Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ostia and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,781 in Ostia, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Ostia
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Ostia Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ostia

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,781

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,781 per month in Ostia vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ostia $1,781
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $2,646 per month in Ostia vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ostia $2,646
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $3,510 per month in Ostia vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ostia $3,510
Chiang Mai $1,999

Ostia costs about 90% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ostia sits 32% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.85 €15.89

$2.13 ฿71.4

738.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$67.4 €60.0

$18.62 ฿623

261.92%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.10 €9.89

$5.60 ฿187

98.21%

Cappuccino

$2.19 €1.95

$1.66 ฿55.6

31.93%

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

$2.54 €2.26

$0.65 ฿21.63

290.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.30 ฿10.20

350.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.43 €4.84

$2.32 ฿77.7

134.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.46 €4.86

$3.67 ฿123

48.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 €1.56

$2.02 ฿67.4

-12.87%

White Bread (500g)

$2.22 €1.98

$1.41 ฿47.08

57.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$1.39 ฿46.54

115.11%

Eggs

$4.67 €4.15

$2.37 ฿79.2

97.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.58 €13.87

$16.52 ฿552

-5.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.08 €10.76

$2.67 ฿89.3

352.43%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.04 €17.85

$9.02 ฿302

122.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$2.40 ฿80.2

8.75%

Banana (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$1.04 ฿34.82

99.04%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.34 €2.08

$1.66 ฿55.5

40.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.61 €2.32

$1.56 ฿52.1

67.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.60 €1.43

$1.24 ฿41.39

29.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 €1.53

$1.09 ฿36.34

56.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.34 €1.19

$0.76 ฿25.47

76.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 €0.53

$0.51 ฿17.19

15.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.67 €5.93

$4.12 ฿138

61.89%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.69 €5.07

$17.93 ฿600

-68.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 €1.42

$1.62 ฿54.3

-1.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.68 €2.39

$2.82 ฿94.4

-4.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.64 €1.46

$0.93 ฿31.25

76.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.62 €34.39

$52.9 ฿1,769

-26.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.38 €3.90

$1.18 ฿39.35

271.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.36 €1.21

$0.17 ฿5.73

700.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$23.53 €20.95

$1.81 ฿60.6

1200.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.47 ฿49.25

47.62%

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

$34.7K €30.9K

$21.0K ฿702.6K

65.10%

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

$36.6K €32.6K

$26.5K ฿886.7K

37.91%

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

$198 €176

$62.6 ฿2,092

216.70%

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

$9.63 €8.58

$11.60 ฿388

-16.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.68 €28.20

$20.30 ฿679

56.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.0 €49.89

$37.88 ฿1,267

47.91%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.37 €10.12

$3.70 ฿124

207.30%

Cinema Ticket

$10.15 €9.03

$6.51 ฿218

55.91%

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

$452 €403

$727 ฿24.3K

-37.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,937 €7,958

$16.6K ฿554.2K

-46.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$76.0 €67.7

$53.5 ฿1,790

42.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.63 €33.51

$24.80 ฿829

51.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.4 €81.4

$90.4 ฿3,023

1.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$72.0 ฿2,407

72.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$847 €754

$481 ฿16.1K

76.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$673 €600

$310 ฿10.4K

117.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,108 €986

$1,058 ฿35.4K

4.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 €898

$659 ฿22.0K

53.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,204 €2,853

$2,418 ฿80.8K

32.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,481 €2,209

$1,609 ฿53.8K

54.24%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,008 €1,788

$595 ฿19.9K

237.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

5.57

-37.16%

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

Last update for Ostia: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Ostia

$674 37.8%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 54% $364

Groceries & Markets

Ostia

$331 18.6%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 28.5% $94

Eating Out

Ostia

$256 14.4%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 70.1% $179

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ostia

$239 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 60.5% $145

Clothing & Footwear

Ostia

$148 8.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 26.9% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Ostia

$76 4.3%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 33.3% $25

Getting Around

Ostia

$56 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 4.1% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $847 in Ostia versus $481 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 Ostia are about 3.4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $67 in Ostia versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $331 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Ostia

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

11:28 11:28 AM

17:28 5:28 PM

6 h ahead of Ostia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,400

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Between locations

Ostia Chiang Mai 8,370 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Ostia
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

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

Ostia costs about 90% 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 $2,671 per month in Ostia 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 $481 there versus $847 in Ostia.

Kindergarten costs $452 per month in Ostia and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% more in Ostia, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,781 in Ostia and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,781 in Ostia. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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