Cost of Living · TH vs IT
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai vs 🇮🇹 Rome: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $706 in Thailand vs $1,489 in Italy — 110.99% more expensive.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Italy
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: 26.56%
- 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle: 27.85%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): 27.89%
Closest to Thailand prices
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: +136.57%
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: +136.57%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: +136.56%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Thailand | Italy | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $428 | $1,014 (937 EUR) | +136.57% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $343 | $811 (749 EUR) | +136.56% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $783 | $1,853 (1,713 EUR) | +136.57% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $5.96 | $11.72 (11 EUR) | +96.64% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $24.83 | $48.83 (45 EUR) | +96.66% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $4.03 | $7.45 (7 EUR) | +84.86% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.49 | $0.81 (1 EUR) | +65.31% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.43 | $2.34 (2 EUR) | +63.64% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.52 | $2.49 (2 EUR) | +63.82% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $4.47 | $7.32 (7 EUR) | +63.76% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $1.79 | $2.93 (3 EUR) | +63.69% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.15 | $3.51 (3 EUR) | +63.26% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $5.37 | $8.78 (8 EUR) | +63.5% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $0.89 | $1.46 (1 EUR) | +64.04% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $1.99 | $3.91 (4 EUR) | +96.48% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $5.35 | $6.84 (6 EUR) | +27.85% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $1.66 | $3.26 (3 EUR) | +96.39% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.03 | $1.68 (2 EUR) | +63.11% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $23.79 | $44.01 (41 EUR) | +84.99% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.01 | $1.86 (2 EUR) | +84.16% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.32 | $2.60 (2 EUR) | +96.97% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.60 | $1.17 (1 EUR) | +95% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.64 | $0.81 (1 EUR) | +26.56% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $73.20 | $135 (125 EUR) | +84.97% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $25.62 | $47.39 (44 EUR) | +84.97% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $16.47 | $30.47 (28 EUR) | +85% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $16.55 | $32.55 (30 EUR) | +96.68% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $4.63 | $9.12 (8 EUR) | +96.98% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $9.93 | $19.53 (18 EUR) | +96.68% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $36.79 | $47.05 (43 EUR) | +27.89% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $60.21 | $77.00 (71 EUR) | +27.89% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $82.75 | $163 (150 EUR) | +96.7% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much more expensive is Italy than Thailand?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $1,489 in Italy versus $706 in Thailand — 110.99% more. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Italy?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $3.91 in Italy (≈ 3.61 EUR), versus about $1.99 in Thailand.
- How much is rent in Italy compared to Thailand?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $1,014/month in Italy versus $428/month in Thailand (+136.57%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.