ฿19.9K

285.78%

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 Genk: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Genk

$694 38%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 55.5% $386

Eating Out

Genk

$327 17.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 76.3% $250

Groceries & Markets

Genk

$268 14.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 12.6% $34

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Genk

$230 12.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 59% $136

Clothing & Footwear

Genk

$151 8.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 28.3% $43

Getting Around

Genk

$87 4.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 29.8% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Genk

$69 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 26.8% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $952 in Genk versus $482 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 Genk are about 3.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89 in Genk versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Genk

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:18 7:18 AM

13:18 1:18 PM

6 h ahead of Genk

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,321

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Genk Chiang Mai 8,630 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Genk
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

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

Genk costs about 95% 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 $2,742 per month in Genk 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 $482 there versus $952 in Genk.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $89 in Genk and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% more in Genk, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,828 in Genk and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,828 in Genk. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Genk makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.