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: $1,717 in Italy versus $922 in Thailand.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,624 in Italy versus $1,553 in Thailand.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,530 in Italy versus $2,183 in Thailand.

Living in Italy is roughly 86% more expensive than Thailand on average.

Italy (28% above) and Thailand (31% below) straddle the global median.

Italy ($1,170–$2,508) and Thailand ($633–$2,059) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.44 €15.00

$3.17 ฿103

450.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 €68.4

$27.19 ฿888

192.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.76 €10.11

$6.83 ฿223

72.18%

Cappuccino

$2.00 €1.72

$2.07 ฿67.5

-3.38%

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

$3.00 €2.58

$0.67 ฿21.93

347.76%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.16

$0.34 ฿11.17

297.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.94 €5.11

$2.18 ฿71.3

172.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.36 €4.61

$3.71 ฿121

44.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 €1.41

$1.85 ฿60.5

-11.35%

White Bread (500g)

$2.41 €2.07

$1.44 ฿46.92

67.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 €2.58

$1.32 ฿43.15

126.52%

Eggs

$3.96 €3.41

$2.16 ฿70.7

83.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.84 €14.49

$17.10 ฿558

-1.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.43 €10.69

$3.01 ฿98.4

312.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.29 €17.46

$10.71 ฿350

89.45%

Apples (1kg)

$2.47 €2.13

$3.05 ฿99.6

-19.02%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.85

$1.38 ฿44.94

55.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.65 €2.28

$2.02 ฿65.9

31.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.40 €2.92

$1.68 ฿54.8

102.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.92 €1.65

$1.57 ฿51.2

22.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.81 €1.56

$1.29 ฿42.06

40.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.55 €1.33

$1.13 ฿36.77

37.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.46

$0.53 ฿17.42

1.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.79 €5.84

$4.37 ฿143

55.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.18 €6.18

$15.14 ฿494

-52.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.80 €1.55

$1.75 ฿57.0

2.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.42 €2.08

$2.95 ฿96.5

-17.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.00 €1.72

$0.74 ฿24.22

170.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.35 €36.43

$33.08 ฿1,080

28.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.94 €5.11

$1.19 ฿39.02

399.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 €1.30

$1.15 ฿37.59

31.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.04 €29.28

$6.13 ฿200

455.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.05 €1.76

$1.25 ฿40.74

64.00%

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

$32.8K €28.2K

$29.3K ฿956.2K

12.16%

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

$33.7K €29.0K

$27.7K ฿905.6K

21.47%

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

$225 €194

$80.1 ฿2,616

181.45%

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

$13.25 €11.40

$13.97 ฿456

-5.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.95 €26.62

$17.90 ฿585

72.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.7 €47.95

$50.7 ฿1,657

9.90%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.15 €21.63

$10.26 ฿335

145.13%

Cinema Ticket

$10.25 €8.82

$7.42 ฿242

38.14%

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

$576 €495

$414 ฿13.5K

39.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.5K €8,998

$12.7K ฿414.7K

-17.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$91.8 €79.0

$48.31 ฿1,578

90.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.72 €35.03

$34.15 ฿1,115

19.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$98.0 €84.3

$95.7 ฿3,126

2.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €112

$76.3 ฿2,492

71.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$860 €740

$482 ฿15.8K

78.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$667 €573

$266 ฿8,695

150.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,475 €1,269

$1,194 ฿39.0K

23.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,087 €935

$654 ฿21.4K

66.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,850 €3,312

$3,571 ฿116.6K

7.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,359 €2,029

$1,994 ฿65.1K

18.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,933 €1,663

$604 ฿19.7K

220.13%

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: May 31, 2026

Last update for Thailand: June 1, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $743 in Italy, $452 in Thailand. Capital cities: $1,325 in Rome vs $669 in Bangkok.

National salary averages: $1,949 in Italy, $666 in Thailand. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 64% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 164% more in Italy.

Public transport is 450% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are 193% higher in Italy, giving Italy stronger purchasing power.

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 $1,839 per month in Italy and $1,346 in Thailand, there's a 37% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Thailand is simply cheaper day-to-day: 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 beats 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 works in regional areas but 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.