Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ostend and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,840 in Ostend, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Ostend
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Ostend Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ostend

🇧🇪 Belgium

$1,840

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,840 per month in Ostend vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ostend $1,840
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,725 per month in Ostend vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ostend $2,725
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,611 per month in Ostend vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ostend $3,611
Chiang Mai $1,979

Ostend costs about 97% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ostend sits 35% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.11 €19.80

$2.24 ฿75.6

887.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.6 €69.5

$19.00 ฿641

308.32%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.50 €12.09

$5.55 ฿187

143.24%

Cappuccino

$4.20 €3.76

$1.67 ฿56.5

151.50%

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

$2.91 €2.60

$0.64 ฿21.54

354.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 €2.34

$0.31 ฿10.31

741.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.54 €4.06

$2.36 ฿79.5

92.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.36 €3.90

$3.66 ฿124

19.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 €1.06

$1.95 ฿65.7

-38.97%

White Bread (500g)

$2.69 €2.41

$1.44 ฿48.46

86.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 €1.79

$1.33 ฿45.03

50.38%

Eggs

$3.88 €3.47

$2.28 ฿77.1

70.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.65 €10.44

$16.45 ฿555

-29.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.86 €10.62

$2.78 ฿93.9

326.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.65 €12.22

$9.31 ฿314

46.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.70 €2.42

$2.35 ฿79.4

14.89%

Banana (1kg)

$2.06 €1.84

$0.97 ฿32.79

112.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.16 €1.93

$1.60 ฿53.9

35.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.22 €1.99

$1.50 ฿50.6

48.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.77 €1.58

$1.28 ฿43.11

38.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.68 €1.51

$1.10 ฿37.18

52.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.24 €1.11

$0.71 ฿23.82

74.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 €0.85

$0.49 ฿16.36

93.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.11 €9.05

$4.14 ฿140

144.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.65 €5.96

$17.52 ฿591

-62.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.78

$1.61 ฿54.5

23.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.67

$2.78 ฿93.9

-32.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.30 €2.96

$0.87 ฿29.30

279.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.48 €35.35

$54.1 ฿1,825

-27.01%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 €3.08

$1.16 ฿39.04

196.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.18 €1.95

$0.53 ฿17.80

311.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.61 €22.93

$2.42 ฿81.7

958.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.95 €1.74

$1.45 ฿48.88

34.48%

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

$35.2K €31.6K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

67.38%

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

$31.3K €28.0K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

16.10%

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

$178 €159

$62.2 ฿2,098

186.34%

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

$18.03 €16.14

$12.17 ฿411

48.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.6 €48.04

$20.12 ฿679

166.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.64 €32.82

$37.31 ฿1,259

-1.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.33 €10.15

$3.77 ฿127

200.53%

Cinema Ticket

$14.59 €13.06

$6.49 ฿219

124.81%

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

$379 €339

$736 ฿24.8K

-48.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K €14.7K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

10.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.0 €88.7

$53.4 ฿1,801

85.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.65 €22.97

$24.64 ฿831

4.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.0 €79.7

$91.5 ฿3,087

-2.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$121 €109

$71.9 ฿2,427

68.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$800 €716

$482 ฿16.3K

65.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$690 €618

$309 ฿10.4K

123.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,250 €1,120

$1,006 ฿33.9K

24.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$992 €888

$633 ฿21.4K

56.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,798 €3,402

$2,363 ฿79.7K

60.73%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,973 €1,767

$1,589 ฿53.6K

24.17%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,053 €2,734

$590 ฿19.9K

417.74%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.33

5.57

-40.22%

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

Last update for Ostend: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ostend

$690 37.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 55.2% $381

Eating Out

Ostend

$321 17.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 75.8% $244

Groceries & Markets

Ostend

$295 16%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 20.6% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ostend

$250 13.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 62.2% $155

Clothing & Footwear

Ostend

$151 8.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 27.9% $42

Getting Around

Ostend

$67 3.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 8.4% $5.7

Sport & Entertainment

Ostend

$66 3.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 23.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $800 in Ostend 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 Ostend are about 5.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Ostend versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $295 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Ostend

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:17 10:17 PM

04:17 4:17 AM

6 h ahead of Ostend

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

70,600

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

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Between locations

Ostend Chiang Mai 8,800 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Ostend
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

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

Ostend costs about 97% 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 $2,759 per month in Ostend 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 $800 in Ostend.

Kindergarten costs $379 per month in Ostend 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 26% more in Ostend, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,840 in Ostend 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 $1,840 in Ostend. 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, Ostend makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.