Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Modena and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,881 in Modena, rent and utilities included – about $11,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Modena
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Modena Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Modena

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,881

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,881 per month in Modena vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Modena $1,881
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,040 per month in Modena vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Modena $3,040
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,200 per month in Modena vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Modena $4,200
Chiang Mai $1,979

Modena costs about 101% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Modena sits 38% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.58 €20.28

$2.24 ฿75.7

908.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$87.9 €78.9

$19.00 ฿642

362.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.18 €11.84

$5.55 ฿188

137.48%

Cappuccino

$1.89 €1.70

$1.67 ฿56.6

13.17%

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

$2.94 €2.64

$0.64 ฿21.56

359.37%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 €1.39

$0.31 ฿10.32

400.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.59 €5.92

$2.36 ฿79.6

179.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.75 €5.17

$3.66 ฿124

57.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 €1.31

$1.95 ฿65.8

-25.13%

White Bread (500g)

$2.54 €2.29

$1.44 ฿48.51

76.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 €1.50

$1.33 ฿45.07

24.81%

Eggs

$4.92 €4.42

$2.28 ฿77.1

115.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.46 €18.37

$16.45 ฿556

24.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.82 €12.41

$2.78 ฿94.0

397.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.61 €19.41

$9.31 ฿314

132.12%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 €2.32

$2.35 ฿79.5

9.79%

Banana (1kg)

$2.55 €2.29

$0.97 ฿32.82

162.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.28 €2.94

$1.60 ฿53.9

105.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.06 €2.75

$1.50 ฿50.7

104.00%

Potato (1kg)

$2.46 €2.21

$1.28 ฿43.15

92.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 €1.49

$1.10 ฿37.22

50.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.36 €1.23

$0.71 ฿23.84

91.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 €0.60

$0.49 ฿16.38

36.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.51 €5.85

$4.14 ฿140

57.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.00 €8.09

$17.52 ฿592

-48.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 €1.38

$1.61 ฿54.5

-4.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.36

$2.78 ฿94.0

-5.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.21 €1.98

$0.87 ฿29.33

154.02%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$37.38 €33.58

$54.1 ฿1,827

-30.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.41 €5.76

$1.16 ฿39.08

452.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 €1.26

$0.53 ฿17.82

164.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$31.81 €28.57

$2.42 ฿81.8

1214.46%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.09 €1.87

$1.45 ฿48.93

44.14%

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

$37.0K €33.2K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

75.48%

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

$35.4K €31.8K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

31.34%

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

$195 €175

$62.2 ฿2,100

213.90%

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

$13.10 €11.76

$12.17 ฿411

7.64%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.99 €27.83

$20.12 ฿680

54.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$71.2 €63.9

$37.31 ฿1,260

90.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.60 €20.31

$3.77 ฿127

499.47%

Cinema Ticket

$10.96 €9.84

$6.49 ฿219

68.88%

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

$763 €686

$736 ฿24.9K

3.70%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.3K €13.7K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

3.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$85.1 €76.5

$53.4 ฿1,802

59.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.41 €37.20

$24.64 ฿832

68.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.9 €87.1

$91.5 ฿3,089

5.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$108 €96.9

$71.9 ฿2,429

49.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$856 €769

$482 ฿16.3K

77.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$661 €594

$309 ฿10.4K

113.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,716 €1,541

$1,006 ฿34.0K

70.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,336 €1,200

$633 ฿21.4K

110.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,557 €3,195

$2,363 ฿79.8K

50.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,291 €2,058

$1,589 ฿53.7K

44.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,028 €1,821

$590 ฿19.9K

243.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.29

5.57

-40.93%

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

Last update for Modena: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Modena

$661 35.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 53.3% $352

Groceries & Markets

Modena

$373 19.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 37.2% $139

Eating Out

Modena

$305 16.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 74.6% $228

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Modena

$239 12.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 60.5% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Modena

$149 7.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 27.1% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Modena

$93 5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 46% $43

Getting Around

Modena

$60 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 3% $1.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $856 in Modena 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 Modena are about 3.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $88 in Modena versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $373 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Modena

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

21:34 9:34 PM

03:34 3:34 AM

6 h ahead of Modena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

184,973

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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Highest

Between locations

Modena Chiang Mai 8,400 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Modena
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

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

Modena costs about 101% 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 $2,821 per month in Modena 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 $856 in Modena.

Kindergarten costs $763 per month in Modena and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 59% more in Modena, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,881 in Modena and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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