Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Trieste and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,896 in Trieste, rent and utilities included – about $11,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

92

Cost of Living Index in Trieste
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Trieste Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Trieste

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,896

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,896 per month in Trieste vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Trieste $1,896
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $2,854 per month in Trieste vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Trieste $2,854
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $3,812 per month in Trieste vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Trieste $3,812
Chiang Mai $1,914

Trieste costs about 102% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Trieste sits 40% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 30% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.88 €19.46

$2.26 ฿75.4

868.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.7 €65.6

$19.18 ฿641

284.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.25 €11.79

$5.59 ฿187

137.03%

Cappuccino

$2.16 €1.92

$1.72 ฿57.6

25.58%

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

$3.62 €3.22

$0.64 ฿21.54

465.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 €2.02

$0.33 ฿11.18

590.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.07

$2.36 ฿78.7

141.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.71 €5.08

$3.90 ฿130

46.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 €1.93

$2.05 ฿68.6

5.85%

White Bread (500g)

$3.10 €2.76

$1.40 ฿46.70

121.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.69 €3.28

$1.28 ฿42.89

188.28%

Eggs

$4.20 €3.73

$2.25 ฿75.3

86.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.99 €13.34

$16.94 ฿566

-11.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.45 €10.18

$2.74 ฿91.6

317.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.55 €15.61

$9.36 ฿313

87.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.63 €2.34

$2.40 ฿80.3

9.58%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 €1.94

$1.01 ฿33.92

115.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.15 €2.80

$1.61 ฿53.9

95.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.29 €3.82

$1.52 ฿50.7

182.24%

Potato (1kg)

$2.35 €2.09

$1.28 ฿42.90

83.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.42 €2.15

$1.11 ฿37.22

118.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.24 €1.99

$0.72 ฿24.09

211.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.78 €0.69

$0.52 ฿17.54

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 €5.83

$4.33 ฿145

51.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.78 €6.92

$17.73 ฿593

-56.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.81 €1.61

$1.63 ฿54.4

11.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 €2.22

$2.85 ฿95.3

-12.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.65 €1.47

$0.85 ฿28.31

94.12%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.35 €37.67

$53.9 ฿1,801

-21.43%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.74 €7.78

$1.17 ฿39.18

647.01%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.88 €1.67

$0.57 ฿19.00

229.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$32.93 €29.29

$2.37 ฿79.2

1289.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.12 €1.88

$1.45 ฿48.32

46.21%

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

$35.9K €31.9K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

75.33%

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

$35.5K €31.6K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

33.81%

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

$220 €196

$62.3 ฿2,083

252.69%

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

$9.80 €8.72

$12.27 ฿410

-20.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.59 €27.21

$19.97 ฿668

53.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.5 €45.81

$37.91 ฿1,267

35.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$41.56 €36.97

$3.76 ฿126

1005.32%

Cinema Ticket

$8.70 €7.74

$6.71 ฿224

29.66%

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

$790 €703

$797 ฿26.6K

-0.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.2K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-22.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$109 €97.2

$53.3 ฿1,780

105.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.27 €30.49

$25.05 ฿837

36.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 €101

$91.6 ฿3,062

23.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$132 €117

$73.5 ฿2,455

79.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$824 €733

$464 ฿15.5K

77.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$661 €588

$305 ฿10.2K

117.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,349 €1,200

$915 ฿30.6K

47.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,008 €897

$552 ฿18.5K

82.54%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,597 €3,200

$1,912 ฿63.9K

88.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,146 €1,909

$1,438 ฿48.1K

49.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,874 €1,667

$595 ฿19.9K

214.84%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.26

5.57

-41.47%

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

Last update for Trieste: 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

Trieste

$661 34.9%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 53.9% $357

Groceries & Markets

Trieste

$359 19%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 33.8% $121

Eating Out

Trieste

$304 16%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 74% $225

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Trieste

$260 13.7%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 63.7% $166

Clothing & Footwear

Trieste

$175 9.2%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 37.4% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Trieste

$69 3.6%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 25.5% $18

Getting Around

Trieste

$67 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 8.6% $5.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $824 in Trieste 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 215% higher in Trieste, 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 $74.0 in Trieste versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $359 vs $238 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Trieste

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:52 8:52 PM

01:52 1:52 AM

5 h ahead of Trieste

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

200,609

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

Trieste Chiang Mai 8,160 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Trieste
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

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

Trieste costs about 102% 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 $2,844 per month in Trieste 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 $790 per month in Trieste 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 51% more in Trieste, 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 Trieste at $1,896. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Trieste it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,896 in Trieste. 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, Trieste makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.