Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Barlad and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $925 a month against $975 in Barlad, rent and utilities included – about $600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Barlad outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

47

Cost of Living Index in Barlad
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Barlad Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Barlad

🇷🇴 Romania

$975

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $975 per month in Barlad vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Barlad $975
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,521 per month in Barlad vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Barlad $1,521
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $2,066 per month in Barlad vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Barlad $2,066
Chiang Mai $1,903

Barlad costs about 5% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Barlad and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Barlad 28% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.96 RON 42.41

$2.29 ฿76.5

291.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.38 RON 196

$19.64 ฿656

110.69%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.20 RON 34.06

$5.61 ฿188

28.34%

Cappuccino

$2.41 RON 11.40

$1.66 ฿55.6

45.18%

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

$1.85 RON 8.75

$0.70 ฿23.40

164.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.54 RON 7.27

$0.31 ฿10.24

396.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 RON 10.25

$2.41 ฿80.4

-9.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 RON 12.72

$3.71 ฿124

-27.49%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 RON 6.34

$1.95 ฿65.3

-31.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 RON 5.31

$1.41 ฿47.03

-20.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 RON 6.63

$1.31 ฿43.62

6.87%

Eggs

$3.39 RON 16.02

$2.18 ฿72.9

55.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 RON 35.53

$16.65 ฿556

-54.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.22 RON 24.69

$2.76 ฿92.2

89.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.04 RON 47.49

$9.11 ฿304

10.21%

Apples (1kg)

$1.04 RON 4.92

$2.39 ฿80.0

-56.49%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.73

$1.03 ฿34.26

58.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.38 RON 6.54

$1.63 ฿54.4

-15.34%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 RON 8.31

$1.50 ฿50.0

17.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 RON 3.75

$1.29 ฿43.13

-38.76%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.65

$1.11 ฿37.03

-30.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.84 RON 3.99

$0.72 ฿24.08

16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.89 RON 4.20

$0.53 ฿17.59

67.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.64 RON 31.41

$4.31 ฿144

54.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.58 RON 26.38

$17.95 ฿600

-68.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 RON 5.68

$1.58 ฿52.9

-24.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.62 RON 7.67

$2.84 ฿95.0

-42.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 RON 2.40

$0.86 ฿28.86

-40.70%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.88 RON 94.0

$53.3 ฿1,780

-62.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 RON 3.42

$1.21 ฿40.29

-40.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.73 RON 3.46

$0.57 ฿18.99

28.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.99 RON 33.08

$2.35 ฿78.6

197.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.75 RON 8.30

$1.44 ฿47.96

21.53%

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

$26.5K RON 125.3K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

27.80%

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

$25.1K RON 118.7K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-6.42%

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

$158 RON 748

$62.3 ฿2,083

153.60%

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

$8.87 RON 41.95

$12.11 ฿405

-26.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.36 RON 39.58

$19.94 ฿666

-58.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.02 RON 161

$37.07 ฿1,239

-8.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.05 RON 85.4

$3.78 ฿126

377.51%

Cinema Ticket

$6.61 RON 31.28

$6.50 ฿217

1.69%

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

$465 RON 2,202

$793 ฿26.5K

-41.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,715 RON 36.5K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-47.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.0 RON 293

$53.7 ฿1,796

15.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.81 RON 165

$24.62 ฿823

41.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.7 RON 344

$90.9 ฿3,036

-19.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.2 RON 408

$71.1 ฿2,378

21.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$407 RON 1,927

$455 ฿15.2K

-10.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$269 RON 1,271

$298 ฿9,954

-9.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$651 RON 3,081

$908 ฿30.4K

-28.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 RON 2,387

$554 ฿18.5K

-8.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,755 RON 8,305

$1,931 ฿64.5K

-9.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,263 RON 5,976

$1,445 ฿48.3K

-12.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

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 Barlad: October 17, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Barlad

$269 27.6%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 10.9% $29

Groceries & Markets

Barlad

$190 19.5%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 23.8% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Barlad

$175 18%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 46.2% $81

Eating Out

Barlad

$152 15.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 48.3% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Barlad

$115 11.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 6% $6.9

Sport & Entertainment

Barlad

$47 4.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 5.9% $2.8

Getting Around

Barlad

$26 2.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 131% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $407 in Barlad versus $455 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Barlad versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $190 in Barlad vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Barlad wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Barlad

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:01 9:01 AM

13:01 1:01 PM

4 h ahead of Barlad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

77,518

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 22, 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 22, 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

Barlad Chiang Mai 7,090 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Barlad
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $975 in Barlad, $925 in Chiang Mai – roughly 5% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,462 per month in Barlad and $1,388 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.

Public transport costs about 168% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $465 per month in Barlad and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Barlad at $975. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Barlad it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $925 in Chiang Mai to $975 in Barlad. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Barlad makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.