Here are my findings based on my personal experience in these two cities.
Housing:
- Milan: a decent one bedroom apartment, walking distance from the city center, fully furnished, no additional facilities, costs around 900-1000 usd
- Bangkok: same apartment as above but with swimming pool, gym and library in the condo is around 550 usd. Wi-fi is included most of the times
Housing/Timing
- Milan: Weeks may pass from the moment you visit the apartment to the moment you move in. The real estate agent/owner first has to see all the candidates, prepare elaborate behaviral profile of each one and then make the crucial decision
- Bangkok: you can visit, like, sign and move in in an hour.
Housing/Papers
- Milan – in order to sign the contract you will have to provide copy of your id card/passport, references from your previous landlord, last three pay slips proving that you earn at least the rent x3, otherwise they assume that you won’t be able to maintain yourself. Unless you pay under the table, then it is a little bit easier. The cost of signing a contract with legal vallidity is around 70-80 usd, usually the expenses are spared between the parties.
- Bangkok – just a copy of the passport
Housing/Payment
- Milan – in most of the cases you need to leave a security deposit three times the rent, plus advanced payment for 3 months. In other words, if your rent is 1000, you will have to pay 6000 before you move in. But in Bangalore the landlords demand 10 months rent in advance so lets just thank the Universe that this is not the case in Italy 🙂
- Bangkok – security deposit two times the rent plus advanced monthly payment
Mobile internet
- Milan: 3 gb high speed internet, after that 32 kbps – 10 usd
- Bangkok – 1 gb at maximum speed of 42 mbps, after that speed reduces to 128 kbps + 250 min calls to all networks – 15 usd (acually when I arrived in Bangkok I got a promo – 3 gb for 12 usd) Tip: don’t buy the sim from the airport – they tried to sell me the offer I had previously seen on the web for a higher price. When I asked why there is such a difference, they said it was VAT. After a quick calculation I concluded with my innerself that there couldn’t be a vat of 30+ % in this part of the world and I walked away.
Transport
- Milan: one ticket for all the public transport system, validity 90 minutes – 1.70 usd. Monhtly pass – 39 usd
- Bangkok: every mean of transport has different ticketing system – prices start from 0.15 usd for the BRT to 1.25 usd for the longest distance ticket for sky train and the undergound. The monthy pass of 50 trips for the sky train costs 33 usd.
Coffee
- Milan: 1 usd for espresso
- Bangkok: 0.45 usd for the Thai coffee which is undrinkable for the Europeans. The espresso starts from 2 usd.
0.5l bottle of water bought on the street 
- Milan: 1 usd
- Bangkok 0.30 usd
Lunch/Dinner
- Milan: main dish with pasta in an average restaurant – 8+ usd; with meat/fish starts from 12 usd. There is also a cover charge, the norm is 1 – 2 usd per person but can be higher since there is no legal limit to it
- Bangkok: whatever dish (soup, pad thai, rice with something) on the street starts from 1.3 usd. More sophisticated ambianced have the same prices as in an average restaurant in Europe.
Not-alcoholic cockatil in a fancy bar 
- Milan: 15 usd
- Bangkok: 8 usd
Yoga course 
- Milan: 12 classes (once a week per 3 months) – 200 usd
- Bangkok: 10 classes to use withing 2 months – 125 usd
Blow dry in a nice beauty salon
- Milan: 25 usd
- Bangkok: 10 usd (if you want to check the unusual hair dresser/flower/coffee shop in the above photo click here)
Professional massage in a luxurious spa center 
- Milan: 106 usd for 75 min of ayurvedic massage. However, if you go in a Chinese massage center you can get 40 min for 25 usd by not experienced masseur
- Bangkok: 70 usd for 75 min of traditional Thai massage. Otherwise there are plenty of professional or not massages around the city for 6+ usd for one hour. But they are not luxurious at all:)
I could go on forever but I guess this might be enough to give you an idea about the cost of living in these two cities.
Which one is closer to the standards of your town?
I would be happy if you shared a cost or two from your area (I’m very curious, I admit)
You might also want to know the 13 reasons Why Bangkok has to be the best expat destination.
Damn it,I’ll move to Bangkok?
Sound like a good plan 🙂
I like the slightly passive-aggressive but defiant message of love from that coffee cup.
Yeah, this is a very interesting marketing strategy. The Bangkokian way.
Interesting comparison, and it seems pretty accurate.. I am often doing it too, but comparing BKK with Australia and Scandinavia. What I have found is that if you want to live like a middle class Thai, it is actually very cheap. If you want to live completely like a Westerner then it becomes pretty expensive, as Western products incur high import taxes and end up costing more than in most Western countries.
For things like food, I have found that you can get fairly okay Western meals for cheap prices too, but you need to avoid the restaurants in the main tourist and expat ghettos. For example, if I wanted a cheap steak (Thai beef, not imported) I could simply go to Saraburi Steak or 13 Coins and I would only pay 2.50 to 4 USD.
The end result is that, given you can keep your main living expenses down quite a bit (accommodation, transport, food), there is then more money to spend on the little Western luxuries, and Bangkok offers quite a lot of those.
You are right, Peter, if you want to continue living your western life in Bangkok it will cost more than back home and viceversa. Especially when it comes to clothing and food. For instance, a som tam in a Thai restaurant in Milan costs 15 usd, one dragon fruit in China town is around 6-7 usd. Imported Asian clothing is marked up by 300-400% ( Korean fashion mostly ) while the prices of Western brands in Bkk are usually increased by 30%. This being said, I appreciate the Western luxuries that the city offers, they are good way to make you feel at home for a while. I wonder how the travelers of the past ( like Marco Polo for exampe ) were dealing with the cultural shock, especially the food one, for they travelled for decades..
I’ve often thought about the travelers of the past. I first explored Asia when I was very young, and my dad and grand-dad did the same (my ancestors are all sailors). The stories they tell about how things were back then are very interesting. Very hard to find the luxuries of home in a foreign place back then.
Sailors? Now, this is what I call a scoop! Do you also write about that in your books?
Funny you should mention that. The book I am currently working on is called “Under the Jolly Roger” and is about the travels of Scandinavian sailors around the world.
6th sense 🙂
Nice comparison! Love the pictures!
Thank you, I’m glad you enjoyed ?
It all depends on how you want to live actually, if you want to live with the same standard, you might end up paying the same for both places; as public transportation comfort you can’t compare but adding to your cost, as well as simple infra structure, like hot and cold water facility, hidden service charge of the condo, etc. when you live in Bangkok.
Hi Nin, actually in Bangkok I was living above my standard in Italy and I was spending less. I will be never able to find an appartment like the ones I saw in bkk, here in Milan. They just don’t do them so well, with nice furniture and extra facilites. The only thing that is much more expensive is the western food, not so much in the restaurants (prices are the same here and there) as in the supermarkets. Probably alcohol is expensive too, but I don’t drink so I’m not well informed.
Milan looks like a great deal compared to living in Hong Kong. Pretty much everything is ever so expensive here, especially housing with its exorbitant rents and unattainable entry points for new purchasers. Really, anywhere we move after this will be a steal! I think I’ll check out Bangkok …