Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Braila and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,143 in Braila, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Braila
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Braila Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Braila

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,143

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,143 in Braila versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Braila $1,143
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,725 in Braila versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Braila $1,725
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,308 in Braila versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Braila $2,308
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Braila is roughly 22% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Braila 16% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.68 RON 89.4

$2.24 ฿75.6

733.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.07 RON 187

$19.00 ฿641

105.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.78 RON 41.98

$5.55 ฿187

58.20%

Cappuccino

$2.63 RON 12.58

$1.67 ฿56.5

57.49%

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

$2.06 RON 9.85

$0.64 ฿21.55

221.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.70 RON 8.14

$0.31 ฿10.31

448.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.63 RON 7.79

$2.36 ฿79.6

-30.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 RON 9.94

$3.66 ฿124

-43.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.82 RON 8.70

$1.95 ฿65.8

-6.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 RON 6.80

$1.44 ฿48.48

-1.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 RON 7.05

$1.33 ฿45.04

10.53%

Eggs

$3.36 RON 16.09

$2.28 ฿77.1

47.37%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.71 RON 41.67

$16.45 ฿555

-47.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.65 RON 36.58

$2.78 ฿93.9

175.18%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.51 RON 45.50

$9.31 ฿314

2.15%

Apples (1kg)

$0.95 RON 4.53

$2.35 ฿79.4

-59.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 RON 6.96

$0.97 ฿32.80

50.52%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.23

$1.60 ฿53.9

-18.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 RON 5.50

$1.50 ฿50.6

-23.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.84 RON 4.04

$1.28 ฿43.12

-34.38%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 RON 3.46

$1.10 ฿37.19

-34.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 RON 3.25

$0.71 ฿23.82

-4.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 RON 3.76

$0.49 ฿16.37

61.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.16 RON 29.46

$4.14 ฿140

48.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.19 RON 29.64

$17.52 ฿591

-64.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 RON 4.87

$1.61 ฿54.5

-36.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 RON 7.45

$2.78 ฿94.0

-43.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 RON 2.91

$0.87 ฿29.31

-29.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.47 RON 74.0

$54.1 ฿1,826

-71.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 RON 4.94

$1.16 ฿39.06

-11.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.72 RON 3.46

$0.53 ฿17.80

35.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.77 RON 32.38

$2.42 ฿81.8

179.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.58 RON 7.58

$1.45 ฿48.90

8.97%

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

$26.8K RON 128.1K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

27.12%

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

$29.7K RON 142.0K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

10.18%

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

$138 RON 661

$62.2 ฿2,098

122.31%

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

$8.19 RON 39.16

$12.17 ฿411

-32.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.91 RON 61.8

$20.12 ฿679

-35.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.14 RON 154

$37.31 ฿1,259

-13.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.83 RON 70.9

$3.77 ฿127

293.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.27 RON 34.80

$6.49 ฿219

12.02%

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

$366 RON 1,751

$736 ฿24.8K

-50.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,266 RON 39.5K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-44.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$100 RON 479

$53.4 ฿1,801

87.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.5 RON 289

$24.64 ฿831

145.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.3 RON 437

$91.5 ฿3,087

-0.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$123 RON 589

$71.9 ฿2,428

71.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$376 RON 1,800

$482 ฿16.3K

-21.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 RON 1,460

$309 ฿10.4K

-1.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$536 RON 2,565

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-46.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$446 RON 2,135

$633 ฿21.4K

-29.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,880 RON 8,994

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-20.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,304 RON 6,238

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-17.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$851 RON 4,070

$590 ฿19.9K

44.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.3

5.57

49.01%

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

Last update for Braila: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Braila

$305 26.7%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 1.2% $3.8

Eating Out

Braila

$235 20.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 66.9% $157

Groceries & Markets

Braila

$206 18%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 13.9% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Braila

$169 14.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 35.6% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Braila

$159 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 40.7% $65

Sport & Entertainment

Braila

$47 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 7.7% $3.6

Getting Around

Braila

$23 2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 172% $39

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $376 in Braila and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Braila pays 44% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $39 in Braila vs $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $206 vs $234, with Braila cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Braila

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:04 12:04 PM

17:04 5:04 PM

5 h ahead of Braila

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

180,302

127,240

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Braila Chiang Mai 7,070 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Braila
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

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

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Braila. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chiang Mai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 44% higher in Braila, 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: $376 in Braila 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 Braila runs roughly 71% less than in Chiang Mai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $366 in Braila versus $736 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Chiang Mai wins on affordability, Braila on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.