Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Thailand Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Thailand

Name: Thailand
Address: TH

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,718 in Italy versus $920 in Thailand.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,621 in Italy versus $1,551 in Thailand.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,524 in Italy versus $2,181 in Thailand.

Living in Italy is roughly 87% more expensive than in Thailand on average.

Italy (29% above) and Thailand (31% below) straddle the global median.

Italy ($1,176–$2,467) and Thailand ($627–$2,116) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.58 €15.38

$3.16 ฿106

456.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$82.5 €72.1

$27.52 ฿926

199.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.72 €10.25

$7.01 ฿236

67.19%

Cappuccino

$1.92 €1.68

$2.18 ฿73.3

-11.93%

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

$2.99 €2.62

$0.70 ฿23.61

327.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 €1.19

$0.32 ฿10.64

325.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.76 €5.04

$2.14 ฿72.1

169.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.22 €4.57

$3.76 ฿127

38.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.69 €1.48

$1.86 ฿62.7

-9.14%

White Bread (500g)

$2.33 €2.04

$1.43 ฿48.24

62.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.05 €2.67

$1.35 ฿45.37

125.93%

Eggs

$3.99 €3.49

$2.16 ฿72.5

84.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.68 €14.59

$17.49 ฿588

-4.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.57 €11.00

$2.89 ฿97.3

334.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.53 €17.96

$10.44 ฿351

96.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.56 €2.24

$2.99 ฿101

-14.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.20 €1.93

$1.37 ฿46.21

60.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 €2.34

$2.10 ฿70.7

27.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.37 €2.95

$1.62 ฿54.5

108.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.04 €1.78

$1.54 ฿52.0

32.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 €1.65

$1.35 ฿45.30

39.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.47 €1.29

$1.19 ฿39.95

23.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.47

$0.49 ฿16.43

10.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.00 €6.12

$4.38 ฿147

59.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.09 €6.20

$16.97 ฿571

-58.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.58

$1.83 ฿61.7

-1.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.51 €2.19

$2.96 ฿99.6

-15.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.96 €1.71

$0.80 ฿27.08

145.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.58 €36.38

$33.89 ฿1,140

22.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.80 €5.08

$1.20 ฿40.50

383.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.60 €1.40

$1.15 ฿38.81

39.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.07 €30.68

$6.11 ฿206

473.98%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.13 €1.86

$1.25 ฿42.19

70.40%

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

$32.6K €28.5K

$29.7K ฿1.0M

9.53%

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

$33.8K €29.6K

$28.5K ฿959.6K

18.48%

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

$225 €197

$81.1 ฿2,730

177.33%

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

$13.14 €11.50

$13.77 ฿463

-4.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.19 €27.29

$18.02 ฿606

73.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 €50.0

$51.0 ฿1,717

12.03%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.85 €22.61

$10.18 ฿342

153.93%

Cinema Ticket

$10.34 €9.05

$7.45 ฿251

38.79%

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

$564 €493

$413 ฿13.9K

36.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K €9,047

$12.6K ฿424.7K

-18.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.9 €80.4

$49.32 ฿1,660

86.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.54 €35.47

$33.24 ฿1,118

21.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.2 €85.9

$96.2 ฿3,236

2.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €116

$76.5 ฿2,575

72.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$855 €748

$490 ฿16.5K

74.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$663 €580

$265 ฿8,902

150.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,522 €1,332

$1,234 ฿41.5K

23.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,089 €953

$645 ฿21.7K

68.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,747 €3,278

$3,413 ฿114.9K

9.78%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,299 €2,011

$1,968 ฿66.2K

16.79%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,897 €1,659

$567 ฿19.1K

234.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.41

5.68

-22.36%

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

Last update for Italy: July 11, 2026

Last update for Thailand: July 14, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $742 in Italy, $454 in Thailand. Capital cities: $1,328 in Rome vs $684 in Bangkok.

National salary averages: $1,912 in Italy, $622 in Thailand. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 63% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 164% more in Italy.

Public transport is 450% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 207% higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

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

Italy vs Thailand: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,822 per month in Italy and $1,372 in Thailand, there's a 33% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is simply cheaper in Thailand: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in Italy is consistently higher than in Thailand across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Thailand, $2,000 covers most cities easily; in Italy it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

It depends on what you're after: Thailand wins on affordability; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.