Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pisa and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,257 in Pisa, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Pisa, Italy
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Pisa
🇮🇹 Italy
$2,257
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,257 per month in Pisa vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Pisa $2,257
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,377 per month in Pisa vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Pisa $3,377
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,498 per month in Pisa vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Pisa $4,498
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Pisa costs about 141% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Pisa sits 66% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Pisa
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$20.09 €17.99
$2.24 ฿75.6
796.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$81.0 €72.6
$19.00 ฿641
326.47%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$11.45 €10.25
$5.55 ฿187
106.31%
Cappuccino
$2.09 €1.87
$1.67 ฿56.5
25.15%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.37 €3.02
$0.64 ฿21.54
426.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.40 €1.25
$0.31 ฿10.31
351.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$6.52 €5.84
$2.36 ฿79.5
176.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.38 €3.92
$3.66 ฿124
19.67%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Pisa
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 €1.54
$1.95 ฿65.7
-11.79%
White Bread (500g)
$2.10 €1.88
$1.44 ฿48.46
45.83%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$3.13 €2.80
$1.33 ฿45.03
135.34%
Eggs
$5.41 €4.85
$2.28 ฿77.1
137.28%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$27.47 €24.60
$16.45 ฿555
66.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$16.21 €14.51
$2.78 ฿93.9
483.09%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$25.04 €22.43
$9.31 ฿314
168.96%
Apples (1kg)
$3.03 €2.72
$2.35 ฿79.4
28.94%
Banana (1kg)
$2.08 €1.86
$0.97 ฿32.79
114.43%
Oranges (1kg)
$3.20 €2.87
$1.60 ฿53.9
100.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.23 €2.89
$1.50 ฿50.6
115.33%
Potato (1kg)
$3.05 €2.73
$1.28 ฿43.11
138.28%
Onion (1kg)
$2.16 €1.93
$1.10 ฿37.18
96.36%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.87 €1.67
$0.71 ฿23.82
163.38%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.83 €0.75
$0.49 ฿16.36
69.39%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$7.88 €7.06
$4.14 ฿140
90.34%
Wine (Bottle)
$8.30 €7.44
$17.52 ฿591
-52.63%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.61 €2.34
$1.61 ฿54.5
62.11%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.07 €3.65
$2.78 ฿93.9
46.40%
🚌 Getting Around
Pisa
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.94 €1.74
$0.87 ฿29.30
122.99%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.00 €39.41
$54.1 ฿1,825
-18.65%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$5.64 €5.05
$1.16 ฿39.04
386.21%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.21 €1.98
$0.53 ฿17.80
316.98%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$11.93 €10.69
$2.42 ฿81.7
392.98%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.03 €1.82
$1.45 ฿48.88
40.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$35.5K €31.8K
$21.1K ฿710.5K
68.57%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$37.1K €33.2K
$26.9K ฿909.0K
37.70%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pisa
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$336 €301
$62.2 ฿2,098
440.00%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.23 €10.95
$12.17 ฿411
0.49%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$42.08 €37.69
$20.12 ฿679
109.15%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Pisa
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$47.43 €42.48
$37.31 ฿1,259
27.12%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$24.56 €21.99
$3.77 ฿127
551.46%
Cinema Ticket
$10.55 €9.45
$6.49 ฿219
62.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Pisa
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$651 €583
$736 ฿24.8K
-11.62%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$8,836 €7,913
$14.8K ฿498.2K
-40.16%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Pisa
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$99.2 €88.8
$53.4 ฿1,801
85.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$75.5 €67.6
$24.64 ฿831
206.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$86.6 €77.5
$91.5 ฿3,087
-5.37%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$196 €176
$71.9 ฿2,427
172.55%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Pisa
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,046 €937
$482 ฿16.3K
116.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$807 €723
$309 ฿10.4K
161.25%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,742 €1,560
$1,006 ฿33.9K
73.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,332 €1,193
$633 ฿21.4K
110.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,504 €3,138
$2,363 ฿79.7K
48.26%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,907 €2,603
$1,589 ฿53.6K
82.93%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Pisa
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,686 €1,510
$590 ฿19.9K
185.85%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
3.7
5.57
-33.57%

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

Last update for Pisa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Pisa
$807
Chiang Mai
$309 61.7% $498
Groceries & Markets
Pisa
$436
Chiang Mai
$234 46.3% $202
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Pisa
$390
Chiang Mai
$94 75.8% $296
Eating Out
Pisa
$281
Chiang Mai
$78 72.4% $203
Clothing & Footwear
Pisa
$206
Chiang Mai
$109 47.2% $97
Sport & Entertainment
Pisa
$69
Chiang Mai
$50 26.6% $18
Getting Around
Pisa
$68
Chiang Mai
$61 10.4% $7.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,046 in Pisa 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 Pisa are about 2.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $81 in Pisa versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $436 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇮🇹 Pisa
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
17:10 5:10 PM
23:10 11:10 PM
6 h ahead of Pisa
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
97,888
127,240
💱 Currency
Euro EUR €
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

Euro exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 0.896 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Pisa Chiang Mai 8,470 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Pisa
  • 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
Pisa vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Pisa or Chiang Mai?
Pisa costs about 141% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Pisa and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $3,385 per month in Pisa and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Pisa or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,046 in Pisa.
How do childcare costs compare in Pisa and in Chiang Mai?
Kindergarten costs $651 per month in Pisa and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Pisa or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 86% more in Pisa, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $800/month in Pisa or in Chiang Mai?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,257 in Pisa and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Pisa or Chiang Mai?
It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $2,257 in Pisa. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How safe is Pisa compared to Chiang Mai?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Pisa or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Pisa makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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