Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cesena and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,646 in Cesena, rent and utilities included – about $8,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

80

Cost of Living Index in Cesena
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Cesena Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Cesena

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,646

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,646 in Cesena versus $938 in Chiang Mai.

Cesena $1,646
Chiang Mai $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,537 in Cesena versus $1,426 in Chiang Mai.

Cesena $2,537
Chiang Mai $1,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,428 in Cesena versus $1,914 in Chiang Mai.

Cesena $3,428
Chiang Mai $1,914

Living in Cesena is roughly 75% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Cesena is 22% above, Chiang Mai is 30% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.97

$2.26 ฿75.4

644.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$89.5 €79.6

$19.18 ฿641

366.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.22 €10.87

$5.59 ฿187

118.60%

Cappuccino

$2.21 €1.96

$1.72 ฿57.6

28.49%

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

$2.72 €2.42

$0.64 ฿21.54

325.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.97

$0.33 ฿11.18

230.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.04 €5.37

$2.36 ฿78.7

155.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.10 €4.53

$3.90 ฿130

30.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.35 €1.20

$2.05 ฿68.6

-34.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.36 €1.21

$1.40 ฿46.70

-2.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.97 €1.75

$1.28 ฿42.89

53.91%

Eggs

$2.77 €2.47

$2.25 ฿75.3

23.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.63 €15.68

$16.94 ฿566

4.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.91 €10.60

$2.74 ฿91.6

334.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.03 €15.15

$9.36 ฿313

81.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.93 €1.72

$2.40 ฿80.3

-19.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.01 ฿33.92

144.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.39 €2.12

$1.61 ฿53.9

48.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.99 €3.55

$1.52 ฿50.7

162.50%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.28 ฿42.90

25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.65 €1.47

$1.11 ฿37.22

48.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.87 €1.67

$0.72 ฿24.09

159.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.34 €0.30

$0.52 ฿17.54

-34.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.52 €5.80

$4.33 ฿145

50.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.79 €6.04

$17.73 ฿593

-61.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 €1.09

$1.63 ฿54.4

-25.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.85 ฿95.3

-39.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 €1.93

$0.85 ฿28.31

155.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.55 €34.29

$53.9 ฿1,801

-28.48%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 €7.30

$1.17 ฿39.18

600.85%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 €1.76

$0.57 ฿19.00

247.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.88 €30.13

$2.37 ฿79.2

1329.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.81

$1.45 ฿48.32

40.00%

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

$36.5K €32.5K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

78.20%

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

$34.9K €31.0K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

31.58%

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

$189 €168

$62.3 ฿2,083

202.97%

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

$9.75 €8.67

$12.27 ฿410

-20.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.74 €27.34

$19.97 ฿668

53.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.8 €45.16

$37.91 ฿1,267

33.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.22 €12.65

$3.76 ฿126

278.19%

Cinema Ticket

$9.99 €8.89

$6.71 ฿224

48.88%

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

$537 €478

$797 ฿26.6K

-32.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,900 €8,806

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-33.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.7

$53.3 ฿1,780

70.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.93 €32.85

$25.05 ฿837

47.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$82.4 €73.3

$91.6 ฿3,062

-10.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.7 €70.0

$73.5 ฿2,455

7.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$660 €587

$464 ฿15.5K

42.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$591 €525

$305 ฿10.2K

93.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,174 €1,045

$915 ฿30.6K

28.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$925 €823

$552 ฿18.5K

67.55%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,953 €2,627

$1,912 ฿63.9K

54.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,583 €2,298

$1,438 ฿48.1K

79.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,750 €1,557

$595 ฿19.9K

194.09%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.3

5.57

-40.75%

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

Last update for Cesena: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cesena

$591 35.9%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 48.4% $286

Groceries & Markets

Cesena

$306 18.6%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 22.3% $68

Eating Out

Cesena

$253 15.4%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 68.8% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cesena

$229 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 58.8% $135

Clothing & Footwear

Cesena

$130 7.9%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 15.7% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Cesena

$71 4.3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 27.4% $19

Getting Around

Cesena

$65 4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 6.2% $4

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $660 in Cesena and $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cesena pays 194% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $89.0 in Cesena vs $19.00 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $306 vs $238 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Cesena

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:42 9:42 PM

02:42 2:42 AM

5 h ahead of Cesena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

96,758

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

Cesena Chiang Mai 8,310 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cesena
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

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

Cesena and Chiang Mai differ by about 75% in total monthly costs ($1,646 vs $938 including rent). Chiang Mai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 194% higher in Cesena, 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: $660 in Cesena versus $464 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 $19.00 versus $89.0 in Cesena. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,646 per month in Cesena versus $938 in Chiang Mai – a 75% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $938 in Chiang Mai versus $1,646 in Cesena, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Cesena. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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, Cesena and Chiang Mai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 75% less than in Cesena. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.