Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Siena and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,836 in Siena, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Siena
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Siena Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Siena

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,836

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,836 per month in Siena vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Siena $1,836
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,784 per month in Siena vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Siena $2,784
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,733 per month in Siena vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Siena $3,733
Chiang Mai $1,914

Siena costs about 96% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Siena sits 36% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$15.36 €13.66

$2.26 ฿75.4

579.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$90.9 €80.9

$19.18 ฿641

373.93%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.54 €12.05

$5.59 ฿187

142.22%

Cappuccino

$1.89 €1.68

$1.72 ฿57.6

9.88%

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

$2.96 €2.63

$0.64 ฿21.54

362.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 €1.26

$0.33 ฿11.18

327.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.19 €5.51

$2.36 ฿78.7

162.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.59 €4.98

$3.90 ฿130

43.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 €1.29

$2.05 ฿68.6

-29.27%

White Bread (500g)

$2.24 €2.00

$1.40 ฿46.70

60.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 €1.46

$1.28 ฿42.89

28.12%

Eggs

$4.03 €3.58

$2.25 ฿75.3

79.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.54 €12.04

$16.94 ฿566

-20.07%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.93 €10.61

$2.74 ฿91.6

335.40%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$21.56 €19.18

$9.36 ฿313

130.34%

Apples (1kg)

$2.57 €2.29

$2.40 ฿80.3

7.08%

Banana (1kg)

$2.15 €1.91

$1.01 ฿33.92

112.87%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.13 €2.79

$1.61 ฿53.9

94.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$1.52 ฿50.7

107.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.82 €1.62

$1.28 ฿42.90

42.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 €1.40

$1.11 ฿37.22

41.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.37 €1.22

$0.72 ฿24.09

90.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 €0.46

$0.52 ฿17.54

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.66 €5.93

$4.33 ฿145

53.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.53 €5.81

$17.73 ฿593

-63.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 €1.34

$1.63 ฿54.4

-7.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 €2.33

$2.85 ฿95.3

-8.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.94 €1.73

$0.85 ฿28.31

128.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.73 €37.12

$53.9 ฿1,801

-22.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$6.45 €5.74

$1.17 ฿39.18

451.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.39 €1.24

$0.57 ฿19.00

143.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.32 €28.74

$2.37 ฿79.2

1263.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.08 €1.85

$1.45 ฿48.32

43.45%

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

$27.6K €24.6K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

34.80%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

34.08%

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

$194 €173

$62.3 ฿2,083

211.70%

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

$13.47 €11.98

$12.27 ฿410

9.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.20 €27.75

$19.97 ฿668

56.23%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.4 €62.7

$37.91 ฿1,267

85.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$11.30 €10.05

$6.71 ฿224

68.41%

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

$576 €513

$797 ฿26.6K

-27.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.7K €13.1K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-0.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$84.0 €74.7

$53.3 ฿1,780

57.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.04 €32.95

$25.05 ฿837

47.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.9 €85.3

$91.6 ฿3,062

4.72%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 €95.0

$73.5 ฿2,455

45.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,138 €1,013

$464 ฿15.5K

145.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$725 €645

$305 ฿10.2K

137.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,720 €1,530

$915 ฿30.6K

87.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €998

$552 ฿18.5K

103.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,381 €3,897

$1,912 ฿63.9K

129.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,930 €3,495

$1,438 ฿48.1K

173.20%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,882 €1,674

$595 ฿19.9K

216.19%

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 Siena: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Siena

$725 39.5%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 58% $420

Groceries & Markets

Siena

$325 17.7%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 26.7% $87

Eating Out

Siena

$246 13.4%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 67.9% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Siena

$239 13%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 60.4% $144

Clothing & Footwear

Siena

$146 7.9%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 24.8% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Siena

$93 5.1%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 44.8% $42

Getting Around

Siena

$63 3.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 2.5% $1.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,138 in Siena 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 216% higher in Siena, 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 $91.0 in Siena versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $325 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Siena

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

23:58 11:58 PM

04:58 4:58 AM

5 h ahead of Siena

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

53,903

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

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Between locations

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

From you

Siena
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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

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

Siena costs about 96% 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 $2,754 per month in Siena 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 $576 per month in Siena 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 36% more in Siena, 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 Siena at $1,836. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Siena it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,836 in Siena. 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, Siena makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.