Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thailand and Italy

For one person, living is cheaper in Thailand: $990 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $10,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Thailand
Italy
🇹🇭 Thailand
$990
/mo nomad
🇮🇹 Italy
$1,843
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Thailand and in Italy

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Thailand and in Italy actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $990 in Thailand versus $1,843 in Italy.

  • Thailand $990
  • Italy $1,843

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,614 in Thailand versus $2,816 in Italy.

  • Thailand $1,614
  • Italy $2,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,238 in Thailand versus $3,788 in Italy.

  • Thailand $2,238
  • Italy $3,788

Thailand ($608–$2,241) and Italy ($1,038–$2,555) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Thailand costs about 46% less than in Italy on average.

Thailand (27% below) and Italy (35% above) straddle the global median.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Thailand
Italy
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.98 ฿101
$20.46 €18.35
-85.43%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$26.37 ฿890
$79.5 €71.3
-66.83%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.69 ฿226
$11.15 €10.00
-40.00%
Cappuccino
$2.02 ฿68.0
$2.04 €1.83
-0.98%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.66 ฿22.18
$3.10 €2.78
-78.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.33 ฿11.11
$1.40 €1.25
-76.43%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.26 ฿76.4
$5.51 €4.95
-58.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.65 ฿123
$5.74 €5.15
-36.41%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Thailand
Italy
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.79 ฿60.4
$1.57 €1.41
14.01%
White Bread (500g)
$1.34 ฿45.11
$2.38 €2.14
-43.70%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.23 ฿41.34
$2.90 €2.60
-57.59%
Eggs
$2.03 ฿68.5
$4.07 €3.65
-50.12%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.57 ฿559
$17.44 €15.64
-4.99%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.98 ฿100
$12.56 €11.26
-76.27%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.84 ฿366
$20.17 €18.09
-46.26%
Apples (1kg)
$2.96 ฿100.0
$2.58 €2.32
14.73%
Banana (1kg)
$1.26 ฿42.40
$2.19 €1.96
-42.47%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.03 ฿68.4
$2.68 €2.40
-24.25%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.71 ฿57.8
$3.27 €2.93
-47.71%
Potato (1kg)
$1.47 ฿49.56
$1.90 €1.71
-22.63%
Onion (1kg)
$1.32 ฿44.38
$1.82 €1.63
-27.47%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.14 ฿38.44
$1.57 €1.41
-27.39%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.48 ฿16.32
$0.55 €0.49
-12.73%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.27 ฿144
$6.69 €6.00
-36.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$16.99 ฿573
$7.99 €7.16
112.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.66 ฿56.1
$1.77 €1.59
-6.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.74 ฿92.6
$2.35 €2.11
16.60%
🚌 Getting Around
Thailand
Italy
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.91 ฿30.84
$1.91 €1.71
-52.36%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$34.94 ฿1,179
$43.44 €38.96
-19.57%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.16 ฿39.25
$5.62 €5.04
-79.36%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.16 ฿39.01
$1.71 €1.54
-32.16%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.77 ฿195
$33.64 €30.17
-82.85%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.34 ฿45.28
$2.03 €1.82
-33.99%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K ฿1.0M
$35.3K €31.7K
-13.18%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.6K ฿896.9K
$36.7K €33.0K
-27.67%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Thailand
Italy
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$81.7 ฿2,757
$227 €203
-63.92%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.47 ฿421
$11.59 €10.40
7.59%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.20 ฿614
$30.38 €27.25
-40.09%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Thailand
Italy
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.2 ฿1,692
$51.8 €46.44
-3.13%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$11.64 ฿393
$23.70 €21.26
-50.89%
Cinema Ticket
$6.41 ฿216
$10.60 €9.51
-39.53%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Thailand
Italy
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$558 ฿18.8K
$568 €509
-1.69%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K ฿415.3K
$11.5K €10.3K
6.81%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Thailand
Italy
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$52.3 ฿1,765
$90.5 €81.2
-42.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.83 ฿1,074
$38.55 €34.58
-17.43%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$88.2 ฿2,977
$103 €92.1
-14.05%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.5 ฿2,649
$131 €118
-40.06%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Thailand
Italy
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$495 ฿16.7K
$826 €740
-40.03%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$320 ฿10.8K
$646 €580
-50.53%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,355 ฿45.7K
$1,400 €1,256
-3.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$771 ฿26.0K
$1,054 €946
-26.90%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,611 ฿121.8K
$3,662 €3,285
-1.39%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,072 ฿69.9K
$2,301 €2,064
-9.95%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Thailand
Italy
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$562 ฿19.0K
$1,886 €1,692
-70.22%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.67
3.56
59.27%

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

Last update for Thailand: October 25, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Thailand
$320
Italy
$646 102% $327
Groceries & Markets
Thailand
$246
Italy
$348 41.6% $102
Clothing & Footwear
Thailand
$113
Italy
$163 44.6% $50
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Thailand
$112
Italy
$269 139% $156
Eating Out
Thailand
$91
Italy
$279 207% $188
Sport & Entertainment
Thailand
$63
Italy
$73 15.9% $10
Getting Around
Thailand
$46
Italy
$65 43.3% $20

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $463 in Thailand, $729 in Italy. Capital cities: $713 in Bangkok vs $1,297 in Rome.

National salary averages: $612 in Thailand, $1,890 in Italy. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 57% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 170% more in Italy.

Salaries are about 3.1 times higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Thailand
🇮🇹 Italy
🕒 Local time
15:19 3:19 PM
09:19 9:19 AM
6 h behind Thailand
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
66,188,503
58,850,717
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Euro EUR €
Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to THB – Thai Baht Converter

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.55 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 0.897 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

On the map
Between locations
  • Thailand Italy 8,830 km ≈ 12 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Thailand
  • Italy

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
Thailand vs Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost difference between Italy and Thailand?
At $1,843 per month in Italy and $990 in Thailand, there’s a 86% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.
Which country has higher housing costs?
Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $729 in Italy and $463 in Thailand. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.
Should I move to Italy or to Thailand?
It depends on what you’re after: Thailand wins on affordability; Italy may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.

Thailand vs other spots: cost of living compared

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