Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lecce and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,445 in Lecce, rent and utilities included – about $6,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

70

Cost of Living Index in Lecce
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Lecce Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Lecce

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,445

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lecce 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 Lecce and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,445 per month in Lecce vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lecce $1,445
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,321 per month in Lecce vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lecce $2,321
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $3,196 per month in Lecce vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lecce $3,196
Chiang Mai $1,979

Lecce costs about 54% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Lecce sits 6% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.84 €15.13

$2.24 ฿75.7

651.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.1 €61.2

$19.00 ฿642

258.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.18 €9.15

$5.55 ฿188

83.42%

Cappuccino

$1.98 €1.78

$1.67 ฿56.6

18.56%

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

$2.16 €1.94

$0.64 ฿21.56

237.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.09 €0.98

$0.31 ฿10.32

251.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.87 €3.47

$2.36 ฿79.6

63.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.41 €3.06

$3.66 ฿124

-6.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.29

$1.95 ฿65.8

-26.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.82 €1.64

$1.44 ฿48.51

26.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.27 €2.04

$1.33 ฿45.07

70.68%

Eggs

$2.50 €2.25

$2.28 ฿77.1

9.65%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.38 €11.12

$16.45 ฿556

-24.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.26 €10.12

$2.78 ฿94.0

305.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.31 €14.65

$9.31 ฿314

75.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.11 €1.89

$2.35 ฿79.5

-10.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.94 €1.74

$0.97 ฿32.82

100.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.92 €1.72

$1.60 ฿53.9

20.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.50 €3.15

$1.50 ฿50.7

133.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.65 €1.48

$1.28 ฿43.15

28.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 €1.45

$1.10 ฿37.22

46.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.19 €1.07

$0.71 ฿23.84

67.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.38 €0.34

$0.49 ฿16.38

-22.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.86 €6.16

$4.14 ฿140

65.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.73 €6.05

$17.52 ฿592

-61.59%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.43 €1.29

$1.61 ฿54.5

-11.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.46 €2.21

$2.78 ฿94.0

-11.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.37 €1.23

$0.87 ฿29.33

57.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.53 €4.96

$1.16 ฿39.08

376.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.19 €1.97

$0.53 ฿17.82

313.21%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.41 €21.03

$2.42 ฿81.8

867.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.45 ฿48.93

44.14%

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

$35.7K €32.1K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

69.42%

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

$35.6K €32.0K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

32.06%

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

$170 €153

$62.2 ฿2,100

173.52%

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

$11.62 €10.44

$12.17 ฿411

-4.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.90 €25.06

$20.12 ฿680

38.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$80.6 €72.4

$37.31 ฿1,260

116.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$56.3 €50.5

$3.77 ฿127

1392.04%

Cinema Ticket

$8.61 €7.73

$6.49 ฿219

32.67%

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

$567 €509

$736 ฿24.9K

-23.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,021 €4,510

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-65.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$82.0 €73.7

$53.4 ฿1,802

53.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.10 €43.21

$24.64 ฿832

95.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$88.0 €79.1

$91.5 ฿3,089

-3.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.1 €70.1

$71.9 ฿2,429

8.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$603 €542

$482 ฿16.3K

25.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$470 €422

$309 ฿10.4K

52.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,205 €1,083

$1,006 ฿34.0K

19.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$903 €811

$633 ฿21.4K

42.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,050 €2,740

$2,363 ฿79.8K

29.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,579 €1,418

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-0.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,602 €1,439

$590 ฿19.9K

171.57%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.82

5.57

-13.46%

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

Last update for Lecce: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lecce

$470 32.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 34.3% $161

Groceries & Markets

Lecce

$284 19.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 17.6% $50

Eating Out

Lecce

$228 15.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 66% $151

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lecce

$210 14.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 54.9% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Lecce

$133 9.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 18.5% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Lecce

$98 6.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 48.6% $48

Getting Around

Lecce

$22 * 1.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 179% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $603 in Lecce 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 Lecce are about 2.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Lecce versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $284 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Lecce

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:45 6:45 PM

00:45 12:45 AM

6 h ahead of Lecce

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

94,773

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Lecce Chiang Mai 7,910 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Lecce
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

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

Lecce costs about 54% 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 $2,168 per month in Lecce 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 $603 in Lecce.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $68 in Lecce 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 21% more in Lecce, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,445 in Lecce and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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