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: $1,796 in Italy versus $961 in Thailand.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,739 in Italy versus $1,577 in Thailand.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,682 in Italy versus $2,193 in Thailand.

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

Italy (30% above) and Thailand (30% below) straddle the global median.

Italy ($1,152–$2,626) and Thailand ($621–$2,211) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.24 €18.31

$3.11 ฿103

582.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$80.8 €69.7

$27.61 ฿912

192.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.41 €9.84

$6.85 ฿226

66.57%

Cappuccino

$2.08 €1.79

$2.04 ฿67.3

1.96%

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

$3.05 €2.63

$0.68 ฿22.37

348.53%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.38 €1.19

$0.37 ฿12.24

272.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.79 €4.99

$2.11 ฿69.6

174.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 €4.96

$3.60 ฿119

59.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.70 €1.46

$1.87 ฿61.7

-9.09%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 €2.08

$1.38 ฿45.64

74.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.01 €2.59

$1.29 ฿42.72

133.33%

Eggs

$4.32 €3.72

$2.16 ฿71.3

100.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.93 €15.45

$16.59 ฿548

8.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.67 €10.92

$3.11 ฿103

307.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.57 €17.73

$11.16 ฿369

84.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.62 €2.26

$3.05 ฿101

-14.10%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.85

$1.30 ฿42.79

65.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.80 €2.41

$2.04 ฿67.3

37.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.32 €2.87

$1.82 ฿60.2

82.42%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.81

$1.46 ฿48.34

43.84%

Onion (1kg)

$1.89 €1.63

$1.29 ฿42.70

46.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.33

$1.12 ฿37.11

38.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 €0.48

$0.50 ฿16.44

12.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.16 €6.17

$4.38 ฿145

63.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.35 €6.33

$16.18 ฿534

-54.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.55

$1.76 ฿58.3

2.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.41 €2.07

$2.88 ฿95.1

-16.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.93 €1.66

$0.87 ฿28.69

121.84%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.24 €39.00

$35.33 ฿1,167

28.05%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.74 €4.95

$1.19 ฿39.43

382.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.70 €1.47

$1.22 ฿40.22

39.34%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.25 €30.38

$6.11 ฿202

476.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.04 €1.76

$1.33 ฿43.84

53.38%

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

$37.5K €32.3K

$32.6K ฿1.1M

15.04%

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

$37.1K €31.9K

$27.1K ฿894.5K

36.89%

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

$231 €199

$82.9 ฿2,739

178.63%

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

$12.34 €10.64

$12.68 ฿419

-2.68%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.17 €26.87

$18.98 ฿627

64.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.2 €47.62

$51.4 ฿1,699

7.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.91 €21.47

$12.02 ฿397

107.24%

Cinema Ticket

$11.13 €9.59

$6.59 ฿218

68.89%

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

$568 €490

$554 ฿18.3K

2.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K €10.8K

$12.1K ฿400.3K

3.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$93.0 €80.1

$54.5 ฿1,801

70.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.82 €34.32

$32.73 ฿1,082

21.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 €89.8

$93.3 ฿3,083

11.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 €116

$81.4 ฿2,691

65.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$852 €734

$470 ฿15.5K

81.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$645 €556

$297 ฿9,818

116.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,449 €1,249

$1,263 ฿41.7K

14.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,084 €935

$698 ฿23.1K

55.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,813 €3,287

$3,446 ฿113.9K

10.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,357 €2,032

$1,963 ฿64.9K

20.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,933 €1,666

$566 ฿18.7K

241.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.57

5.71

-37.48%

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

Last update for Italy: September 5, 2026

Last update for Thailand: September 7, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $755 in Italy, $479 in Thailand. Capital cities: $1,247 in Rome vs $699 in Bangkok.

National salary averages: $1,964 in Italy, $640 in Thailand. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 58% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 181% more in Italy.

Public transport is 378% 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 $1,889 per month in Italy and $1,416 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.