Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Porto Viro

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,733 in Porto Viro, rent and utilities included – about $9,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Porto Viro, Italy
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Porto Viro
🇮🇹 Italy
$1,733
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Porto Viro

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,733 in Porto Viro, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $936
  • Porto Viro $1,733

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,664 in Porto Viro, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,457
  • Porto Viro $2,664

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,595 in Porto Viro, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,979
  • Porto Viro $3,595

Chiang Mai is about 46% cheaper than Porto Viro, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Porto Viro is 27% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Porto Viro
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.24 ฿75.7
$12.88 €11.57
-82.61%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.00 ฿642
$90.8 €81.6
-79.08%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.55 ฿188
$12.26 €11.02
-54.73%
Cappuccino
$1.67 ฿56.6
$1.91 €1.72
-12.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿21.56
$2.84 €2.56
-77.46%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ฿10.32
$1.14 €1.03
-72.81%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 ฿79.6
$4.99 €4.49
-52.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 ฿124
$5.23 €4.70
-30.02%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Porto Viro
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ฿65.8
$1.70 €1.53
14.71%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 ฿48.51
$1.80 €1.62
-20.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 ฿45.07
$3.05 €2.74
-56.39%
Eggs
$2.28 ฿77.1
$3.57 €3.21
-36.13%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.45 ฿556
$15.41 €13.84
6.75%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.78 ฿94.0
$13.77 €12.37
-79.81%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.31 ฿314
$18.74 €16.84
-50.32%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ฿79.5
$2.71 €2.44
-13.28%
Banana (1kg)
$0.97 ฿32.82
$1.71 €1.53
-43.27%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 ฿53.9
$3.15 €2.83
-49.21%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.7
$3.38 €3.04
-55.62%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿43.15
$0.99 €0.89
29.29%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 ฿37.22
$2.53 €2.27
-56.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿23.84
$2.28 €2.05
-68.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.38
$0.42 €0.38
16.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.14 ฿140
$6.19 €5.56
-33.12%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.52 ฿592
$5.71 €5.13
206.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 ฿54.5
$1.53 €1.37
5.23%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿94.0
$2.82 €2.53
-1.42%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Porto Viro
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 ฿29.33
$1.67 €1.50
-47.90%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.1 ฿1,827
$45.37 €40.77
19.22%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.16 ฿39.08
$4.68 €4.20
-75.21%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 ฿17.82
$1.46 €1.31
-63.70%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.42 ฿81.8
$30.36 €27.28
-92.03%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.93
$2.11 €1.90
-31.28%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ฿711.2K
$36.0K €32.4K
-41.55%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿909.8K
$38.1K €34.3K
-29.33%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Porto Viro
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.2 ฿2,100
$204 €184
-69.59%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.17 ฿411
$8.43 €7.58
44.37%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.12 ฿680
$25.88 €23.25
-22.26%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Porto Viro
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.31 ฿1,260
$56.7 €50.9
-34.14%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.77 ฿127
$26.25 €23.59
-85.64%
Cinema Ticket
$6.49 ฿219
$11.07 €9.94
-41.37%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Porto Viro
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$736 ฿24.9K
$837 €752
-12.01%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿498.6K
$11.0K €9,918
33.75%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Porto Viro
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 ฿1,802
$123 €110
-56.54%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.64 ฿832
$44.27 €39.77
-44.34%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 ฿3,089
$124 €112
-26.39%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.9 ฿2,429
$174 €157
-58.71%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Porto Viro
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$482 ฿16.3K
$835 €750
-42.22%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ฿10.4K
$595 €535
-48.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,006 ฿34.0K
$1,292 €1,160
-22.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$633 ฿21.4K
$898 €807
-29.47%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,363 ฿79.8K
$3,040 €2,731
-22.26%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,589 ฿53.7K
$1,897 €1,704
-16.22%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Porto Viro
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$590 ฿19.9K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
3.03
83.83%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Porto Viro: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$309
Porto Viro
$595 92.7% $286
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$234
Porto Viro
$333 42.1% $99
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$109
Porto Viro
$210 92.8% $101
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Porto Viro
$239 153% $144
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$78
Porto Viro
$214 176% $137
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Porto Viro
$64 4.4% $2.7
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$50
Porto Viro
$79 56.7% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $835 in Porto Viro. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $91 in Porto Viro. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $333 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇮🇹 Porto Viro
🕒 Local time
16:15 4:15 PM
10:15 10:15 AM
6 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
14,494
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

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

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Porto Viro 8,290 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Porto Viro

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 Porto Viro: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Porto Viro?
Porto Viro costs about 85% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Chiang Mai and in Porto Viro?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $2,600 in Porto Viro. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or Porto Viro?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $835 in Porto Viro.
How do childcare costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Porto Viro?
Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $837 in Porto Viro. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Chiang Mai or in Porto Viro?
Groceries cost about 42% more in Porto Viro, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $800/month in Chiang Mai or in Porto Viro?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,733 in Porto Viro. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city is better for families?
Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.
How safe is Chiang Mai compared to Porto Viro?
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.

Chiang Mai vs other spots: cost of living compared

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