Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Zottegem and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,108 in Zottegem, rent and utilities included – about $14,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Zottegem
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Zottegem Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Zottegem

🇧🇪 Belgium

$2,108

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,108 per month in Zottegem vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zottegem $2,108
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,062 per month in Zottegem vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zottegem $3,062
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,015 per month in Zottegem vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Zottegem $4,015
Chiang Mai $1,979

Zottegem costs about 125% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Zottegem sits 55% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$24.12 €21.67

$2.24 ฿75.7

976.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.2 €65.8

$19.00 ฿642

285.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.42 €11.16

$5.55 ฿188

123.78%

Cappuccino

$3.90 €3.50

$1.67 ฿56.6

133.53%

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

$2.45 €2.20

$0.64 ฿21.56

282.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 €2.61

$0.31 ฿10.32

835.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.88 €4.39

$2.36 ฿79.6

106.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.45 €3.99

$3.66 ฿124

21.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 €1.32

$1.95 ฿65.8

-24.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 €1.30

$1.44 ฿48.51

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.16 €1.94

$1.33 ฿45.07

62.41%

Eggs

$4.38 €3.93

$2.28 ฿77.1

92.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.53 €13.95

$16.45 ฿556

-5.59%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.02 €10.80

$2.78 ฿94.0

332.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.00 €17.07

$9.31 ฿314

104.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.74 €2.46

$2.35 ฿79.5

16.60%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 €1.97

$0.97 ฿32.82

126.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.50 €2.24

$1.60 ฿53.9

56.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.81 €2.52

$1.50 ฿50.7

87.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 €1.62

$1.28 ฿43.15

41.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.79 €1.61

$1.10 ฿37.22

62.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 €1.33

$0.71 ฿23.84

108.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 €0.99

$0.49 ฿16.38

124.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.21 €11.87

$4.14 ฿140

219.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.37 €7.52

$17.52 ฿592

-52.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.92 €1.73

$1.61 ฿54.5

19.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.98 €1.78

$2.78 ฿94.0

-28.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.12 €2.80

$0.87 ฿29.33

258.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.8 €53.7

$54.1 ฿1,827

10.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.65 €5.08

$1.16 ฿39.08

387.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.47 €2.22

$0.53 ฿17.82

366.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$29.96 €26.91

$2.42 ฿81.8

1138.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.01 €1.81

$1.45 ฿48.93

38.62%

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

$35.2K €31.6K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

67.25%

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

$36.2K €32.5K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

34.28%

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

$211 €189

$62.2 ฿2,100

239.05%

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

$21.20 €19.04

$12.17 ฿411

74.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.9 €45.72

$20.12 ฿680

152.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.91 €33.15

$37.31 ฿1,260

-1.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.22 €17.27

$3.77 ฿127

409.81%

Cinema Ticket

$14.51 €13.03

$6.49 ฿219

123.57%

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

$709 €637

$736 ฿24.9K

-3.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K €16.9K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

27.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$104 €93.1

$53.4 ฿1,802

94.15%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$47.43 €42.61

$24.64 ฿832

92.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.7

$91.5 ฿3,089

12.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$143 €129

$71.9 ฿2,429

99.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$914 €821

$482 ฿16.3K

89.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$830 €746

$309 ฿10.4K

168.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,382 €1,242

$1,006 ฿34.0K

37.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,156 €1,038

$633 ฿21.4K

82.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,083 €3,668

$2,363 ฿79.8K

72.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,866 €2,575

$1,589 ฿53.7K

80.37%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,149 €1,930

$590 ฿19.9K

264.39%

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 Zottegem: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Zottegem

$830 39.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 62.8% $521

Eating Out

Zottegem

$332 15.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 76.6% $254

Groceries & Markets

Zottegem

$328 15.6%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 28.6% $94

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Zottegem

$283 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 66.6% $188

Clothing & Footwear

Zottegem

$179 8.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 39.3% $70

Getting Around

Zottegem

$90 4.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 32% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Zottegem

$66 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 23.7% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $914 in Zottegem 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 Zottegem are about 3.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $73 in Zottegem versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $328 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇪 Zottegem

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:38 9:38 PM

03:38 3:38 AM

6 h ahead of Zottegem

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,434

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Zottegem Chiang Mai 8,750 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Zottegem
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

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

Zottegem costs about 125% 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 $3,162 per month in Zottegem 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 $914 in Zottegem.

Kindergarten costs $709 per month in Zottegem 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 40% more in Zottegem, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,108 in Zottegem 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 $2,108 in Zottegem. 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, Zottegem makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.