Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cortona and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,433 in Cortona, rent and utilities included – about $6,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Cortona
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Cortona Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Cortona

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,433

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,433 per month in Cortona vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cortona $1,433
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,197 per month in Cortona vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cortona $2,197
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,961 per month in Cortona vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Cortona $2,961
Chiang Mai $1,979

Cortona costs about 53% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Cortona sits 5% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.79 €14.98

$2.24 ฿75.6

649.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.6 €60.3

$19.00 ฿641

255.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.36 €10.14

$5.55 ฿187

104.68%

Cappuccino

$2.12 €1.89

$1.67 ฿56.5

26.95%

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

$2.84 €2.54

$0.64 ฿21.53

343.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.31 ฿10.30

377.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.47 €4.88

$2.36 ฿79.5

131.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.78 €6.05

$3.66 ฿124

85.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.73 €1.54

$1.95 ฿65.7

-11.28%

White Bread (500g)

$2.20 €1.96

$1.44 ฿48.45

52.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.97 €2.65

$1.33 ฿45.01

123.31%

Eggs

$4.74 €4.23

$2.28 ฿77.0

107.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.81 €13.21

$16.45 ฿555

-9.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.15 €10.84

$2.78 ฿93.8

337.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.44 €17.34

$9.31 ฿314

108.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.55 €2.27

$2.35 ฿79.4

8.51%

Banana (1kg)

$2.29 €2.05

$0.97 ฿32.78

136.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.36 €2.11

$1.60 ฿53.9

47.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.39 €2.14

$1.50 ฿50.6

59.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 €1.26

$1.28 ฿43.10

10.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 €1.43

$1.10 ฿37.17

46.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.38 €1.23

$0.71 ฿23.81

94.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.50

$0.49 ฿16.36

12.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.94 €6.19

$4.14 ฿140

67.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.69 €5.08

$17.52 ฿591

-67.52%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.61 ฿54.5

-1.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.53 €2.26

$2.78 ฿93.9

-8.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.61 €5.90

$1.16 ฿39.03

469.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 €1.45

$0.53 ฿17.79

207.55%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.47 €29.86

$2.42 ฿81.7

1283.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.16 €1.93

$1.45 ฿48.87

48.97%

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

$35.4K €31.6K

$21.1K ฿710.3K

68.11%

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

$36.3K €32.3K

$26.9K ฿908.7K

34.57%

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

$202 €181

$62.2 ฿2,097

225.67%

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

$11.25 €10.03

$12.17 ฿410

-7.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.35 €28.86

$20.12 ฿679

60.79%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.04 €25.02

$37.31 ฿1,259

-24.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.04 €9.85

$3.77 ฿127

192.84%

Cinema Ticket

$11.25 €10.04

$6.49 ฿219

73.34%

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

$478 €426

$736 ฿24.8K

-35.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.7K €14.9K

$14.8K ฿498.0K

13.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$72.0 €64.2

$53.4 ฿1,800

34.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.82 €32.85

$24.64 ฿831

49.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.7 €76.5

$91.5 ฿3,086

-6.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$126 €113

$71.9 ฿2,426

75.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$864 €771

$482 ฿16.3K

79.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$400 €357

$309 ฿10.4K

29.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,493 €1,332

$1,006 ฿33.9K

48.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$621 €554

$633 ฿21.4K

-2.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,315 €2,065

$2,363 ฿79.7K

-2.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,804 €2,502

$1,589 ฿53.6K

76.48%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,067 €2,737

$590 ฿19.9K

420.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

5.57

-36.80%

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

Last update for Cortona: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cortona

$400 27.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 22.7% $91

Groceries & Markets

Cortona

$326 22.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 28% $91

Eating Out

Cortona

$252 17.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 69.2% $174

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cortona

$246 17.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 61.6% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Cortona

$144 10.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 24.7% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Cortona

$51 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 0.5% $0.3

Getting Around

Cortona

$15 * 1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 315% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $864 in Cortona versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Cortona are about 5.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Cortona versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $326 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Cortona

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:18 12:18 AM

06:18 6:18 AM

6 h ahead of Cortona

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

22,450

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

Cortona Chiang Mai 8,350 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Cortona
Chiang Mai

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

Cortona vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cortona costs about 53% 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 $2,150 per month in Cortona and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. 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 $864 in Cortona.

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

Groceries cost about 39% more in Cortona, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,433 in Cortona and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,433 in Cortona. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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