Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alba and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,640 in Alba, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Alba
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Alba Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Alba

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,640

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,640 per month in Alba vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Alba $1,640
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,569 per month in Alba vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Alba $2,569
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,498 per month in Alba vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Alba $3,498
Chiang Mai $1,979

Alba costs about 75% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Alba sits 20% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.40 €20.06

$2.24 ฿75.6

900.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.7 €81.2

$19.00 ฿641

377.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.17 €11.80

$5.55 ฿187

137.30%

Cappuccino

$2.08 €1.86

$1.67 ฿56.5

24.55%

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

$3.77 €3.38

$0.64 ฿21.54

489.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 €1.68

$0.31 ฿10.31

503.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.64 €5.05

$2.36 ฿79.5

138.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.87 €6.15

$3.66 ฿124

87.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.52

$1.95 ฿65.7

-13.33%

White Bread (500g)

$3.22 €2.88

$1.44 ฿48.46

123.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.68 €3.30

$1.33 ฿45.03

176.69%

Eggs

$4.88 €4.37

$2.28 ฿77.1

114.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.81 €20.43

$16.45 ฿555

38.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.73 €13.19

$2.78 ฿93.9

429.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.87 €20.49

$9.31 ฿314

145.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 €2.64

$2.35 ฿79.4

25.11%

Banana (1kg)

$2.34 €2.09

$0.97 ฿32.79

141.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.29 €2.94

$1.60 ฿53.9

105.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.22 €3.78

$1.50 ฿50.6

181.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.35 €2.10

$1.28 ฿43.11

83.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.99 €1.78

$1.10 ฿37.18

80.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.81 €1.62

$0.71 ฿23.82

154.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 €0.55

$0.49 ฿16.36

24.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.56 €5.87

$4.14 ฿140

58.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.46 €8.47

$17.52 ฿591

-46.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.61 ฿54.5

25.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 €2.15

$2.78 ฿93.9

-13.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.84 €7.02

$1.16 ฿39.04

575.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.27 €2.04

$0.53 ฿17.80

328.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$65.3 €58.5

$2.42 ฿81.7

2599.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.45 ฿48.88

44.14%

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

$36.4K €32.6K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

72.85%

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

$38.0K €34.0K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

40.95%

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

$254 €228

$62.2 ฿2,098

309.20%

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

$8.00 €7.17

$12.17 ฿411

-34.26%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.01 €25.98

$20.12 ฿679

44.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$11.35 €10.16

$6.49 ฿219

74.88%

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

$927 €830

$736 ฿24.8K

25.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.9K €16.9K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

27.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$102 €91.4

$53.4 ฿1,801

91.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$50.6 €45.28

$24.64 ฿831

105.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 €105

$91.5 ฿3,087

28.14%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$168 €151

$71.9 ฿2,427

133.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$548 €490

$482 ฿16.3K

13.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$385 €345

$309 ฿10.4K

24.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$719 €644

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-28.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$615 €551

$633 ฿21.4K

-2.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,013 €2,698

$2,363 ฿79.7K

27.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,622 €2,348

$590 ฿19.9K

344.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.18

5.57

-42.91%

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

Last update for Alba: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Alba

$416 25.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 43.7% $182

Accommodation & Living

Alba

$385 23.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 19.7% $76

Eating Out

Alba

$308 18.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 74.8% $231

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alba

$291 17.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 67.6% $197

Clothing & Footwear

Alba

$197 12%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 44.9% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Alba

$23 * 1.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 122% $28

Getting Around

Alba

$19 * 1.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 219% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $548 in Alba 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 Alba are about 4.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91 in Alba versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $416 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Alba

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:35 3:35 PM

21:35 9:35 PM

6 h ahead of Alba

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

29,910

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Alba Chiang Mai 8,620 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Alba
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

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

Yes – Alba is pricier by about 75%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,460 per month in Alba 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 $548 in Alba.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91 in Alba and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 78% more in Alba, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,640 in Alba and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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, Alba makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.