Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Monza and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,021 in Monza, rent and utilities included – about $13,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Monza
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Monza Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Monza

🇮🇹 Italy

$2,021

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,021 per month in Monza vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Monza $2,021
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,136 per month in Monza vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Monza $3,136
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,252 per month in Monza vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Monza $4,252
Chiang Mai $1,979

Monza costs about 116% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Monza sits 48% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.91 €19.65

$2.24 ฿75.6

878.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.6 €81.3

$19.00 ฿641

376.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.06 €9.92

$5.55 ฿187

99.28%

Cappuccino

$1.80 €1.62

$1.67 ฿56.5

7.78%

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

$3.61 €3.23

$0.64 ฿21.54

464.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.29 €1.16

$0.31 ฿10.31

316.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.53 €4.96

$2.36 ฿79.5

134.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.11 €5.48

$3.66 ฿124

66.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 €1.30

$1.95 ฿65.7

-25.64%

White Bread (500g)

$2.26 €2.03

$1.44 ฿48.46

56.94%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.54 €3.17

$1.33 ฿45.03

166.17%

Eggs

$3.40 €3.05

$2.28 ฿77.1

49.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$22.77 €20.42

$16.45 ฿555

38.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$13.94 €12.50

$2.78 ฿93.9

401.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.69 €20.36

$9.31 ฿314

143.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 €2.43

$2.35 ฿79.4

15.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.78 €1.59

$0.97 ฿32.79

83.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.26 €2.92

$1.60 ฿53.9

103.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.26 €2.93

$1.50 ฿50.6

117.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.10 €1.88

$1.28 ฿43.11

64.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.98 €1.78

$1.10 ฿37.18

80.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.81 €1.63

$0.71 ฿23.82

154.93%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 €0.59

$0.49 ฿16.36

34.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.65 €5.96

$4.14 ฿140

60.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.55 €4.98

$17.52 ฿591

-68.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 €1.70

$1.61 ฿54.5

18.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 €1.98

$2.78 ฿93.9

-20.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.95 €2.65

$0.87 ฿29.30

239.08%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$66.0 €59.2

$54.1 ฿1,825

21.96%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$7.89 €7.08

$1.16 ฿39.04

580.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 €1.09

$0.53 ฿17.80

130.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$34.21 €30.69

$2.42 ฿81.7

1313.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.02 €1.81

$1.45 ฿48.88

39.31%

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

$36.6K €32.8K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

73.71%

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

$35.7K €32.1K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

32.64%

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

$195 €175

$62.2 ฿2,098

213.62%

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

$10.31 €9.25

$12.17 ฿411

-15.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$27.59 €24.75

$20.12 ฿679

37.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.27 €42.40

$37.31 ฿1,259

26.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$38.42 €34.47

$3.77 ฿127

919.10%

Cinema Ticket

$12.86 €11.54

$6.49 ฿219

98.15%

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

$877 €787

$736 ฿24.8K

19.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K €16.9K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

27.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.9 €81.5

$53.4 ฿1,801

70.26%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.37 €40.69

$24.64 ฿831

84.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 €98.8

$91.5 ฿3,087

20.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$163 €146

$71.9 ฿2,427

126.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,022 €916

$482 ฿16.3K

111.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$775 €695

$309 ฿10.4K

150.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,920 €1,722

$1,006 ฿33.9K

90.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,294 €1,161

$633 ฿21.4K

104.25%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,300 €3,857

$2,363 ฿79.7K

81.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,927 €2,626

$1,589 ฿53.6K

84.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,951 €1,750

$590 ฿19.9K

230.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.62

5.57

-35.01%

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

Last update for Monza: 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

Monza

$775 38.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 60.1% $466

Groceries & Markets

Monza

$375 18.6%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 37.5% $141

Eating Out

Monza

$290 14.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 73.2% $212

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Monza

$233 11.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 59.4% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Monza

$184 9.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 41% $75

Getting Around

Monza

$92 4.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 33.1% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Monza

$73 3.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 31.1% $23

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,022 in Monza 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 Monza are about 3.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $91 in Monza versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $375 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Monza

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:20 9:20 AM

15:20 3:20 PM

6 h ahead of Monza

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

120,204

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Monza Chiang Mai 8,510 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Monza
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

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

Monza costs about 116% 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 $3,031 per month in Monza 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 $1,022 in Monza.

Kindergarten costs $877 per month in Monza 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 60% more in Monza, 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 $2,021 in Monza 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 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, Monza makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.