Measurement units Temperature, distance and clock format
Last update: Nov 2026
Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Thailand
For one person, living is cheaper in Thailand: $983 a month against $1,832 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.
Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Italy and in Thailand actually costs, broken down by who's living it.
Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,832 in Italy versus $983 in Thailand.
Italy $1,832
Thailand $983
Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,809 in Italy versus $1,628 in Thailand.
Italy $2,809
Thailand $1,628
Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,787 in Italy versus $2,273 in Thailand.
Italy $3,787
Thailand $2,273
📏
Italy ($1,163–$2,537) and Thailand ($610–$2,253) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.
🌍
Living in Italy is roughly 86% more expensive than in Thailand on average.
📊
Italy (35% above) and Thailand (27% below) straddle the global median.
Currency
No currencies found
🍽 Eating Out
Italy
Thailand
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.47€18.22
$3.06฿102
568.95%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$78.9€70.2
$26.16฿875
201.57%
Fast Food Meal(McDonalds, etc)
$11.23€10.00
$6.48฿217
73.30%
Cappuccino
$2.04€1.82
$2.01฿67.3
1.49%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite(0.33 liter bottle)
$3.09€2.75
$0.70฿23.45
341.43%
Water(0.33 liter bottle)
$1.34€1.19
$0.35฿11.78
282.86%
Local Beer(0.5 liter draught)
$5.71€5.09
$2.16฿72.3
164.35%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$5.43€4.83
$3.67฿123
47.96%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Italy
Thailand
Difference
Milk(1 liter)
$1.57€1.40
$1.76฿59.0
-10.80%
White Bread(500g)
$2.39€2.13
$1.34฿44.75
78.36%
Rice(white)(1kg)
$2.85€2.54
$1.25฿41.78
128.00%
Eggs
$4.19€3.73
$2.14฿71.7
95.79%
Local Cheese(1kg)
$17.06€15.19
$16.67฿558
2.34%
Chicken Fillets(1kg)
$12.49€11.12
$3.04฿102
310.86%
Beef Round Steak(1kg)
$20.30€18.08
$10.71฿358
89.54%
Apples(1kg)
$2.61€2.33
$2.85฿95.2
-8.42%
Banana(1kg)
$2.18€1.94
$1.24฿41.34
75.81%
Oranges(1kg)
$2.59€2.30
$2.10฿70.3
23.33%
Tomato(1kg)
$3.31€2.95
$1.80฿60.1
83.89%
Potato(1kg)
$2.01€1.79
$1.48฿49.63
35.81%
Onion(1kg)
$1.82€1.62
$1.32฿44.11
37.88%
Lettuce(1 head)
$1.57€1.40
$1.13฿37.82
38.94%
Water(1.5 liter bottle)
$0.52€0.46
$0.49฿16.29
6.12%
Cigarettes 20 Pack(Marlboro, Camel)
$6.74€6.00
$4.23฿141
59.34%
Wine(Bottle)
$7.91€7.04
$17.13฿573
-53.82%
Local Beer(0.5 liter bottle)
$1.76€1.56
$1.75฿58.6
0.57%
Imported Beer(0.33 liter bottle)
$2.36€2.10
$2.68฿89.8
-11.94%
🚌 Getting Around
Italy
Thailand
Difference
One-way Ticket(Public Transport)
$1.95€1.74
$0.92฿30.62
111.96%
Public Transport Monthly Pass(Regular Price)
$42.83€38.13
$35.30฿1,180
21.33%
Taxi Start(Normal Tariff)
$5.53€4.92
$1.22฿40.91
353.28%
Taxi(Normal Tariff)(1km)
$1.71€1.52
$1.13฿37.83
51.33%
Taxi 1hour Waiting(Normal Tariff)
$33.80€30.10
$5.90฿197
472.88%
Gasoline(1 liter)
$2.08€1.85
$1.35฿45.09
54.07%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l(Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$36.0K€32.0K
$31.4K฿1.0M
14.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l(Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.2K€33.1K
$26.6K฿888.3K
39.97%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Italy
Thailand
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment(Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage)(85m2)
$231€206
$81.3฿2,719
184.55%
SIM Card Monthly Plan(Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.80€10.51
$12.11฿405
-2.56%
Internet(50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$29.94€26.65
$18.57฿621
61.23%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Italy
Thailand
Difference
Gym Membership(Monthly)
$53.0€47.22
$49.92฿1,669
6.23%
Tennis Court(1 Hour on Weekend)
$23.61€21.02
$11.48฿384
105.66%
