Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brescia and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,176 in Brescia, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

105

Cost of Living Index in Brescia
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Brescia Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Brescia

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,176

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,176 in Brescia versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Brescia $2,176
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,345 in Brescia versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Brescia $3,345
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,513 in Brescia versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Brescia $4,513
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Brescia is roughly 133% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Brescia is 60% above, Chiang Mai is 31% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.50 €20.16

$2.24 ฿75.6

904.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.4 €75.6

$19.00 ฿641

343.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.15 €12.68

$5.55 ฿187

154.95%

Cappuccino

$2.54 €2.28

$1.67 ฿56.5

52.10%

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

$3.38 €3.03

$0.64 ฿21.55

428.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.46

$0.31 ฿10.31

425.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.89 €6.17

$2.36 ฿79.6

191.95%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.59 €5.90

$3.66 ฿124

80.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 €1.75

$1.95 ฿65.8

White Bread (500g)

$3.30 €2.96

$1.44 ฿48.48

129.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 €2.92

$1.33 ฿45.04

145.11%

Eggs

$4.34 €3.89

$2.28 ฿77.1

90.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$23.33 €20.90

$16.45 ฿555

41.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.73 €11.41

$2.78 ฿93.9

357.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$23.61 €21.16

$9.31 ฿314

153.60%

Apples (1kg)

$2.79 €2.50

$2.35 ฿79.4

18.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.97 ฿32.80

140.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.53 €2.27

$1.60 ฿53.9

58.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.71 €3.33

$1.50 ฿50.6

147.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.24 €2.01

$1.28 ฿43.12

75.00%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 €1.85

$1.10 ฿37.19

87.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.73 €1.55

$0.71 ฿23.82

143.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.62 €0.56

$0.49 ฿16.37

26.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.70 €6.00

$4.14 ฿140

61.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.02 €8.08

$17.52 ฿591

-48.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.43 €2.18

$1.61 ฿54.5

50.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.37 €2.12

$2.78 ฿94.0

-14.75%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.93 €1.73

$0.87 ฿29.31

121.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.51 €38.99

$54.1 ฿1,826

-19.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.76 €8.74

$1.16 ฿39.06

741.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 €1.46

$0.53 ฿17.80

207.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.31 €28.06

$2.42 ฿81.8

1193.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.07 €1.86

$1.45 ฿48.90

42.76%

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

$36.3K €32.6K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

72.56%

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

$38.8K €34.7K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

43.84%

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

$324 €290

$62.2 ฿2,098

421.14%

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

$14.22 €12.74

$12.17 ฿411

16.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.29 €27.15

$20.12 ฿679

50.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.07 €35.90

$37.31 ฿1,259

7.40%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$26.48 €23.73

$3.77 ฿127

602.39%

Cinema Ticket

$15.73 €14.09

$6.49 ฿219

142.37%

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

$897 €804

$736 ฿24.8K

21.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.1K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

14.14%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$120 €108

$53.4 ฿1,801

125.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.52 €40.79

$24.64 ฿831

84.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 €101

$91.5 ฿3,087

22.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 €146

$71.9 ฿2,428

126.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$937 €840

$482 ฿16.3K

94.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$744 €666

$309 ฿10.4K

140.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,887 €1,691

$1,006 ฿33.9K

87.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,356 €1,215

$633 ฿21.4K

114.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,301 €2,958

$2,363 ฿79.8K

39.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,224 €1,993

$1,589 ฿53.6K

39.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,966 €1,762

$590 ฿19.9K

233.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.47

5.57

-37.70%

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

Last update for Brescia: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brescia

$744 34.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 58.5% $435

Groceries & Markets

Brescia

$404 18.6%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 42% $170

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brescia

$369 16.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 74.4% $274

Eating Out

Brescia

$321 14.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 75.8% $243

Clothing & Footwear

Brescia

$199 9.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 45.3% $90

Sport & Entertainment

Brescia

$72 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 29.7% $21

Getting Around

Brescia

$69 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 11.3% $7.8

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $937 in Brescia and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brescia pays about 3.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $84 in Brescia vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $404 vs $234 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Brescia

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:49 2:49 AM

08:49 8:49 AM

6 h ahead of Brescia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

187,567

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

Brescia Chiang Mai 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Brescia
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

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

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 57% lower than in Brescia. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chiang Mai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Brescia is about 3.3 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $937 in Brescia versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $84 in Brescia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $2,176 per month in Brescia versus $936 in Chiang Mai – Chiang Mai is about 57% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Brescia and Chiang Mai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Chiang Mai wins on affordability, Brescia on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.