Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rome and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,998 in Rome, rent and utilities included – about $12,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

97

Cost of Living Index in Rome
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Rome Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Rome

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,998

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,998 per month in Rome vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rome $1,998
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $3,117 per month in Rome vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rome $3,117
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $4,236 per month in Rome vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Rome $4,236
Chiang Mai $1,914

Rome costs about 113% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Rome sits 48% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.69 €14.84

$2.26 ฿75.4

638.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$65.8 €58.5

$19.18 ฿641

242.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.08 €9.85

$5.59 ฿187

98.21%

Cappuccino

$2.10 €1.87

$1.72 ฿57.6

22.09%

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

$2.91 €2.59

$0.64 ฿21.54

354.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 €1.32

$0.33 ฿11.18

348.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 €5.00

$2.36 ฿78.7

138.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.68 €5.94

$3.90 ฿130

71.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 €1.53

$2.05 ฿68.6

-16.10%

White Bread (500g)

$2.27 €2.02

$1.40 ฿46.70

62.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.99 €2.66

$1.28 ฿42.89

133.59%

Eggs

$4.75 €4.23

$2.25 ฿75.3

111.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.53 €12.92

$16.94 ฿566

-14.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.63 €11.24

$2.74 ฿91.6

360.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.86 €17.67

$9.36 ฿313

112.18%

Apples (1kg)

$2.64 €2.35

$2.40 ฿80.3

10.00%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 €2.03

$1.01 ฿33.92

125.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.46 €2.19

$1.61 ฿53.9

52.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$1.52 ฿50.7

59.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.38 €1.22

$1.28 ฿42.90

7.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 €1.38

$1.11 ฿37.22

39.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.32 €1.17

$0.72 ฿24.09

83.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.52 ฿17.54

5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.31 €6.50

$4.33 ฿145

68.82%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.44 €4.84

$17.73 ฿593

-69.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 €1.40

$1.63 ฿54.4

-3.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.33

$2.85 ฿95.3

-8.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.63 €1.45

$0.85 ฿28.31

91.76%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.26 €34.92

$53.9 ฿1,801

-27.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.51 €5.79

$1.17 ฿39.18

456.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.68 €1.50

$0.57 ฿19.00

194.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.24 €29.57

$2.37 ฿79.2

1302.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.45 ฿48.32

49.66%

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

$35.3K €31.4K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

72.64%

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

$35.4K €31.5K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

33.61%

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

$203 €181

$62.3 ฿2,083

225.62%

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

$11.50 €10.22

$12.27 ฿410

-6.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.03 €28.49

$19.97 ฿668

60.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$65.9 €58.6

$37.91 ฿1,267

73.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.89 €20.36

$3.76 ฿126

508.78%

Cinema Ticket

$11.23 €9.99

$6.71 ฿224

67.36%

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

$484 €430

$797 ฿26.6K

-39.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.5K €14.7K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

11.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$71.0 €63.1

$53.3 ฿1,780

33.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$36.51 €32.47

$25.05 ฿837

45.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.9 €75.5

$91.6 ฿3,062

-7.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 €108

$73.5 ฿2,455

65.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 €1,087

$464 ฿15.5K

163.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$881 €784

$305 ฿10.2K

189.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,537 €2,257

$915 ฿30.6K

177.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,721 €1,530

$552 ฿18.5K

211.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,274 €7,360

$1,912 ฿63.9K

332.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,084 €2,743

$1,438 ฿48.1K

114.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,942 €1,728

$595 ฿19.9K

226.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.52

5.57

-36.80%

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

Last update for Rome: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rome

$881 44.1%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 65.4% $577

Groceries & Markets

Rome

$329 16.5%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 27.7% $91

Eating Out

Rome

$251 12.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 68.5% $172

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rome

$246 12.3%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 61.6% $152

Clothing & Footwear

Rome

$141 7.1%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 22.5% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Rome

$88 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 41.9% $37

Getting Around

Rome

$61 3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 1% $0.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,222 in Rome versus $464 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 run about 226% higher in Rome, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $66.0 in Rome versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $329 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Rome

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:06 12:06 PM

17:06 5:06 PM

5 h ahead of Rome

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,848,084 Capital

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

Rome Chiang Mai 8,340 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Rome
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

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

Rome costs about 113% 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 $2,998 per month in Rome and $1,408 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $484 per month in Rome and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Rome, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Rome at $1,998. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Rome it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,998 in Rome. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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, Rome makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.