Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Alba Iulia and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in Alba Iulia and in Chiang Mai: $901 and $936 a month, rent and utilities included.

43

Cost of Living Index in Alba Iulia
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Alba Iulia Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Alba Iulia

🇷🇴 Romania

$901

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $901 in Alba Iulia versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Alba Iulia $901
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,378 in Alba Iulia versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Alba Iulia $1,378
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,855 in Alba Iulia versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Alba Iulia $1,855
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Alba Iulia costs roughly 4% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Alba Iulia 34% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.60 RON 41.33

$2.24 ฿75.7

283.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.98 RON 149

$19.00 ฿642

63.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.88 RON 28.26

$5.55 ฿188

5.95%

Cappuccino

$2.28 RON 10.95

$1.67 ฿56.6

36.53%

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

$1.75 RON 8.43

$0.64 ฿21.56

173.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.48 RON 7.13

$0.31 ฿10.32

377.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.97 RON 9.46

$2.36 ฿79.6

-16.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 RON 9.79

$3.66 ฿124

-44.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.23 RON 5.91

$1.95 ฿65.8

-36.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.08 RON 5.20

$1.44 ฿48.51

-25.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 RON 6.86

$1.33 ฿45.07

7.52%

Eggs

$2.69 RON 12.94

$2.28 ฿77.1

17.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.53 RON 36.18

$16.45 ฿556

-54.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.03 RON 28.98

$2.78 ฿94.0

116.91%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.80 RON 51.9

$9.31 ฿314

16.00%

Apples (1kg)

$0.92 RON 4.44

$2.35 ฿79.5

-60.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.31 RON 6.29

$0.97 ฿32.82

35.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 RON 6.06

$1.60 ฿53.9

-21.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.33 RON 11.20

$1.50 ฿50.7

55.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 RON 3.44

$1.28 ฿43.15

-43.75%

Onion (1kg)

$0.59 RON 2.83

$1.10 ฿37.22

-46.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 RON 4.18

$0.71 ฿23.84

22.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 RON 2.92

$0.49 ฿16.38

24.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.18 RON 24.89

$4.14 ฿140

25.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.28 RON 20.56

$17.52 ฿592

-75.57%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 RON 5.37

$1.61 ฿54.5

-30.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.27 RON 6.11

$2.78 ฿94.0

-54.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 RON 3.60

$0.87 ฿29.33

-13.79%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$16.98 RON 81.6

$54.1 ฿1,827

-68.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.06

$1.16 ฿39.08

-44.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.63 RON 3.03

$0.53 ฿17.82

18.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.47 RON 21.47

$2.42 ฿81.8

84.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 RON 7.21

$1.45 ฿48.93

3.45%

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

$28.8K RON 138.4K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

36.72%

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

$23.7K RON 114.1K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-11.89%

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

$125 RON 599

$62.2 ฿2,100

100.31%

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

$7.31 RON 35.13

$12.17 ฿411

-39.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.01 RON 43.30

$20.12 ฿680

-55.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.55 RON 142

$37.31 ฿1,260

-20.80%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.83 RON 148

$3.77 ฿127

717.77%

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 RON 24.45

$6.49 ฿219

-21.57%

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

$435 RON 2,093

$736 ฿24.9K

-40.87%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,969 RON 33.5K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-52.80%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$38.02 RON 183

$53.4 ฿1,802

-28.76%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$23.94 RON 115

$24.64 ฿832

-2.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$73.8 RON 355

$91.5 ฿3,089

-19.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$61.7 RON 297

$71.9 ฿2,429

-14.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$296 RON 1,422

$482 ฿16.3K

-38.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$283 RON 1,360

$309 ฿10.4K

-8.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$612 RON 2,942

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-39.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$478 RON 2,299

$633 ฿21.4K

-24.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,643 RON 7,896

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-30.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,401 RON 6,734

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-11.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$903 RON 4,341

$590 ฿19.9K

53.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.97

5.57

25.13%

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

Last update for Alba Iulia: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Alba Iulia

$283 31.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 9.2% $26

Groceries & Markets

Alba Iulia

$185 20.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 26.9% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Alba Iulia

$141 15.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 32.9% $46

Eating Out

Alba Iulia

$141 15.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 44.8% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Alba Iulia

$89 9.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 22.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Alba Iulia

$40 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 26.6% $11

Getting Around

Alba Iulia

$24 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 158% $38

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $296 in Alba Iulia and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alba Iulia pays 53% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $31 in Alba Iulia vs $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $185 vs $234, with Alba Iulia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Alba Iulia

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:07 1:07 PM

18:07 6:07 PM

5 h ahead of Alba Iulia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,536

127,240

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Alba Iulia Chiang Mai 7,400 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Alba Iulia
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

Alba Iulia vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alba Iulia is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and clothing. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 53% higher in Alba Iulia, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $296 in Alba Iulia versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $901 per month in Alba Iulia versus $936 in Chiang Mai – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Alba Iulia runs roughly 69% less than in Chiang Mai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Alba Iulia and Chiang Mai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.