Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Baia Mare and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in Baia Mare and in Chiang Mai: $935 and $936 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Baia Mare
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Baia Mare Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Baia Mare

🇷🇴 Romania

$935

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $935 in Baia Mare versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Baia Mare $935
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,452 in Baia Mare versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Baia Mare $1,452
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,969 in Baia Mare versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Baia Mare $1,969
Chiang Mai $1,979

Monthly costs are close between Baia Mare and Chiang Mai; which city is cheaper depends on the spending category.

Both cities sit below the global median: Baia Mare 31% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$12.65 RON 60.3

$2.17 ฿73.1

482.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.09 RON 158

$18.30 ฿617

80.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.19 RON 39.06

$5.56 ฿188

47.30%

Cappuccino

$2.08 RON 9.91

$1.66 ฿56.1

25.30%

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

$1.81 RON 8.64

$0.64 ฿21.51

182.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.39 RON 6.63

$0.31 ฿10.29

348.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.61 RON 7.67

$2.36 ฿79.5

-31.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 RON 10.28

$3.67 ฿124

-41.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 RON 6.96

$1.95 ฿65.7

-25.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 RON 6.70

$1.47 ฿49.43

-4.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.91 RON 9.11

$1.39 ฿46.68

37.41%

Eggs

$2.83 RON 13.50

$2.41 ฿81.1

17.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.15 RON 29.31

$16.49 ฿556

-62.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.49 RON 35.68

$2.76 ฿93.1

171.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.80 RON 51.5

$9.32 ฿314

15.88%

Apples (1kg)

$1.10 RON 5.26

$2.36 ฿79.6

-53.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 RON 6.99

$1.03 ฿34.72

42.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.34 RON 6.38

$1.67 ฿56.2

-19.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.75 RON 13.13

$1.62 ฿54.7

69.75%

Potato (1kg)

$0.90 RON 4.30

$1.29 ฿43.40

-30.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 RON 5.68

$1.13 ฿38.17

5.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 RON 5.88

$0.71 ฿23.79

73.24%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 RON 3.90

$0.51 ฿17.33

60.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.13 RON 29.24

$4.14 ฿140

48.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.84 RON 23.07

$17.56 ฿592

-72.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 RON 4.75

$1.61 ฿54.4

-37.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.61 RON 7.67

$2.78 ฿93.8

-42.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 RON 3.37

$0.87 ฿29.27

-18.39%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$14.43 RON 68.8

$54.2 ฿1,826

-73.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.08 RON 5.16

$1.17 ฿39.33

-7.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.05 RON 5.01

$0.18 ฿6.14

483.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$11.07 RON 52.8

$1.82 ฿61.3

508.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 RON 8.31

$1.45 ฿48.82

20.00%

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

$28.6K RON 136.2K

$21.1K ฿711.1K

35.41%

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

$25.2K RON 120.1K

$27.0K ฿909.7K

-6.65%

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

$106 RON 507

$62.3 ฿2,099

70.77%

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

$16.31 RON 77.8

$11.70 ฿394

39.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.53 RON 55.0

$20.16 ฿679

-42.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.97 RON 195

$37.39 ฿1,260

9.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.25 RON 77.5

$3.78 ฿127

329.89%

Cinema Ticket

$10.04 RON 47.84

$6.50 ฿219

54.46%

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

$522 RON 2,488

$738 ฿24.9K

-29.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,465 RON 26.1K

$16.7K ฿562.5K

-67.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.45 RON 179

$53.5 ฿1,802

-29.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.17 RON 201

$24.69 ฿832

70.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$62.5 RON 298

$91.7 ฿3,089

-31.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.9 RON 357

$72.1 ฿2,429

3.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 RON 1,799

$484 ฿16.3K

-22.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 RON 1,273

$310 ฿10.4K

-13.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$603 RON 2,875

$1,042 ฿35.1K

-42.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$461 RON 2,198

$672 ฿22.7K

-31.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,190 RON 10.4K

$2,365 ฿79.7K

-7.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,479 RON 7,051

$1,614 ฿54.4K

-8.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$908 RON 4,327

$591 ฿19.9K

53.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.48

5.57

34.29%

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

Last update for Baia Mare: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Baia Mare

$255 27.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 21.2% $54

Groceries & Markets

Baia Mare

$199 21.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 17.5% $35

Eating Out

Baia Mare

$175 18.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 55.7% $98

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Baia Mare

$129 13.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 26.9% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Baia Mare

$97 10.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 11.6% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Baia Mare

$57 6.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 12.4% $7.1

Getting Around

Baia Mare

$22 2.3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 183% $40

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $368 in Baia Mare and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Baia Mare pays 45% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $33 in Baia Mare vs $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $199 vs $234, with Baia Mare cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Baia Mare

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:57 12:57 PM

17:57 5:57 PM

5 h ahead of Baia Mare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

123,738

127,240

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 4.77 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Baia Mare Chiang Mai 7,400 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Baia Mare
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

Baia Mare vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Average pay runs 45% higher in Baia Mare, 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: $368 in Baia Mare versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Baia Mare runs roughly 73% less than in Chiang Mai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Supermarket bills run roughly 17% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

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, Baia Mare and Chiang Mai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.