Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nivelles and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,092 in Nivelles, rent and utilities included – about $13,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

101

Cost of Living Index in Nivelles
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Nivelles Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Nivelles

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,092

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,092 per month in Nivelles vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nivelles $2,092
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,149 per month in Nivelles vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nivelles $3,149
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,206 per month in Nivelles vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nivelles $4,206
Chiang Mai $1,979

Nivelles costs about 124% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Nivelles sits 54% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.72 €20.41

$2.24 ฿75.7

914.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$110 €98.4

$19.00 ฿642

476.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.85 €14.24

$5.55 ฿188

185.59%

Cappuccino

$4.30 €3.86

$1.67 ฿56.6

157.49%

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

$3.52 €3.16

$0.64 ฿21.56

450.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 €2.57

$0.31 ฿10.32

822.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.55 €4.98

$2.36 ฿79.6

135.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.49 €4.94

$3.66 ฿124

50.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 €1.03

$1.95 ฿65.8

-41.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.93 €1.73

$1.44 ฿48.51

34.03%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 €1.94

$1.33 ฿45.07

62.41%

Eggs

$3.93 €3.53

$2.28 ฿77.1

72.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.49 €16.61

$16.45 ฿556

12.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.52 €11.25

$2.78 ฿94.0

350.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.91 €17.89

$9.31 ฿314

113.86%

Apples (1kg)

$2.69 €2.41

$2.35 ฿79.5

14.47%

Banana (1kg)

$2.44 €2.19

$0.97 ฿32.82

151.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.52 €2.26

$1.60 ฿53.9

57.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.80 €2.52

$1.50 ฿50.7

86.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 €1.96

$1.28 ฿43.15

70.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.91 €1.72

$1.10 ฿37.22

73.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.31 €1.18

$0.71 ฿23.84

84.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.99

$0.49 ฿16.38

124.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.15 €11.81

$4.14 ฿140

217.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.90 €6.20

$17.52 ฿592

-60.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.00 €1.80

$1.61 ฿54.5

24.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.44 €2.19

$2.78 ฿94.0

-12.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.36 €3.02

$0.87 ฿29.33

286.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$55.4 €49.75

$54.1 ฿1,827

2.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$11.35 €10.19

$1.16 ฿39.08

878.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.99 €2.69

$0.53 ฿17.82

464.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$52.4 €47.05

$2.42 ฿81.8

2064.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.79 €1.61

$1.45 ฿48.93

23.45%

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

$35.2K €31.6K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

66.92%

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

$35.8K €32.2K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

33.03%

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

$209 €188

$62.2 ฿2,100

236.32%

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

$21.12 €18.97

$12.17 ฿411

73.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.97 €42.20

$20.12 ฿680

133.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.09 €32.42

$37.31 ฿1,260

-3.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.91 €16.98

$3.77 ฿127

401.59%

Cinema Ticket

$16.12 €14.48

$6.49 ฿219

148.38%

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

$564 €507

$736 ฿24.9K

-23.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.2K €19.1K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

43.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.0 €70.9

$53.4 ฿1,802

47.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.05 €18.91

$24.64 ฿832

-14.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$108 €96.9

$91.5 ฿3,089

17.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$151 €135

$71.9 ฿2,429

109.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$934 €839

$482 ฿16.3K

93.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$803 €721

$309 ฿10.4K

159.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,410 €1,267

$1,006 ฿34.0K

40.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,143 €1,027

$633 ฿21.4K

80.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,495 €4,038

$2,363 ฿79.8K

90.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,801 €2,516

$1,589 ฿53.7K

76.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,637 €3,267

$590 ฿19.9K

516.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.2

5.57

-42.55%

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

Last update for Nivelles: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Nivelles

$803 38.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 61.5% $494

Eating Out

Nivelles

$345 16.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 77.5% $268

Groceries & Markets

Nivelles

$343 16.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 31.6% $108

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nivelles

$277 13.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 65.9% $183

Clothing & Footwear

Nivelles

$161 7.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 32.7% $53

Getting Around

Nivelles

$95 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 35.5% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Nivelles

$68 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 26.4% $18

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $934 in Nivelles 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 Nivelles are about 6.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $110 in Nivelles versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $343 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Nivelles

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:04 7:04 PM

01:04 1:04 AM

6 h ahead of Nivelles

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,488

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Nivelles Chiang Mai 8,720 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Nivelles
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

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

Nivelles costs about 124% 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 $3,138 per month in Nivelles 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 $934 in Nivelles.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $110 in Nivelles and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 46% more in Nivelles, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,092 in Nivelles 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 $2,092 in Nivelles. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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