Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Vilvoorde and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $2,162 in Vilvoorde, rent and utilities included – about $14,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Vilvoorde
🇧🇪 Belgium
$2,162
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$938
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,162 per month in Vilvoorde vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Vilvoorde $2,162
  • Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,121 per month in Vilvoorde vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Vilvoorde $3,121
  • Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $4,081 per month in Vilvoorde vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Vilvoorde $4,081
  • Chiang Mai $1,914

Vilvoorde costs about 130% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Vilvoorde sits 60% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Vilvoorde
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$22.03 €19.59
$2.26 ฿75.4
874.78%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$76.6 €68.1
$19.18 ฿641
299.43%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.04 €9.82
$5.59 ฿187
97.50%
Cappuccino
$4.31 €3.83
$1.72 ฿57.6
150.58%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.96 €2.63
$0.64 ฿21.54
362.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.91 €2.59
$0.33 ฿11.18
781.82%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$5.27 €4.69
$2.36 ฿78.7
123.31%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.54 €4.04
$3.90 ฿130
16.41%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Vilvoorde
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.15 €1.02
$2.05 ฿68.6
-43.90%
White Bread (500g)
$2.81 €2.50
$1.40 ฿46.70
100.71%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.07 €1.84
$1.28 ฿42.89
61.72%
Eggs
$3.86 €3.43
$2.25 ฿75.3
71.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$11.33 €10.08
$16.94 ฿566
-33.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$12.43 €11.06
$2.74 ฿91.6
353.65%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.28 €17.15
$9.36 ฿313
105.98%
Apples (1kg)
$2.71 €2.41
$2.40 ฿80.3
12.92%
Banana (1kg)
$2.19 €1.95
$1.01 ฿33.92
116.83%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.13 €1.90
$1.61 ฿53.9
32.30%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.31 €2.05
$1.52 ฿50.7
51.97%
Potato (1kg)
$2.18 €1.94
$1.28 ฿42.90
70.31%
Onion (1kg)
$1.71 €1.52
$1.11 ฿37.22
54.05%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.38 €1.23
$0.72 ฿24.09
91.67%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.92 €0.82
$0.52 ฿17.54
76.92%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$13.17 €11.71
$4.33 ฿145
204.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.99 €8.00
$17.73 ฿593
-49.29%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.96 €1.75
$1.63 ฿54.4
20.25%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.84 €1.63
$2.85 ฿95.3
-35.44%
🚌 Getting Around
Vilvoorde
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$4.88 €4.34
$0.85 ฿28.31
474.12%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$55.2 €49.05
$53.9 ฿1,801
2.32%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$10.13 €9.01
$1.17 ฿39.18
765.81%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.42 €2.15
$0.57 ฿19.00
324.56%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$24.73 €22.00
$2.37 ฿79.2
943.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.05 €1.82
$1.45 ฿48.32
41.38%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.3K €31.4K
$20.5K ฿684.3K
72.61%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$33.1K €29.4K
$26.5K ฿886.1K
24.84%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Vilvoorde
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$219 €195
$62.3 ฿2,083
250.92%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$18.08 €16.09
$12.27 ฿410
47.35%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$53.7 €47.80
$19.97 ฿668
169.10%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Vilvoorde
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$36.17 €32.17
$37.91 ฿1,267
-4.59%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$19.47 €17.32
$3.76 ฿126
417.82%
Cinema Ticket
$15.52 €13.81
$6.71 ฿224
131.30%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Vilvoorde
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$565 €502
$797 ฿26.6K
-29.18%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.1K €14.3K
$14.8K ฿495.7K
8.62%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Vilvoorde
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$110 €97.5
$53.3 ฿1,780
105.80%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.13 €23.25
$25.05 ฿837
4.31%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$107 €95.6
$91.6 ฿3,062
17.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$151 €134
$73.5 ฿2,455
104.87%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Vilvoorde
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$949 €844
$464 ฿15.5K
104.58%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$888 €790
$305 ฿10.2K
191.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,347 €1,198
$915 ฿30.6K
47.14%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,231 €1,095
$552 ฿18.5K
122.93%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,446 €3,955
$1,912 ฿63.9K
132.53%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,069 €2,730
$1,438 ฿48.1K
113.40%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Vilvoorde
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$3,716 €3,305
$595 ฿19.9K
524.30%
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 Vilvoorde: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Vilvoorde
$888
Chiang Mai
$305 65.7% $583
Groceries & Markets
Vilvoorde
$322
Chiang Mai
$238 26.1% $84
Eating Out
Vilvoorde
$320
Chiang Mai
$79 75.3% $241
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Vilvoorde
$291
Chiang Mai
$95 67.4% $196
Clothing & Footwear
Vilvoorde
$177
Chiang Mai
$110 38.2% $68
Getting Around
Vilvoorde
$97
Chiang Mai
$61 36.7% $36
Sport & Entertainment
Vilvoorde
$67
Chiang Mai
$51 23.6% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $949 in Vilvoorde 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 524% higher in Vilvoorde, 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 $77.0 in Vilvoorde versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $322 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇧🇪 Vilvoorde
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
05:30 5:30 AM
10:30 10:30 AM
5 h ahead of Vilvoorde
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
40,558
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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Vilvoorde Chiang Mai 8,710 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Vilvoorde
  • 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
Vilvoorde vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Vilvoorde or Chiang Mai?
Vilvoorde costs about 130% 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 Vilvoorde and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,242 per month in Vilvoorde 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, Vilvoorde 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 childcare costs compare in Vilvoorde and in Chiang Mai?
Kindergarten costs $565 per month in Vilvoorde and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Vilvoorde or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 35% more in Vilvoorde, 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 Vilvoorde or in Chiang Mai?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Vilvoorde at $2,162. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Vilvoorde it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Vilvoorde or Chiang Mai?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $2,162 in Vilvoorde. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Vilvoorde 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 Vilvoorde or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Vilvoorde makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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