Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tervuren and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,015 in Tervuren, rent and utilities included – about $12,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Tervuren
🇧🇪 Belgium
$2,015
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$938
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,015 per month in Tervuren vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Tervuren $2,015
  • Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,954 per month in Tervuren vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Tervuren $2,954
  • Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,893 per month in Tervuren vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Tervuren $3,893
  • Chiang Mai $1,914

Tervuren costs about 115% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Tervuren sits 49% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Tervuren
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.06 €19.69
$2.26 ฿75.6
876.11%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$79.5 €70.9
$19.18 ฿643
314.39%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.20 €10.00
$5.59 ฿188
100.36%
Cappuccino
$4.37 €3.90
$1.72 ฿57.8
154.07%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.97 €2.65
$0.64 ฿21.61
364.06%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.86 €2.55
$0.33 ฿11.22
766.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.18 €4.62
$2.36 ฿79.0
119.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.41 €3.93
$3.90 ฿131
13.08%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Tervuren
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 €1.22
$2.05 ฿68.9
-33.17%
White Bread (500g)
$2.82 €2.52
$1.40 ฿46.86
101.43%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.06 €1.84
$1.28 ฿43.03
60.94%
Eggs
$3.73 €3.33
$2.25 ฿75.5
65.78%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.72 €10.46
$16.94 ฿568
-30.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.31 €10.99
$2.74 ฿91.9
349.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$18.85 €16.83
$9.36 ฿314
101.39%
Apples (1kg)
$2.68 €2.39
$2.40 ฿80.6
11.67%
Banana (1kg)
$2.11 €1.88
$1.01 ฿34.03
108.91%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.22 €1.98
$1.61 ฿54.1
37.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.22 €1.98
$1.52 ฿50.9
46.05%
Potato (1kg)
$2.20 €1.96
$1.28 ฿43.04
71.88%
Onion (1kg)
$1.68 €1.50
$1.11 ฿37.34
51.35%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.37 €1.22
$0.72 ฿24.17
90.28%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.88 €0.78
$0.52 ฿17.60
69.23%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.33 €11.90
$4.33 ฿145
207.85%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.39 €6.60
$17.73 ฿595
-58.32%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.95 €1.74
$1.63 ฿54.6
19.63%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.84 €1.65
$2.85 ฿95.7
-35.44%
🚌 Getting Around
Tervuren
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$3.11 €2.77
$0.85 ฿28.40
265.88%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$53.9 ฿1,807
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$9.91 €8.84
$1.17 ฿39.31
747.01%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.52 €2.25
$0.57 ฿19.06
342.11%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$24.77 €22.11
$2.37 ฿79.4
945.15%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.08 €1.86
$1.45 ฿48.48
43.45%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.7K €31.8K
$20.5K ฿686.5K
74.26%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$32.9K €29.4K
$26.5K ฿889.0K
24.17%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tervuren
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$211 €188
$62.3 ฿2,090
238.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$17.96 €16.03
$12.27 ฿411
46.37%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$52.2 €46.54
$19.97 ฿670
161.14%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Tervuren
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.34 €32.43
$37.91 ฿1,271
-4.14%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$17.86 €15.94
$3.76 ฿126
375.00%
Cinema Ticket
$14.47 €12.92
$6.71 ฿225
115.65%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Tervuren
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$559 €499
$797 ฿26.7K
-29.85%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.3K €14.6K
$14.8K ฿497.3K
10.18%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Tervuren
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$96.4 €86.0
$53.3 ฿1,786
81.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.42 €23.58
$25.05 ฿840
5.47%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$108 €96.0
$91.6 ฿3,072
17.37%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$146 €131
$73.5 ฿2,463
99.25%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Tervuren
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$927 €827
$464 ฿15.6K
99.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$825 €736
$305 ฿10.2K
170.71%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,382 €1,233
$915 ฿30.7K
50.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,193 €1,065
$552 ฿18.5K
115.95%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,137 €3,692
$1,912 ฿64.1K
116.38%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,859 €2,552
$1,438 ฿48.2K
98.80%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Tervuren
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$595 ฿20.0K
-
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 Tervuren: 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
Tervuren
$825
Chiang Mai
$305 63.1% $520
Eating Out
Tervuren
$321
Chiang Mai
$79 75.4% $242
Groceries & Markets
Tervuren
$319
Chiang Mai
$238 25.3% $81
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Tervuren
$281
Chiang Mai
$95 66.3% $186
Clothing & Footwear
Tervuren
$170
Chiang Mai
$110 35.4% $60
Sport & Entertainment
Tervuren
$65
Chiang Mai
$51 21.4% $14
Getting Around
Tervuren
$35 *
Chiang Mai
$61 75.6% $26

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $927 in Tervuren 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $79.0 in Tervuren versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $319 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇧🇪 Tervuren
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
08:50 8:50 AM
13:50 1:50 PM
5 h ahead of Tervuren
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
20,816
127,240
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 14, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Tervuren Chiang Mai 8,700 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Tervuren
  • 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
Tervuren vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Tervuren or Chiang Mai?
Tervuren costs about 115% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Tervuren and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,022 per month in Tervuren and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Tervuren or Chiang Mai?
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.
How do dining costs compare in Tervuren and in Chiang Mai?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $79.0 in Tervuren and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Tervuren or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 34% more in Tervuren, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Tervuren or in Chiang Mai?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Tervuren at $2,015. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Tervuren it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Tervuren or Chiang Mai?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,015 in Tervuren. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Tervuren compared to Chiang Mai?
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.
Should I move to Tervuren or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tervuren makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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