Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Arad and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Arad: $873 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $780 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Arad
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Arad Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Arad

🇷🇴 Romania

$873

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $873 per month in Arad vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Arad $873
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,366 per month in Arad vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Arad $1,366
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,858 per month in Arad vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Arad $1,858
Chiang Mai $1,914

Arad is about 7% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Arad and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Arad 35% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.16 RON 38.63

$2.26 ฿75.4

261.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.35 RON 153

$19.18 ฿641

68.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.15 RON 33.83

$5.59 ฿187

27.91%

Cappuccino

$2.63 RON 12.45

$1.72 ฿57.6

52.91%

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

$1.48 RON 7.00

$0.64 ฿21.54

131.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 RON 7.53

$0.33 ฿11.18

381.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 RON 10.15

$2.36 ฿78.7

-9.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.48 RON 11.71

$3.90 ฿130

-36.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 RON 5.32

$2.05 ฿68.6

-45.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 RON 5.76

$1.40 ฿46.70

-12.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.16

$1.28 ฿42.89

34.37%

Eggs

$2.57 RON 12.17

$2.25 ฿75.3

14.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.17 RON 33.94

$16.94 ฿566

-57.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.87 RON 23.03

$2.74 ฿91.6

77.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.13 RON 47.93

$9.36 ฿313

8.23%

Apples (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.59

$2.40 ฿80.3

-33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.70 RON 8.05

$1.01 ฿33.92

68.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.69 RON 8.02

$1.61 ฿53.9

4.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.40 RON 6.60

$1.52 ฿50.7

-7.89%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 RON 3.59

$1.28 ฿42.90

-40.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.85 RON 4.04

$1.11 ฿37.22

-23.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.18 RON 5.60

$0.72 ฿24.09

63.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 RON 3.63

$0.52 ฿17.54

48.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.95 RON 28.14

$4.33 ฿145

37.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.73 RON 27.10

$17.73 ฿593

-67.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 RON 5.78

$1.63 ฿54.4

-25.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 RON 8.40

$2.85 ฿95.3

-37.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 RON 4.11

$0.85 ฿28.31

2.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$29.34 RON 139

$53.9 ฿1,801

-45.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.79 RON 3.71

$1.17 ฿39.18

-32.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 RON 5.06

$0.57 ฿19.00

87.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.40 RON 49.22

$2.37 ฿79.2

338.82%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 RON 8.72

$1.45 ฿48.32

26.90%

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

$27.8K RON 131.8K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

36.02%

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

$24.9K RON 117.8K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-6.05%

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

$125 RON 590

$62.3 ฿2,083

100.02%

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

$8.19 RON 38.74

$12.27 ฿410

-33.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.28 RON 34.42

$19.97 ฿668

-63.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.12 RON 161

$37.91 ฿1,267

-10.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$30.83 RON 146

$3.76 ฿126

719.95%

Cinema Ticket

$5.27 RON 24.91

$6.71 ฿224

-21.46%

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

$159 RON 752

$797 ฿26.6K

-80.07%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,847 RON 18.2K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-74.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.29 RON 200

$53.3 ฿1,780

-20.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$21.47 RON 102

$25.05 ฿837

-14.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.9 RON 335

$91.6 ฿3,062

-22.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.6 RON 343

$73.5 ฿2,455

-1.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$332 RON 1,571

$464 ฿15.5K

-28.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$222 RON 1,052

$305 ฿10.2K

-27.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$529 RON 2,505

$915 ฿30.6K

-42.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$412 RON 1,951

$552 ฿18.5K

-25.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,420 RON 6,719

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-25.72%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,062 RON 5,027

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-26.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$919 RON 4,349

$595 ฿19.9K

54.42%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.35

5.57

31.96%

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

Last update for Arad: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Arad

$222 25.5%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 37.1% $82

Groceries & Markets

Arad

$188 21.5%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 26.7% $50

Eating Out

Arad

$146 16.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 46% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Arad

$140 16%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 32.5% $46

Clothing & Footwear

Arad

$93 10.7%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 17.5% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Arad

$45 5.1%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 15% $6.7

Getting Around

Arad

$39 4.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 57.4% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $332 in Arad 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 54% higher in Arad, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Arad versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $188 in Arad vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Arad wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Arad

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:17 8:17 PM

00:17 12:17 AM

4 h ahead of Arad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

159,074

127,240

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Arad Chiang Mai 7,580 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Arad
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 7% more than Arad, 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 $1,310 per month in Arad 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 Arad, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Arad and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $873 in Arad and $938 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 7%.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Arad, where all-in costs run around $873, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Arad it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Arad costs $873 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. 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 Arad. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.