Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ascoli Piceno

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,859 in Ascoli Piceno, rent and utilities included – about $11,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Ascoli Piceno, Italy
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Ascoli Piceno
🇮🇹 Italy
$1,859
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Ascoli Piceno

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 Ascoli Piceno actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,859 in Ascoli Piceno, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $936
  • Ascoli Piceno $1,859

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,799 in Ascoli Piceno, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,457
  • Ascoli Piceno $2,799

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,738 in Ascoli Piceno, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,979
  • Ascoli Piceno $3,738

Chiang Mai is about 50% cheaper than Ascoli Piceno, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Ascoli Piceno is 37% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Ascoli Piceno
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.24 ฿75.6
$22.83 €20.45
-90.19%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.00 ฿641
$56.7 €50.8
-66.51%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.55 ฿187
$14.45 €12.94
-61.59%
Cappuccino
$1.67 ฿56.5
$1.70 €1.52
-1.76%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿21.54
$2.77 €2.48
-76.90%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ฿10.31
$1.50 €1.34
-79.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 ฿79.5
$5.62 €5.03
-58.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 ฿124
$4.58 €4.11
-20.09%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Ascoli Piceno
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ฿65.7
$1.43 €1.28
36.36%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 ฿48.46
$2.63 €2.35
-45.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 ฿45.03
$2.87 €2.57
-53.66%
Eggs
$2.28 ฿77.1
$4.82 €4.31
-52.70%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.45 ฿555
$26.45 €23.69
-37.81%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.78 ฿93.9
$12.29 €11.00
-77.38%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.31 ฿314
$25.94 €23.23
-64.11%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ฿79.4
$2.91 €2.60
-19.24%
Banana (1kg)
$0.97 ฿32.79
$2.57 €2.30
-62.26%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 ฿53.9
$3.26 €2.92
-50.92%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.6
$3.27 €2.93
-54.13%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿43.11
$2.26 €2.02
-43.36%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 ฿37.18
$1.85 €1.66
-40.54%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿23.82
$1.81 €1.62
-60.77%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.36
$0.65 €0.58
-24.62%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.14 ฿140
$7.11 €6.37
-41.77%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.52 ฿591
$7.99 €7.15
119.27%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 ฿54.5
$1.99 €1.78
-19.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿93.9
$3.02 €2.70
-7.95%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Ascoli Piceno
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 ฿29.30
$1.66 €1.49
-47.59%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.1 ฿1,825
$37.81 €33.87
43.06%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.16 ฿39.04
$3.75 €3.36
-69.07%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 ฿17.80
$1.20 €1.07
-55.83%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.42 ฿81.7
$31.08 €27.83
-92.21%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.88
$1.94 €1.74
-25.26%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ฿710.5K
$35.8K €32.1K
-41.25%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿909.0K
$38.9K €34.8K
-30.74%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Ascoli Piceno
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.2 ฿2,098
$240 €215
-74.13%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.17 ฿411
$11.63 €10.42
4.64%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.12 ฿679
$33.72 €30.20
-40.33%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Ascoli Piceno
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.31 ฿1,259
$53.3 €47.76
-30.04%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.77 ฿127
$24.11 €21.59
-84.36%
Cinema Ticket
$6.49 ฿219
$9.20 €8.24
-29.46%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Ascoli Piceno
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$736 ฿24.8K
$735 €658
0.13%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿498.2K
$10.1K €9,038
46.31%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Ascoli Piceno
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 ฿1,801
$96.5 €86.4
-44.68%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.64 ฿831
$39.53 €35.40
-37.67%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 ฿3,087
$108 €96.5
-15.13%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.9 ฿2,427
$151 €135
-52.28%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Ascoli Piceno
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$482 ฿16.3K
$606 €542
-20.36%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ฿10.4K
$563 €504
-45.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,006 ฿33.9K
$1,142 €1,023
-11.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$633 ฿21.4K
$905 €810
-29.97%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,363 ฿79.7K
$2,889 €2,588
-18.21%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,589 ฿53.6K
$2,006 €1,797
-20.78%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Ascoli Piceno
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$590 ฿19.9K
$1,839 €1,647
-67.94%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
3.16
76.27%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ascoli Piceno: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$309
Ascoli Piceno
$563 82.2% $254
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$234
Ascoli Piceno
$407 73.5% $172
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$109
Ascoli Piceno
$178 63.4% $69
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Ascoli Piceno
$286 202% $191
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$78
Ascoli Piceno
$301 288% $223
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Ascoli Piceno
$54 11.7% $7.1
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$50
Ascoli Piceno
$72 42.7% $21

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $606 in Ascoli Piceno. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Ascoli Piceno are about 3.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $57 in Ascoli Piceno. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $407 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇮🇹 Ascoli Piceno
🕒 Local time
20:09 8:09 PM
14:09 2:09 PM
6 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
45,457
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Ascoli Piceno 8,240 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Ascoli Piceno

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 Ascoli Piceno: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Chiang Mai and in Ascoli Piceno compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai, $1,859 in Ascoli Piceno – Chiang Mai comes out roughly 50% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.
What salary covers living expenses in Chiang Mai compared to Ascoli Piceno?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,789 in Ascoli Piceno. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do rents compare between Chiang Mai and Ascoli Piceno?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $606 in Ascoli Piceno.
What is the difference in childcare costs between Chiang Mai and Ascoli Piceno?
Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $735 in Ascoli Piceno. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 74% more in Ascoli Piceno, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is feasible on a $800 budget?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,859 in Ascoli Piceno. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
How does quality of life compare between Chiang Mai and Ascoli Piceno?
It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,859 in Ascoli Piceno. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How do I decide between Chiang Mai and Ascoli Piceno?
If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Ascoli Piceno makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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