Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kuala Belait and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,723 in Kuala Belait, rent and utilities included – about $9,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

84

Cost of Living Index in Kuala Belait
Learn more

Kuala Belait Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Kuala Belait

🇧🇳 Brunei

$1,723

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,723 per month in Kuala Belait vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kuala Belait $1,723
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,576 per month in Kuala Belait vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kuala Belait $2,576
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Kuala Belait vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kuala Belait $3,429
Chiang Mai $1,914

Kuala Belait costs about 84% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Kuala Belait sits 28% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.88 BND 10.08

$2.26 ฿75.4

248.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.73 BND 59.8

$19.18 ฿641

143.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.72 BND 9.87

$5.59 ฿187

38.10%

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.96 BND 2.51

Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 BND 2.96

Cappuccino

$4.46 BND 5.70

$1.72 ฿57.6

159.30%

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

$0.94 BND 1.20

$0.64 ฿21.54

46.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 BND 0.68

$0.33 ฿11.18

60.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

Milk (1 liter)

$1.88 BND 2.41

$2.05 ฿68.6

-8.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.50 BND 3.20

$1.40 ฿46.70

78.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 BND 2.91

$1.28 ฿42.89

77.34%

Eggs

$2.60 BND 3.33

$2.25 ฿75.3

15.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.10 BND 24.44

$16.94 ฿566

12.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.78 BND 12.51

$2.74 ฿91.6

256.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.84 BND 31.79

$9.36 ฿313

165.38%

Apples (1kg)

$4.83 BND 6.18

$2.40 ฿80.3

101.25%

Banana (1kg)

$2.22 BND 2.83

$1.01 ฿33.92

119.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.92 BND 6.29

$1.61 ฿53.9

205.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 BND 3.30

$1.52 ฿50.7

69.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 BND 2.13

$1.28 ฿42.90

30.47%

Onion (1kg)

$2.87 BND 3.67

$1.11 ฿37.22

158.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$5.47 BND 7.00

$0.72 ฿24.09

659.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.92 BND 1.17

$0.52 ฿17.54

76.92%

Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)

$11.69 BND 14.96

Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$5.80 BND 7.42

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.72 BND 9.88

$4.33 ฿145

78.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.01 BND 5.13

$1.17 ฿39.18

242.74%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$3.33 BND 4.26

$0.57 ฿19.00

484.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.53 BND 14.75

$2.37 ฿79.2

386.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.36 BND 0.46

$1.45 ฿48.32

-75.17%

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

$30.7K BND 39.3K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

50.05%

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

$27.2K BND 34.8K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

2.47%

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

$39.35 BND 50.4

$62.3 ฿2,083

-36.87%

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

$21.71 BND 27.77

$12.27 ฿410

76.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.4 BND 83.6

$19.97 ฿668

227.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$99.2 BND 127

$37.91 ฿1,267

161.67%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.92 BND 34.44

$3.76 ฿126

615.96%

Cinema Ticket

$5.56 BND 7.12

$6.71 ฿224

-17.14%

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

$214 BND 274

$797 ฿26.6K

-73.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,168 BND 11.7K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-38.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$75.8 BND 96.9

$53.3 ฿1,780

42.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$103 BND 132

$25.05 ฿837

312.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$154 BND 197

$91.6 ฿3,062

67.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.6 BND 94.2

$73.5 ฿2,455

0.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$751 BND 961

$464 ฿15.5K

61.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$780 BND 998

$305 ฿10.2K

156.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 BND 1,518

$915 ฿30.6K

29.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,188 BND 1,520

$552 ฿18.5K

115.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,363 BND 4,302

$595 ฿19.9K

464.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.88

5.57

-30.34%

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

Last update for Kuala Belait: October 13, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kuala Belait

$780 45.3%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 60.9% $475

Groceries & Markets

Kuala Belait

$358 20.8%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 33.5% $120

Clothing & Footwear

Kuala Belait

$183 10.6%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 40.1% $73

Eating Out

Kuala Belait

$146 8.4%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 45.7% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kuala Belait

$126 7.3%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 25.2% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Kuala Belait

$110 6.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 53.5% $59

Getting Around

Kuala Belait

$21 * 1.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 197% $41

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $751 in Kuala Belait 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 465% higher in Kuala Belait, 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 $47.00 in Kuala Belait versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $358 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇳 Kuala Belait

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:20 12:20 PM

11:20 11:20 AM

1 h behind Kuala Belait

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,178

127,240

💱 Currency

Brunei Dollar BND $

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 BND = 0.782 USD

1 BND = 0.695 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to BND – Brunei Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇳 Brunei Dollar ($)

Brunei Dollar exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 1.28 BND (1 BND = 0.782 USD). 1 EUR = 1.44 BND (1 BND = 0.695 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to BND in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kuala Belait Chiang Mai 2,280 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Kuala Belait
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

Kuala Belait vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kuala Belait costs about 84% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,585 per month in Kuala Belait 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47.00 in Kuala Belait and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 50% more in Kuala Belait, 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 Kuala Belait at $1,723. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kuala Belait it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,723 in Kuala Belait. 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, Kuala Belait makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.