Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Liege and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,062 in Liege, rent and utilities included – about $13,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

99

Cost of Living Index in Liege
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Liege Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Liege

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,062

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,062 per month in Liege vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Liege $2,062
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,040 per month in Liege vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Liege $3,040
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,018 per month in Liege vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Liege $4,018
Chiang Mai $1,979

Liege costs about 120% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Liege sits 52% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.20 €16.31

$2.24 ฿75.6

712.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.1 €81.6

$19.00 ฿641

379.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.44 €11.15

$5.55 ฿187

124.14%

Cappuccino

$3.58 €3.21

$1.67 ฿56.5

114.37%

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

$3.52 €3.16

$0.64 ฿21.55

450.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.54 €2.28

$0.31 ฿10.31

719.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 €5.08

$2.36 ฿79.6

140.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 €4.12

$3.66 ฿124

25.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.07

$1.95 ฿65.8

-38.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.70 €2.42

$1.44 ฿48.48

87.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.69 €3.31

$1.33 ฿45.04

177.44%

Eggs

$3.78 €3.39

$2.28 ฿77.1

65.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.13 €16.25

$16.45 ฿555

10.21%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.56 €10.36

$2.78 ฿93.9

315.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.86 €13.32

$9.31 ฿314

59.61%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 €2.77

$2.35 ฿79.4

31.49%

Banana (1kg)

$2.39 €2.14

$0.97 ฿32.80

146.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 €2.59

$1.60 ฿53.9

81.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.00 €2.69

$1.50 ฿50.6

100.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.37 €2.12

$1.28 ฿43.12

85.16%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$1.10 ฿37.19

87.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.68 €1.51

$0.71 ฿23.82

136.62%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.98

$0.49 ฿16.37

122.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.39 €8.41

$4.14 ฿140

126.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.92 €7.09

$17.52 ฿591

-54.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.45 €2.19

$1.61 ฿54.5

52.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.25 €2.91

$2.78 ฿94.0

16.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.07 €2.75

$0.87 ฿29.31

252.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$48.54 €43.50

$54.1 ฿1,826

-10.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.98 €4.47

$1.16 ฿39.06

329.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.56 €2.30

$0.53 ฿17.80

383.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.97 €15.21

$2.42 ฿81.8

601.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.89 €1.70

$1.45 ฿48.90

30.34%

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

$35.2K €31.6K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

67.37%

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

$36.7K €32.9K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

36.38%

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

$327 €293

$62.2 ฿2,098

426.72%

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

$25.39 €22.75

$12.17 ฿411

108.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.8 €54.5

$20.12 ฿679

202.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.16 €34.20

$37.31 ฿1,259

2.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.16 €19.86

$3.77 ฿127

487.80%

Cinema Ticket

$14.45 €12.95

$6.49 ฿219

122.65%

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

$828 €742

$736 ฿24.8K

12.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.2 €75.5

$53.4 ฿1,801

57.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.4 €45.16

$24.64 ฿831

104.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.7

$91.5 ฿3,087

13.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$130 €116

$71.9 ฿2,428

80.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$845 €757

$482 ฿16.3K

75.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$702 €629

$309 ฿10.4K

127.28%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,399 €1,253

$1,006 ฿33.9K

39.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 €944

$633 ฿21.4K

66.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,797 €2,507

$2,363 ฿79.8K

18.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,985 €1,779

$1,589 ฿53.6K

24.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,730 €2,446

$590 ฿19.9K

362.88%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.65

5.57

-34.47%

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

Last update for Liege: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Liege

$702 34.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 56% $393

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Liege

$414 20.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 77.2% $319

Groceries & Markets

Liege

$348 16.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 32.6% $113

Eating Out

Liege

$288 14%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 73% $210

Clothing & Footwear

Liege

$165 8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 34.3% $57

Getting Around

Liege

$79 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 22% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Liege

$67 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 25% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $845 in Liege 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 Liege are about 4.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91 in Liege versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $348 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Liege

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:33 9:33 AM

15:33 3:33 PM

6 h ahead of Liege

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

197,013

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 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

Liege Chiang Mai 8,640 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Liege
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

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

Liege costs about 120% 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 $3,093 per month in Liege 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 $845 in Liege.

Kindergarten costs $828 per month in Liege 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 48% more in Liege, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,062 in Liege and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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