Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Carrara and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,729 in Carrara, rent and utilities included – about $9,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

83

Cost of Living Index in Carrara
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Carrara Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Carrara

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,729

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,729 per month in Carrara vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Carrara $1,729
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,591 per month in Carrara vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Carrara $2,591
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,453 per month in Carrara vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Carrara $3,453
Chiang Mai $1,979

Carrara costs about 85% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Carrara sits 27% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.62 €20.32

$2.24 ฿75.7

909.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$78.0 €70.1

$19.00 ฿642

310.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.00 €8.98

$5.55 ฿188

80.18%

Cappuccino

$1.72 €1.54

$1.67 ฿56.6

2.99%

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

$2.66 €2.39

$0.64 ฿21.56

315.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.98

$0.31 ฿10.32

251.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.86 €6.16

$2.36 ฿79.6

190.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.20 €5.57

$3.66 ฿124

69.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.59 €1.43

$1.95 ฿65.8

-18.46%

White Bread (500g)

$2.15 €1.93

$1.44 ฿48.51

49.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.91 €2.61

$1.33 ฿45.07

118.80%

Eggs

$3.45 €3.10

$2.28 ฿77.1

51.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.68 €11.39

$16.45 ฿556

-22.92%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.14 €10.90

$2.78 ฿94.0

336.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$25.81 €23.18

$9.31 ฿314

177.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.53 €2.27

$2.35 ฿79.5

7.66%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 €2.06

$0.97 ฿32.82

136.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 €2.91

$1.60 ฿53.9

102.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.31 €2.97

$1.50 ฿50.7

120.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.81 €1.63

$1.28 ฿43.15

41.41%

Onion (1kg)

$1.85 €1.66

$1.10 ฿37.22

68.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.42 €1.27

$0.71 ฿23.84

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.33 €0.29

$0.49 ฿16.38

-32.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.61 €5.94

$4.14 ฿140

59.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.87 €7.07

$17.52 ฿592

-55.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 €1.75

$1.61 ฿54.5

21.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 €2.03

$2.78 ฿94.0

-18.71%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 €1.74

$0.87 ฿29.33

122.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.47 €34.56

$54.1 ฿1,827

-28.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.59 €3.22

$1.16 ฿39.08

209.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 €1.14

$0.53 ฿17.82

137.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.82 €27.69

$2.42 ฿81.8

1173.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.83

$1.45 ฿48.93

40.00%

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

$35.2K €31.6K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

67.17%

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

$38.5K €34.6K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

42.93%

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

$240 €215

$62.2 ฿2,100

285.73%

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

$11.47 €10.31

$12.17 ฿411

-5.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.46 €30.06

$20.12 ฿680

66.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.74 €32.11

$37.31 ฿1,260

-4.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.18 €21.72

$3.77 ฿127

541.38%

Cinema Ticket

$11.12 €9.99

$6.49 ฿219

71.34%

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

$765 €687

$736 ฿24.9K

3.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,862 €8,859

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-33.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$22.26 €20.00

$53.4 ฿1,802

-58.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.02 €35.05

$24.64 ฿832

58.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 €79.0

$91.5 ฿3,089

-3.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$136 €122

$71.9 ฿2,429

88.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$534 €479

$482 ฿16.3K

10.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$565 €507

$309 ฿10.4K

82.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,148 €1,031

$1,006 ฿34.0K

14.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$807 €725

$633 ฿21.4K

27.33%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,969 €2,667

$2,363 ฿79.8K

25.65%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,046 €1,838

$1,589 ฿53.7K

28.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,656 €1,488

$590 ฿19.9K

180.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.16

5.57

-43.27%

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

Last update for Carrara: 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

Carrara

$565 32.7%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 45.3% $256

Groceries & Markets

Carrara

$344 19.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 31.8% $109

Eating Out

Carrara

$293 17%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 73.5% $216

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Carrara

$285 16.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 66.8% $190

Clothing & Footwear

Carrara

$128 7.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 15.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Carrara

$58 3.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 13.3% $7.7

Getting Around

Carrara

$56 3.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 9.3% $5.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $534 in Carrara 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 Carrara are about 2.8 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Carrara versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $344 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Carrara

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:13 12:13 AM

06:13 6:13 AM

6 h ahead of Carrara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,133

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

On the map

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Between locations

Carrara Chiang Mai 8,480 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Carrara
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

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

Carrara costs about 85% 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 $2,593 per month in Carrara 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 $534 in Carrara.

Groceries cost about 47% more in Carrara, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Carrara and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,729 in Carrara 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, Carrara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.