Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sint-Niklaas and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,030 in Sint-Niklaas, rent and utilities included – about $13,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Sint-Niklaas
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Sint-Niklaas Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Sint-Niklaas

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,030

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,030 per month in Sint-Niklaas vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sint-Niklaas $2,030
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,932 per month in Sint-Niklaas vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sint-Niklaas $2,932
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,833 per month in Sint-Niklaas vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sint-Niklaas $3,833
Chiang Mai $1,914

Sint-Niklaas costs about 116% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sint-Niklaas sits 50% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.05 €19.62

$2.26 ฿75.4

875.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.5 €69.8

$19.18 ฿641

309.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.45 €11.96

$5.59 ฿187

140.61%

Cappuccino

$4.24 €3.78

$1.72 ฿57.6

146.51%

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

$2.95 €2.63

$0.64 ฿21.54

360.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.83 €2.52

$0.33 ฿11.18

757.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.28 €4.69

$2.36 ฿78.7

123.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 €3.89

$3.90 ฿130

12.31%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.32 €1.17

$2.05 ฿68.6

-35.61%

White Bread (500g)

$2.81 €2.50

$1.40 ฿46.70

100.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.00 €1.78

$1.28 ฿42.89

56.25%

Eggs

$3.77 €3.35

$2.25 ฿75.3

67.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.64 €10.35

$16.94 ฿566

-31.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.68 €10.39

$2.74 ฿91.6

326.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.86 €16.77

$9.36 ฿313

101.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 €2.41

$2.40 ฿80.3

12.92%

Banana (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.01 ฿33.92

118.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.22 €1.97

$1.61 ฿53.9

37.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.21 €1.97

$1.52 ฿50.7

45.39%

Potato (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.28 ฿42.90

75.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.68 €1.50

$1.11 ฿37.22

51.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.53 €1.36

$0.72 ฿24.09

112.50%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 €0.79

$0.52 ฿17.54

71.15%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.18 €11.73

$4.33 ฿145

204.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.36 €6.54

$17.73 ฿593

-58.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.63 ฿54.4

6.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.85 €1.64

$2.85 ฿95.3

-35.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.76 €2.46

$0.85 ฿28.31

224.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.48 €4.88

$1.17 ฿39.18

368.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.43 €2.17

$0.57 ฿19.00

326.32%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$25.42 €22.61

$2.37 ฿79.2

972.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.45 ฿48.32

42.07%

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

$36.0K €32.0K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

75.72%

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

$32.9K €29.2K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

23.90%

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

$209 €186

$62.3 ฿2,083

235.54%

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

$21.83 €19.42

$12.27 ฿410

77.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$47.64 €42.38

$19.97 ฿668

138.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.42 €31.51

$37.91 ฿1,267

-6.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$14.64 €13.03

$6.71 ฿224

118.18%

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

$713 €635

$797 ฿26.6K

-10.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.4K €14.6K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

10.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €97.1

$53.3 ฿1,780

104.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.6 €46.81

$25.05 ฿837

110.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.0

$91.6 ฿3,062

12.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$165 €147

$73.5 ฿2,455

124.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$965 €859

$464 ฿15.5K

107.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$824 €733

$305 ฿10.2K

170.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,392 €1,238

$915 ฿30.6K

52.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,114 €991

$552 ฿18.5K

101.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,320 €2,953

$1,912 ฿63.9K

73.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,826 €2,513

$1,438 ฿48.1K

96.45%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,789 €4,260

$595 ฿19.9K

704.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.46

5.57

-37.88%

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

Last update for Sint-Niklaas: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sint-Niklaas

$824 40.6%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 63% $519

Eating Out

Sint-Niklaas

$326 16.1%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 75.8% $247

Groceries & Markets

Sint-Niklaas

$315 15.5%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 24.4% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sint-Niklaas

$279 13.7%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 66.1% $184

Clothing & Footwear

Sint-Niklaas

$194 9.5%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 43.4% $84

Sport & Entertainment

Sint-Niklaas

$65 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 20.7% $13

Getting Around

Sint-Niklaas

$29 * 1.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 114% $33

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $965 in Sint-Niklaas versus $464 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 run about 705% higher in Sint-Niklaas, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78.0 in Sint-Niklaas versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $315 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Sint-Niklaas

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

08:01 8:01 AM

13:01 1:01 PM

5 h ahead of Sint-Niklaas

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

69,010

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Sint-Niklaas Chiang Mai 8,720 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Sint-Niklaas
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

Sint-Niklaas vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sint-Niklaas costs about 116% 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 $3,045 per month in Sint-Niklaas and $1,408 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78.0 in Sint-Niklaas and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 32% more in Sint-Niklaas, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Sint-Niklaas at $2,030. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sint-Niklaas it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,030 in Sint-Niklaas. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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