Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hasselt and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,005 in Hasselt, rent and utilities included – about $12,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Hasselt
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Hasselt Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Hasselt

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,005

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,005 per month in Hasselt vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hasselt $2,005
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,025 per month in Hasselt vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hasselt $3,025
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $4,045 per month in Hasselt vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hasselt $4,045
Chiang Mai $1,914

Hasselt costs about 114% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Hasselt sits 48% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.57 €20.14

$2.26 ฿75.6

898.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$102 €90.7

$19.18 ฿643

429.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.48 €12.03

$5.59 ฿188

141.14%

Cappuccino

$3.67 €3.27

$1.72 ฿57.8

113.37%

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

$3.67 €3.27

$0.64 ฿21.61

473.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 €2.85

$0.33 ฿11.22

869.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.12 €4.57

$2.36 ฿79.0

116.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.60 €5.00

$3.90 ฿131

43.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.31 €1.17

$2.05 ฿68.9

-36.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.52 €2.25

$1.40 ฿46.86

80.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 €1.99

$1.28 ฿43.03

74.22%

Eggs

$3.31 €2.95

$2.25 ฿75.5

47.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.93 €7.08

$16.94 ฿568

-53.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.52 €10.28

$2.74 ฿91.9

320.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.13 €20.65

$9.36 ฿314

147.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.01 €1.80

$2.40 ฿80.6

-16.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.73 €1.55

$1.01 ฿34.03

71.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.58 €2.31

$1.61 ฿54.1

60.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.59 €2.31

$1.52 ฿50.9

70.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.79 €1.60

$1.28 ฿43.04

39.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.30 €1.16

$1.11 ฿37.34

17.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 €0.95

$0.72 ฿24.17

47.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.05 €0.93

$0.52 ฿17.60

101.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.02 €11.62

$4.33 ฿145

200.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.04 €8.07

$17.73 ฿595

-49.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 €1.44

$1.63 ฿54.6

-1.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 €1.79

$2.85 ฿95.7

-29.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.14 €2.80

$0.85 ฿28.40

269.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$32.49 €29.00

$53.9 ฿1,807

-39.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.68 €5.07

$1.17 ฿39.31

385.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.66 €2.38

$0.57 ฿19.06

366.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$36.34 €32.43

$2.37 ฿79.4

1433.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 €1.77

$1.45 ฿48.48

37.24%

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

$35.6K €31.8K

$20.5K ฿686.5K

73.81%

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

$33.9K €30.3K

$26.5K ฿889.0K

27.85%

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

$205 €183

$62.3 ฿2,090

228.25%

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

$19.80 €17.67

$12.27 ฿411

61.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.52 €41.52

$19.97 ฿670

132.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.36 €24.41

$37.91 ฿1,271

-27.83%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.17 €8.19

$3.76 ฿126

143.88%

Cinema Ticket

$15.14 €13.51

$6.71 ฿225

125.63%

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

$1,591 €1,420

$797 ฿26.7K

99.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$32.8K €29.3K

$14.8K ฿497.3K

121.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$110 €98.2

$53.3 ฿1,786

106.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 €46.45

$25.05 ฿840

107.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.1

$91.6 ฿3,072

12.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$133 €119

$73.5 ฿2,463

81.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$936 €836

$464 ฿15.6K

101.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$794 €708

$305 ฿10.2K

160.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,444 €1,289

$915 ฿30.7K

57.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,193 €1,065

$552 ฿18.5K

116.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,517 €4,031

$1,912 ฿64.1K

136.24%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,384 €2,128

$1,438 ฿48.2K

65.76%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,034 €2,708

$595 ฿20.0K

409.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

5.57

-37.88%

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

Last update for Hasselt: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Hasselt

$794 39.6%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 61.6% $489

Eating Out

Hasselt

$329 16.4%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 76% $250

Groceries & Markets

Hasselt

$310 15.5%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 23.2% $72

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hasselt

$271 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 65.1% $176

Clothing & Footwear

Hasselt

$179 8.9%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 38.9% $70

Getting Around

Hasselt

$64 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 4.3% $2.7

Sport & Entertainment

Hasselt

$58 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 10.9% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $936 in Hasselt versus $464 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 run about 410% higher in Hasselt, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $102 in Hasselt versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $310 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Hasselt

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:36 7:36 AM

12:36 12:36 PM

5 h ahead of Hasselt

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

74,694

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Hasselt Chiang Mai 8,650 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Hasselt
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

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

Hasselt costs about 114% 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 $3,007 per month in Hasselt and $1,408 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,591 per month in Hasselt and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 30% more in Hasselt, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Hasselt at $2,005. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Hasselt it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,005 in Hasselt. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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