Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mortsel and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,145 in Mortsel, rent and utilities included – about $14,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

103

Cost of Living Index in Mortsel
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Mortsel Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Mortsel

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,145

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,145 per month in Mortsel vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mortsel $2,145
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,187 per month in Mortsel vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mortsel $3,187
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,229 per month in Mortsel vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mortsel $4,229
Chiang Mai $1,979

Mortsel costs about 129% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mortsel sits 58% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.62 €20.27

$2.24 ฿75.5

909.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.3 €86.3

$19.00 ฿640

406.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.55 €12.14

$5.55 ฿187

144.14%

Cappuccino

$4.25 €3.81

$1.67 ฿56.4

154.49%

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

$3.47 €3.11

$0.64 ฿21.51

442.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.87 €2.57

$0.31 ฿10.29

825.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.55 €4.97

$2.36 ฿79.5

135.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 €5.11

$3.66 ฿123

56.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.21

$1.95 ฿65.7

-30.77%

White Bread (500g)

$2.88 €2.58

$1.44 ฿48.41

100.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.23 €2.00

$1.33 ฿44.97

67.67%

Eggs

$3.94 €3.53

$2.28 ฿77.0

72.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.51 €14.79

$16.45 ฿554

0.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.10 €10.84

$2.78 ฿93.8

335.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.81 €20.44

$9.31 ฿314

145.01%

Apples (1kg)

$2.80 €2.51

$2.35 ฿79.3

19.15%

Banana (1kg)

$2.37 €2.12

$0.97 ฿32.75

144.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.60 €2.33

$1.60 ฿53.8

62.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.85 €2.55

$1.50 ฿50.6

90.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 €1.96

$1.28 ฿43.06

70.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.10 ฿37.14

68.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 €1.21

$0.71 ฿23.79

90.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.99

$0.49 ฿16.34

124.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.33 €11.94

$4.14 ฿140

221.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.64 €7.74

$17.52 ฿590

-50.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.78

$1.61 ฿54.4

23.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.30 €2.06

$2.78 ฿93.8

-17.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.03 €2.72

$0.87 ฿29.27

248.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$56.3 €50.4

$54.1 ฿1,823

3.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.45 €4.88

$1.16 ฿39.00

369.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.75 €2.47

$0.53 ฿17.78

418.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$45.23 €40.53

$2.42 ฿81.6

1769.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.10 €1.89

$1.45 ฿48.82

44.83%

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

$35.5K €31.8K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

68.58%

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

$36.4K €32.6K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

35.08%

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

$220 €197

$62.2 ฿2,095

254.25%

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

$20.70 €18.55

$12.17 ฿410

70.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.54 €42.60

$20.12 ฿678

136.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.18 €36.90

$37.31 ฿1,257

10.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.40 €18.28

$3.77 ฿127

441.11%

Cinema Ticket

$15.81 €14.17

$6.49 ฿219

143.61%

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

$569 €510

$736 ฿24.8K

-22.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.6K €19.3K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

45.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$114 €102

$53.4 ฿1,799

112.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.83 €42.86

$24.64 ฿830

94.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$107 €95.5

$91.5 ฿3,083

16.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 €133

$71.9 ฿2,424

106.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$931 €834

$482 ฿16.3K

93.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$813 €729

$309 ฿10.4K

163.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,379 €1,236

$1,006 ฿33.9K

37.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,145 €1,026

$633 ฿21.3K

80.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,305 €3,857

$2,363 ฿79.6K

82.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,739 €2,454

$1,589 ฿53.6K

72.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,361 €2,115

$590 ฿19.9K

300.31%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

5.57

-37.16%

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

Last update for Mortsel: 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

Mortsel

$813 37.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 62% $504

Groceries & Markets

Mortsel

$359 16.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 34.7% $125

Eating Out

Mortsel

$337 15.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 77% $260

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mortsel

$288 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 67.3% $194

Clothing & Footwear

Mortsel

$187 8.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 42.1% $79

Getting Around

Mortsel

$88 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 30% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Mortsel

$73 3.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 30.9% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $931 in Mortsel 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 Mortsel are about 4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $96 in Mortsel versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $359 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Mortsel

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:56 2:56 AM

08:56 8:56 AM

6 h ahead of Mortsel

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,525

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Mortsel Chiang Mai 8,700 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Mortsel
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

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

Mortsel costs about 129% 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 $3,218 per month in Mortsel 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 $931 in Mortsel.

Kindergarten costs $569 per month in Mortsel 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 53% more in Mortsel, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,145 in Mortsel and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $2,145 in Mortsel. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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