Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Izegem and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,048 in Izegem, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Izegem, Belgium
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Izegem
🇧🇪 Belgium
$2,048
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$935
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,048 per month in Izegem vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Izegem $2,048
  • Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $3,003 per month in Izegem vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Izegem $3,003
  • Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $3,959 per month in Izegem vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Izegem $3,959
  • Chiang Mai $1,999

Izegem costs about 119% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Izegem sits 51% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Izegem
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.66 €20.17
$2.13 ฿71.4
963.85%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$77.2 €68.8
$18.62 ฿623
314.82%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$13.36 €11.89
$5.60 ฿187
138.57%
Cappuccino
$4.00 €3.56
$1.66 ฿55.6
140.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.89 €2.58
$0.65 ฿21.63
344.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.95 €2.63
$0.30 ฿10.20
883.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.46 €4.87
$2.32 ฿77.7
135.34%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.43 €3.95
$3.67 ฿123
20.71%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Izegem
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.33 €1.18
$2.02 ฿67.4
-34.16%
White Bread (500g)
$2.70 €2.41
$1.41 ฿47.08
91.49%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.97 €1.76
$1.39 ฿46.54
41.73%
Eggs
$3.88 €3.46
$2.37 ฿79.2
63.71%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.34 €10.09
$16.52 ฿552
-31.36%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.49 €11.12
$2.67 ฿89.3
367.79%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.85 €16.79
$9.02 ฿302
108.98%
Apples (1kg)
$2.79 €2.49
$2.40 ฿80.2
16.25%
Banana (1kg)
$2.12 €1.88
$1.04 ฿34.82
103.85%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.23 €1.99
$1.66 ฿55.5
34.34%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.22 €1.97
$1.56 ฿52.1
42.31%
Potato (1kg)
$2.27 €2.02
$1.24 ฿41.39
83.06%
Onion (1kg)
$1.72 €1.53
$1.09 ฿36.34
57.80%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.53 €1.36
$0.76 ฿25.47
101.32%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 €0.84
$0.51 ฿17.19
84.31%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.42 €11.95
$4.12 ฿138
225.73%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.31 €6.51
$17.93 ฿600
-59.23%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.08 €1.85
$1.62 ฿54.3
28.40%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.85 €1.65
$2.82 ฿94.4
-34.40%
🚌 Getting Around
Izegem
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.16 €2.81
$0.93 ฿31.25
239.78%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$55.2 €49.15
$52.9 ฿1,769
4.35%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$10.13 €9.02
$1.18 ฿39.35
758.47%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.39 €2.13
$0.17 ฿5.73
1305.88%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$25.01 €22.27
$1.81 ฿60.6
1281.77%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.79 €1.60
$1.47 ฿49.25
21.77%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.1K €31.3K
$21.0K ฿702.6K
67.24%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$36.4K €32.4K
$26.5K ฿886.7K
37.13%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Izegem
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$214 €191
$62.6 ฿2,092
242.26%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.12 €16.14
$11.60 ฿388
56.21%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.2 €47.33
$20.30 ฿679
161.87%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Izegem
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.73 €32.71
$37.88 ฿1,267
-3.04%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.95 €17.76
$3.70 ฿124
439.19%
Cinema Ticket
$14.44 €12.86
$6.51 ฿218
121.81%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Izegem
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$708 €630
$727 ฿24.3K
-2.65%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.0K €14.3K
$16.6K ฿554.2K
-3.31%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Izegem
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$95.9 €85.4
$53.5 ฿1,790
79.12%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$25.93 €23.08
$24.80 ฿829
4.56%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$87.2 €77.6
$90.4 ฿3,023
-3.55%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$144 €128
$72.0 ฿2,407
99.43%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Izegem
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$927 €826
$481 ฿16.1K
92.68%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$799 €712
$310 ฿10.4K
157.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,386 €1,234
$1,058 ฿35.4K
30.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,159 €1,032
$659 ฿22.0K
75.95%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,085 €3,638
$2,418 ฿80.8K
68.97%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,939 €2,617
$1,609 ฿53.8K
82.70%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Izegem
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$595 ฿19.9K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.52
5.57
-36.80%

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

Last update for Izegem: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Izegem
$799
Chiang Mai
$310 61.2% $489
Eating Out
Izegem
$329
Chiang Mai
$77 76.7% $252
Groceries & Markets
Izegem
$320
Chiang Mai
$237 26% $83
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Izegem
$285
Chiang Mai
$94 66.9% $191
Clothing & Footwear
Izegem
$159
Chiang Mai
$108 31.7% $50
Getting Around
Izegem
$90
Chiang Mai
$59 34.7% $31
Sport & Entertainment
Izegem
$66
Chiang Mai
$51 22.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $927 in Izegem 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $77 in Izegem versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $320 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇧🇪 Izegem
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
11:05 11:05 AM
17:05 5:05 PM
6 h ahead of Izegem
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
26,382
127,240
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.89 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Izegem Chiang Mai 8,790 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Izegem
  • 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
Izegem vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Izegem or Chiang Mai?
Izegem costs about 119% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Izegem and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,071 per month in Izegem and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Izegem or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $927 in Izegem.
How do childcare costs compare in Izegem and in Chiang Mai?
Kindergarten costs $708 per month in Izegem and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Izegem or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 35% more in Izegem, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $800/month in Izegem or in Chiang Mai?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,048 in Izegem and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Izegem or Chiang Mai?
It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $935 in Chiang Mai to $2,048 in Izegem. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How safe is Izegem compared to Chiang Mai?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Which city is more affordable for expats?
For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 54% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.

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