Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Abano Terme

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,585 in Abano Terme, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
82

Cost of Living Index in Abano Terme
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Abano Terme Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Abano Terme

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,585

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Abano Terme

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in Abano Terme actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $1,585 in Abano Terme.

Chiang Mai $936
Abano Terme $1,585

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $2,447 in Abano Terme.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Abano Terme $2,447

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $3,309 in Abano Terme.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Abano Terme $3,309

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 41% less than in Abano Terme, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chiang Mai is 31% below, Abano Terme is 16% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$15.04 €13.49

-85.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$63.1 €56.6

-69.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$11.12 €9.97

-50.09%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.67 €1.50

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$2.96 €2.65

-78.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$1.30 €1.16

-76.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$5.85 €5.24

-59.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$5.47 €4.91

-33.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.45 €1.30

34.48%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$2.25 €2.02

-36.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$2.95 €2.64

-54.92%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$4.48 €4.02

-49.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$14.68 €13.17

12.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$13.30 €11.93

-79.10%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$21.77 €19.53

-57.23%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.38 €2.13

-1.26%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$2.44 €2.19

-60.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.26 €2.03

-29.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.99 €2.68

-49.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$1.82 €1.63

-29.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$1.75 €1.57

-37.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.47 €1.32

-51.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.56 €0.51

-12.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.20 €5.56

-33.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$6.64 €5.96

163.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.89 €1.70

-14.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.57 €2.30

8.17%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$1.64 €1.47

-46.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$46.45 €41.66

16.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$5.41 €4.85

-78.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.91 €1.71

-72.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$35.68 €32.00

-93.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$2.03 €1.82

-28.57%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$37.1K €33.2K

-43.17%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$34.5K €30.9K

-21.84%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$189 €169

-67.02%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$9.93 €8.91

22.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$31.17 €27.96

-35.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$48.80 €43.77

-23.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$22.78 €20.43

-83.45%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$10.48 €9.40

-38.07%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$540 €485

36.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$10.6K €9,533

38.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$96.6 €86.7

-44.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$37.56 €33.70

-34.40%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$97.0 €87.0

-5.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$114 €102

-36.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$685 €615

-29.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$489 €439

-36.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,241 €1,113

-18.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$832 €747

-23.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$2,534 €2,273

-6.74%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,973 €1,770

-19.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$2,637 €2,366

-77.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.32

67.77%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Abano Terme: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Abano Terme

$489 30.9% 58.3% $180

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Abano Terme

$343 21.6% 46.2% $108

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Abano Terme

$155 9.8% 43% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Abano Terme

$230 14.5% 143% $135

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Abano Terme

$231 14.6% 198% $153

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Abano Terme

$68 4.3% 10.8% $6.6

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Abano Terme

$70 4.4% 38.7% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $685 in Abano Terme. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Abano Terme pays about 4.5 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $63 in Abano Terme for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $343 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇹 Abano Terme

🕒 Local time

05:37 5:37 AM

23:37 11:37 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

19,950

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 27, 2026: 1 USD = 0.897 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Chiang Mai Abano Terme 8,320 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Abano Terme

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

Chiang Mai vs Abano Terme: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 69% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 78% lower in Chiang Mai. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $685 in Abano Terme. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 46% higher in Abano Terme. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $63 in Abano Terme. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

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