Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sint-Truiden and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,134 in Sint-Truiden, rent and utilities included – about $14,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

102

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

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Sint-Truiden

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,134

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,134 per month in Sint-Truiden vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sint-Truiden $2,134
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,121 per month in Sint-Truiden vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sint-Truiden $3,121
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,107 per month in Sint-Truiden vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sint-Truiden $4,107
Chiang Mai $1,979

Sint-Truiden costs about 128% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Sint-Truiden sits 57% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.48 €20.19

$2.24 ฿75.7

903.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.6 €76.9

$19.00 ฿642

350.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.23 €11.88

$5.55 ฿188

138.38%

Cappuccino

$4.27 €3.84

$1.67 ฿56.6

155.69%

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

$3.02 €2.71

$0.64 ฿21.56

371.87%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 €2.62

$0.31 ฿10.32

838.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.45 €4.89

$2.36 ฿79.6

130.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.40 €3.95

$3.66 ฿124

20.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.08 €0.97

$1.95 ฿65.8

-44.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.74 €1.57

$1.44 ฿48.51

20.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 €1.93

$1.33 ฿45.07

61.65%

Eggs

$4.26 €3.83

$2.28 ฿77.1

86.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.77 €14.16

$16.45 ฿556

-4.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.80 €10.60

$2.78 ฿94.0

324.46%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.42 €19.24

$9.31 ฿314

130.08%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 €2.72

$2.35 ฿79.5

28.94%

Banana (1kg)

$2.52 €2.27

$0.97 ฿32.82

159.79%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.54 €2.28

$1.60 ฿53.9

58.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.98 €3.58

$1.50 ฿50.7

165.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 €1.96

$1.28 ฿43.15

70.31%

Onion (1kg)

$1.73 €1.56

$1.10 ฿37.22

57.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.52 €1.36

$0.71 ฿23.84

114.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.49 ฿16.38

110.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.11 €11.78

$4.14 ฿140

216.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.17 €7.34

$17.52 ฿592

-53.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 €1.79

$1.61 ฿54.5

23.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.00 €1.79

$2.78 ฿94.0

-28.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.07 €2.75

$0.87 ฿29.33

252.87%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.9 €55.6

$54.1 ฿1,827

14.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.25 €5.61

$1.16 ฿39.08

438.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.90 €2.60

$0.53 ฿17.82

447.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$27.41 €24.62

$2.42 ฿81.8

1032.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.29 €2.06

$1.45 ฿48.93

57.93%

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

$35.4K €31.8K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

68.15%

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

$35.9K €32.2K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

33.09%

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

$213 €192

$62.2 ฿2,100

243.01%

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

$21.06 €18.91

$12.17 ฿411

73.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$67.7 €60.8

$20.12 ฿680

236.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.09 €32.42

$37.31 ฿1,260

-3.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.83 €16.01

$3.77 ฿127

372.94%

Cinema Ticket

$14.36 €12.90

$6.49 ฿219

121.26%

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

$728 €654

$736 ฿24.9K

-1.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K €15.0K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

13.30%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100.0 €89.8

$53.4 ฿1,802

87.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.18 €43.28

$24.64 ฿832

95.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.3

$91.5 ฿3,089

12.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$144 €129

$71.9 ฿2,429

99.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$923 €829

$482 ฿16.3K

91.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$820 €737

$309 ฿10.4K

165.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,417 €1,273

$1,006 ฿34.0K

40.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,135 €1,020

$633 ฿21.4K

79.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,358 €3,915

$2,363 ฿79.8K

84.41%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,214 €2,887

$1,589 ฿53.7K

102.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.53

5.57

-36.62%

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

Last update for Sint-Truiden: 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

Sint-Truiden

$820 38.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 62.3% $512

Groceries & Markets

Sint-Truiden

$344 16.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 31.8% $109

Eating Out

Sint-Truiden

$331 15.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 76.5% $253

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sint-Truiden

$302 14.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 68.7% $208

Clothing & Footwear

Sint-Truiden

$178 8.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 38.8% $69

Getting Around

Sint-Truiden

$95 4.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 35.3% $34

Sport & Entertainment

Sint-Truiden

$65 3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 22.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $923 in Sint-Truiden 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $86 in Sint-Truiden versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $344 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Sint-Truiden

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:01 10:01 AM

16:01 4:01 PM

6 h ahead of Sint-Truiden

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

40,357

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Sint-Truiden Chiang Mai 8,660 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Sint-Truiden costs about 128% 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 $3,201 per month in Sint-Truiden 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 $923 in Sint-Truiden.

Kindergarten costs $728 per month in Sint-Truiden 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 47% more in Sint-Truiden, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,134 in Sint-Truiden 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 $2,134 in Sint-Truiden. 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.

For expats, Chiang Mai is the easier option financially – housing and daily costs are lower, and overall it costs about 56% less, which matters a lot on a fixed budget or early-career salary.