Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Lecce

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,445 in Lecce, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 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
70

Cost of Living Index in Lecce
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Lecce Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Lecce

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,445

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,445 in Lecce, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Lecce $1,445

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,321 in Lecce, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Lecce $2,321

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,196 in Lecce, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Lecce $3,196

Chiang Mai is about 35% cheaper than Lecce, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Lecce is 6% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$16.84 €15.13

-86.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$68.1 €61.2

-72.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$10.18 €9.15

-45.48%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.98 €1.78

-15.66%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$2.16 €1.94

-70.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$1.09 €0.98

-71.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$3.87 €3.47

-39.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.41 €3.06

7.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.43 €1.29

36.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.82 €1.64

-20.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.27 €2.04

-41.41%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.50 €2.25

-8.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$12.38 €11.12

32.88%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$11.26 €10.12

-75.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$16.31 €14.65

-42.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.11 €1.89

11.37%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.94 €1.74

-50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.92 €1.72

-16.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$3.50 €3.15

-57.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.65 €1.48

-22.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.61 €1.45

-31.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.19 €1.07

-40.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.38 €0.34

28.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.86 €6.16

-39.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$6.73 €6.05

160.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.43 €1.29

12.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.46 €2.21

13.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$1.37 €1.23

-36.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$5.53 €4.96

-79.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$2.19 €1.97

-75.80%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$23.41 €21.03

-89.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$2.09 €1.87

-30.62%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$35.7K €32.1K

-40.98%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$35.6K €32.0K

-24.28%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$170 €153

-63.44%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$11.62 €10.44

4.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$27.90 €25.06

-27.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$80.6 €72.4

-53.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$56.3 €50.5

-93.30%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$8.61 €7.73

-24.62%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$567 €509

29.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$5,021 €4,510

194.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$82.0 €73.7

-34.92%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$48.10 €43.21

-48.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$88.0 €79.1

3.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$78.1 €70.1

-7.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$603 €542

-20.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$470 €422

-34.26%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$1,205 €1,083

-16.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$903 €811

-29.82%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$3,050 €2,740

-22.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,579 €1,418

0.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,602 €1,439

-63.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

4.82

15.56%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Lecce: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Lecce

$470 32.5% 52.1% $161

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Lecce

$284 19.7% 21.4% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Lecce

$133 9.2% 22.7% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Lecce

$210 14.5% 122% $115

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Lecce

$228 15.8% 194% $151

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Lecce

$22 * 1.5% 64.2% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Lecce

$98 6.8% 94.6% $48

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $603 in Lecce. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Lecce are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $68 in Lecce. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $284 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇮🇹 Lecce

🕒 Local time

01:45 1:45 AM

19:45 7:45 PM

6 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

94,773

💱 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.898 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Lecce 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Lecce

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 Lecce: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Lecce costs about 54% 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,168 in Lecce. 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 $603 in Lecce.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $68 in Lecce. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 21% more in Lecce, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,445 in Lecce. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Lecce makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.