Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Louvain-la-Neuve and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $2,208 in Louvain-la-Neuve, rent and utilities included – about $15,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Louvain-la-Neuve
Learn more

Louvain-la-Neuve Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Louvain-la-Neuve

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,208

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,208 per month in Louvain-la-Neuve vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Louvain-la-Neuve $2,208
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $3,344 per month in Louvain-la-Neuve vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Louvain-la-Neuve $3,344
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $4,481 per month in Louvain-la-Neuve vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Louvain-la-Neuve $4,481
Chiang Mai $1,999

Louvain-la-Neuve costs about 136% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Louvain-la-Neuve sits 63% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.85 €17.75

$2.13 ฿72.0

831.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.8 €78.5

$18.62 ฿628

371.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.77 €12.32

$5.60 ฿189

145.89%

Cappuccino

$4.17 €3.73

$1.66 ฿56.1

151.20%

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

$3.81 €3.40

$0.65 ฿21.83

486.15%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 €2.76

$0.30 ฿10.29

926.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.57 €4.98

$2.32 ฿78.4

140.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.42 €3.95

$3.67 ฿124

20.44%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.24 €1.11

$2.02 ฿68.0

-38.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.77 €2.48

$1.41 ฿47.51

96.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.83 €2.53

$1.39 ฿46.96

103.60%

Eggs

$3.59 €3.21

$2.37 ฿79.9

51.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.40 €16.45

$16.52 ฿557

11.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.55 €10.33

$2.67 ฿90.1

332.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.26 €17.22

$9.02 ฿304

113.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.04 €2.72

$2.40 ฿80.9

26.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 €2.04

$1.04 ฿35.13

120.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 €2.55

$1.66 ฿56.0

71.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.03 €3.60

$1.56 ฿52.6

158.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.40 €2.15

$1.24 ฿41.76

93.55%

Onion (1kg)

$2.14 €1.92

$1.09 ฿36.66

96.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 €1.59

$0.76 ฿25.70

134.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.99

$0.51 ฿17.35

115.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.38 €8.39

$4.12 ฿139

127.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 €7.03

$17.93 ฿605

-56.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 €2.25

$1.62 ฿54.8

55.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.08 €2.75

$2.82 ฿95.2

9.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$5.80 €5.19

$0.93 ฿31.53

523.66%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.4 €48.65

$52.9 ฿1,785

2.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.93 €2.62

$1.18 ฿39.70

148.31%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.24 €2.01

$0.17 ฿5.79

1217.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$17.07 €15.27

$1.81 ฿61.1

843.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 €1.78

$1.47 ฿49.69

35.37%

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

$35.9K €32.1K

$21.0K ฿708.9K

70.85%

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

$35.6K €31.8K

$26.5K ฿894.6K

34.23%

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

$281 €251

$62.6 ฿2,111

348.83%

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

$20.49 €18.33

$11.60 ฿392

76.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.9 €53.5

$20.30 ฿685

194.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.43 €25.42

$37.88 ฿1,278

-24.95%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.48 €17.42

$3.70 ฿125

426.49%

Cinema Ticket

$14.23 €12.72

$6.51 ฿220

118.59%

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

$855 €764

$727 ฿24.5K

17.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$36.1K €32.3K

$16.6K ฿559.2K

117.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.8 €89.3

$53.5 ฿1,807

86.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.43 €40.62

$24.80 ฿837

83.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €100

$90.4 ฿3,050

23.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €116

$72.0 ฿2,428

79.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$995 €890

$481 ฿16.2K

106.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$846 €757

$310 ฿10.5K

172.97%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,703 €1,523

$1,058 ฿35.7K

60.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,466 €1,311

$659 ฿22.2K

122.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,078 €3,646

$2,418 ฿81.6K

68.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,928 €2,618

$1,609 ฿54.3K

81.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,648 €2,368

$595 ฿20.1K

345.16%

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 Louvain-la-Neuve: 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

Louvain-la-Neuve

$846 38.3%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 63.4% $536

Groceries & Markets

Louvain-la-Neuve

$363 16.5%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 34.9% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Louvain-la-Neuve

$361 16.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 73.8% $267

Eating Out

Louvain-la-Neuve

$315 14.3%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 75.7% $238

Clothing & Footwear

Louvain-la-Neuve

$174 7.9%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 37.7% $66

Getting Around

Louvain-la-Neuve

$92 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 36.1% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Louvain-la-Neuve

$57 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 10.5% $6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $995 in Louvain-la-Neuve 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.

Salaries in Louvain-la-Neuve are about 4.5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88 in Louvain-la-Neuve versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $363 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Louvain-la-Neuve

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:08 2:08 PM

20:08 8:08 PM

6 h ahead of Louvain-la-Neuve

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,521

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Louvain-la-Neuve Chiang Mai 8,700 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Louvain-la-Neuve
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

Louvain-la-Neuve vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Louvain-la-Neuve costs about 136% 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 $3,311 per month in Louvain-la-Neuve 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 $481 there versus $995 in Louvain-la-Neuve.

Kindergarten costs $855 per month in Louvain-la-Neuve and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 54% more in Louvain-la-Neuve, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,208 in Louvain-la-Neuve and $935 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, Louvain-la-Neuve makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.