Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cagliari and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,750 in Cagliari, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

86

Cost of Living Index in Cagliari
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Cagliari Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Cagliari

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,750

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,750 per month in Cagliari vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cagliari $1,750
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,736 per month in Cagliari vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cagliari $2,736
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,723 per month in Cagliari vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cagliari $3,723
Chiang Mai $1,914

Cagliari costs about 86% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.30 €19.84

$2.26 ฿75.4

886.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.1 €74.8

$19.18 ฿641

338.48%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.01 €9.79

$5.59 ฿187

96.96%

Cappuccino

$1.98 €1.76

$1.72 ฿57.6

15.12%

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

$3.28 €2.92

$0.64 ฿21.54

412.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.53 €1.36

$0.33 ฿11.18

363.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.44 €4.83

$2.36 ฿78.7

130.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.07 €4.51

$3.90 ฿130

30.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.40

$2.05 ฿68.6

-23.41%

White Bread (500g)

$2.71 €2.41

$1.40 ฿46.70

93.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.82 €2.51

$1.28 ฿42.89

120.31%

Eggs

$3.80 €3.38

$2.25 ฿75.3

68.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.46 €19.09

$16.94 ฿566

26.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.84 €10.53

$2.74 ฿91.6

332.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.30 €19.83

$9.36 ฿313

138.25%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 €2.36

$2.40 ฿80.3

10.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 €1.59

$1.01 ฿33.92

76.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.25 €2.00

$1.61 ฿53.9

39.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.51 €3.12

$1.52 ฿50.7

130.92%

Potato (1kg)

$1.93 €1.72

$1.28 ฿42.90

50.78%

Onion (1kg)

$2.33 €2.07

$1.11 ฿37.22

109.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.38

$0.72 ฿24.09

115.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 €0.46

$0.52 ฿17.54

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.37 €6.55

$4.33 ฿145

70.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.41 €7.48

$17.73 ฿593

-52.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 €1.45

$1.63 ฿54.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.82 €1.62

$2.85 ฿95.3

-36.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.85 ฿28.31

68.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.13 €33.92

$53.9 ฿1,801

-29.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$9.26 €8.23

$1.17 ฿39.18

691.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.49 €1.32

$0.57 ฿19.00

161.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.52 €28.04

$2.37 ฿79.2

1229.96%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.06 €1.83

$1.45 ฿48.32

42.07%

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

$35.7K €31.7K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

74.18%

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

$35.1K €31.2K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

32.50%

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

$157 €140

$62.3 ฿2,083

152.22%

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

$9.07 €8.07

$12.27 ฿410

-26.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$29.65 €26.38

$19.97 ฿668

48.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.0 €45.38

$37.91 ฿1,267

34.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.59 €21.87

$3.76 ฿126

553.99%

Cinema Ticket

$11.31 €10.06

$6.71 ฿224

68.55%

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

$525 €467

$797 ฿26.6K

-34.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,007 €7,122

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-46.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$94.1 €83.7

$53.3 ฿1,780

76.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.94 €37.31

$25.05 ฿837

67.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.6 €80.6

$91.6 ฿3,062

-1.10%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 €103

$73.5 ฿2,455

56.94%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$868 €772

$464 ฿15.5K

87.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$613 €545

$305 ฿10.2K

101.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,395 €1,241

$915 ฿30.6K

52.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 €895

$552 ฿18.5K

82.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,278 €2,916

$1,912 ฿63.9K

71.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,315 €2,059

$1,438 ฿48.1K

60.94%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,807 €1,607

$595 ฿19.9K

203.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.27

5.57

-41.29%

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

Last update for Cagliari: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cagliari

$613 35%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 50.3% $308

Groceries & Markets

Cagliari

$362 20.7%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 34.2% $124

Eating Out

Cagliari

$292 16.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 72.9% $213

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cagliari

$196 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 51.7% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Cagliari

$154 8.8%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 28.8% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Cagliari

$74 4.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 30.3% $22

Getting Around

Cagliari

$61 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 1.3% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $868 in Cagliari 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 204% higher in Cagliari, 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 $84.0 in Cagliari versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $362 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Cagliari

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

01:46 1:46 AM

06:46 6:46 AM

5 h ahead of Cagliari

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

154,478

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Cagliari Chiang Mai 8,690 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cagliari
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

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

Yes – Cagliari is pricier by about 86%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,625 per month in Cagliari and $1,408 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Public transport costs about 41% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $525 per month in Cagliari and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Cagliari at $1,750. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cagliari it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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 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.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Cagliari makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.