Cinema Ticket
$10.75€9.57
$6.33฿212
69.83%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Italy
Thailand
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child(Monthly)
$566€504
$559฿18.7K
1.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child(Yearly)
$17.6K€15.7K
$20.8K฿694.7K
-15.34%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Italy
Thailand
Difference
Jeans(Levis 501 Or Similar)
$90.8€80.9
$51.3฿1,714
77.21%
Summer Dress(H&M, Zara, etc)
$38.57€34.35
$31.71฿1,060
21.63%
Sport Shoes(Adidas, Nike)
$103€91.9
$87.2฿2,917
18.31%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$130€115
$79.2฿2,647
63.82%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Italy
Thailand
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$829€738
$495฿16.6K
67.47%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$630€561
$313฿10.5K
101.37%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center(Monthly)
$1,377€1,226
$1,381฿46.2K
-0.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center(Monthly)
$1,050€935
$807฿27.0K
30.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center(m2)
$3,650€3,250
$3,584฿119.8K
1.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center(m2)
$2,306€2,054
$2,100฿70.2K
9.82%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Italy
Thailand
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary(After Tax)
$1,951€1,737
$566฿18.9K
244.51%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate(Annual %)
3.55
5.67
-37.39%
CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.
Last update for Italy: November 2, 2026
Last update for Thailand: November 3, 2026
Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Share of the monthly basket for a family of three, rent included.
🏠Accommodation & Living
Italy
$630 34.4%
Thailand
$313 31.9% ↓ 50.3%$317
🛒Groceries & Markets
Italy
$347 18.9%
Thailand
$247 25.1% ↓ 28.8%$100
🍽Eating Out
Italy
$279 15.2%
Thailand
$90 9.2% ↓ 67.6%$189
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Italy
$273 14.9%
Thailand
$112 11.4% ↓ 59%$161
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Italy
$163 8.9%
Thailand
$112 11.4% ↓ 31.2%$51
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Italy
$75 4.1%
Thailand
$63 6.4% ↓ 16%$12
🚌Getting Around
Italy
$65 3.5%
Thailand
$46 4.7% ↓ 29.1%$19
🏠Accommodation & Living
Italy
$1.1K 27.7%
Thailand
$807 35.5% ↓ 23.2%$243
🛒Groceries & Markets
Italy
$821 21.7%
Thailand
$557 24.5% ↓ 32.1%$264
🍽Eating Out
Italy
$962 25.4%
Thailand
$305 13.4% ↓ 68.3%$657
🧾Monthly Utilities & Internet
Italy
$285 7.5%
Thailand
$124 5.5% ↓ 56.4%$161
👕👟Clothing & Footwear
Italy
$362 9.6%
Thailand
$249 11% ↓ 31.2%$113
🎉Sport & Entertainment
Italy
$173 4.6%
Thailand
$137 6% ↓ 20.9%$36
🚌Getting Around
Italy
$133 3.5%
Thailand
$94 4.1% ↓ 29.9%$40
Cost Breakdown
🏠National rent averages: $728 in Italy, $475 in Thailand. Capital cities: $1,348 in Rome vs $710 in Bangkok.
💰National salary averages: $1,908 in Italy, $609 in Thailand. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.
Cost Highlights
⭐Rent is 53% higher in Italy.
⭐Dining out costs 181% more in Italy.
⭐Salaries are about 3.1 times higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.
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
Italy vs Thailand: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost difference between Italy and Thailand?
At $1,832 per month in Italy and $983 in Thailand, Thailand comes out about 46% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Which country has higher housing costs?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $728 in Italy and $475 in Thailand. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
Is $2,000 a realistic budget in Italy or in Thailand?
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.
Should I move to Italy or to Thailand?
It depends on what you’re after: Thailand wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.