Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Gent and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,229 in Gent, rent and utilities included – about $15,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

107

Cost of Living Index in Gent
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Gent Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Gent

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,229

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,229 per month in Gent vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gent $2,229
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,454 per month in Gent vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gent $3,454
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,679 per month in Gent vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Gent $4,679
Chiang Mai $1,979

Gent costs about 138% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Gent sits 64% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.69 €20.39

$2.24 ฿75.7

912.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$113 €102

$19.00 ฿642

495.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.92 €14.31

$5.55 ฿188

186.85%

Cappuccino

$4.22 €3.79

$1.67 ฿56.6

152.69%

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

$3.37 €3.03

$0.64 ฿21.56

426.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 €2.56

$0.31 ฿10.32

819.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.73 €5.15

$2.36 ฿79.6

142.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.15

$3.66 ฿124

56.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.21 €1.09

$1.95 ฿65.8

-37.95%

White Bread (500g)

$2.76 €2.48

$1.44 ฿48.51

91.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 €1.93

$1.33 ฿45.07

61.65%

Eggs

$4.03 €3.62

$2.28 ฿77.1

76.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.70 €16.81

$16.45 ฿556

13.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.60 €11.32

$2.78 ฿94.0

353.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.54 €17.56

$9.31 ฿314

109.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.68 €2.41

$2.35 ฿79.5

14.04%

Banana (1kg)

$2.36 €2.12

$0.97 ฿32.82

143.30%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.59 €2.33

$1.60 ฿53.9

61.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.94 €2.64

$1.50 ฿50.7

96.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.11 €1.89

$1.28 ฿43.15

64.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.93 €1.73

$1.10 ฿37.22

75.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.21

$0.71 ฿23.84

90.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.08 €0.97

$0.49 ฿16.38

120.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.20 €11.86

$4.14 ฿140

218.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.02 €8.10

$17.52 ฿592

-48.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.79

$1.61 ฿54.5

23.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.36 €2.12

$2.78 ฿94.0

-15.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.37 €3.03

$0.87 ฿29.33

287.36%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.5 €53.4

$54.1 ฿1,827

9.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.07 €9.95

$1.16 ฿39.08

854.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.89 €2.60

$0.53 ฿17.82

445.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$51.4 €46.16

$2.42 ฿81.8

2022.73%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.84

$1.45 ฿48.93

41.38%

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

$35.5K €31.9K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

68.45%

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

$36.6K €32.9K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

36.00%

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

$221 €198

$62.2 ฿2,100

255.09%

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

$20.94 €18.81

$12.17 ฿411

72.06%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.87 €41.21

$20.12 ฿680

127.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.76 €29.44

$37.31 ฿1,260

-12.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.19 €11.85

$3.77 ฿127

249.87%

Cinema Ticket

$15.84 €14.23

$6.49 ฿219

144.07%

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

$564 €507

$736 ฿24.9K

-23.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$20.9K €18.8K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

41.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$106 €95.0

$53.4 ฿1,802

98.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$46.81 €42.06

$24.64 ฿832

89.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €97.3

$91.5 ฿3,089

18.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 €134

$71.9 ฿2,429

106.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,191 €1,070

$482 ฿16.3K

146.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$893 €803

$309 ฿10.4K

189.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,809 €1,625

$1,006 ฿34.0K

79.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,517 €1,363

$633 ฿21.4K

139.53%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,994 €4,487

$2,363 ฿79.8K

111.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,015 €2,709

$1,589 ฿53.7K

89.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,688 €3,314

$590 ฿19.9K

525.43%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.2

5.57

-42.55%

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

Last update for Gent: 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

Gent

$893 40.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 65.4% $584

Groceries & Markets

Gent

$356 16%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 34.2% $122

Eating Out

Gent

$345 15.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 77.5% $267

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Gent

$288 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 67.2% $193

Clothing & Footwear

Gent

$184 8.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 41.1% $76

Getting Around

Gent

$98 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 37.7% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Gent

$64 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 22% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,191 in Gent 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 Gent are about 6.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $113 in Gent versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $356 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Gent

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:03 3:03 PM

21:03 9:03 PM

6 h ahead of Gent

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

237,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Gent Chiang Mai 8,750 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Gent
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

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

Gent costs about 138% 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 $3,344 per month in Gent 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 $1,191 in Gent.

Kindergarten costs $564 per month in Gent and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% more in Gent, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,229 in Gent 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 $2,229 in Gent. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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