Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Brescia

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,176 in Brescia, rent and utilities included – about $14,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
105

Cost of Living Index in Brescia
Learn more

Brescia Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Brescia

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,176

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Brescia

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $2,176 in Brescia.

Chiang Mai $936
Brescia $2,176

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $3,345 in Brescia.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Brescia $3,345

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $4,513 in Brescia.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Brescia $4,513

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 57% less than in Brescia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Chiang Mai is 31% below, Brescia is 60% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$22.50 €20.16

-90.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$84.4 €75.6

-77.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$14.15 €12.68

-60.78%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.54 €2.28

-34.25%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$3.38 €3.03

-81.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$1.63 €1.46

-80.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$6.89 €6.17

-65.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$6.59 €5.90

-44.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.95 €1.75

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$3.30 €2.96

-56.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$3.26 €2.92

-59.20%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$4.34 €3.89

-47.47%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$23.33 €20.90

-29.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$12.73 €11.41

-78.16%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$23.61 €21.16

-60.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.79 €2.50

-15.77%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$2.33 €2.09

-58.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.53 €2.27

-36.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$3.71 €3.33

-59.57%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$2.24 €2.01

-42.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$2.06 €1.85

-46.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$1.73 €1.55

-58.96%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.62 €0.56

-20.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.70 €6.00

-38.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$9.02 €8.08

94.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.43 €2.18

-33.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.37 €2.12

17.30%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$1.93 €1.73

-54.92%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$43.51 €38.99

24.32%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$9.76 €8.74

-88.11%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.63 €1.46

-67.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$31.31 €28.06

-92.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$2.07 €1.86

-29.95%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$36.3K €32.6K

-42.05%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$38.8K €34.7K

-30.48%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$324 €290

-80.81%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$14.22 €12.74

-14.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$30.29 €27.15

-33.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$40.07 €35.90

-6.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$26.48 €23.73

-85.76%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$15.73 €14.09

-58.74%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$897 €804

-17.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$16.9K €15.1K

-12.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$120 €108

-55.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$45.52 €40.79

-45.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$112 €101

-18.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$163 €146

-55.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$937 €840

-48.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$744 €666

-58.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,887 €1,691

-46.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$1,356 €1,215

-53.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$3,301 €2,958

-28.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$2,224 €1,993

-28.55%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,966 €1,762

-70.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

3.47

60.52%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Brescia: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Brescia

$744 34.2% 141% $435

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Brescia

$404 18.6% 72.5% $170

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Brescia

$199 9.1% 82.8% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Brescia

$369 16.9% 290% $274

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Brescia

$321 14.7% 313% $243

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Brescia

$69 3.2% 12.7% $7.8

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Brescia

$72 3.3% 42.2% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $937 in Brescia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brescia pays about 3.3 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $84 in Brescia for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $404 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇹 Brescia

🕒 Local time

11:10 11:10 AM

05:10 5:10 AM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

187,567

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Brescia 8,440 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Brescia

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 Brescia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 57% lower than in Brescia. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chiang Mai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 70% 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 $937 in Brescia. 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 versus $84 in Brescia. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $936 per month in Chiang Mai versus $2,176 in Brescia – Chiang Mai is about 57% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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 Brescia are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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