Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Brasov and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,310 in Brasov, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

63

Cost of Living Index in Brasov
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Brasov Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Brasov

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,310

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,310 in Brasov versus $938 in Chiang Mai.

Brasov $1,310
Chiang Mai $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,115 in Brasov versus $1,426 in Chiang Mai.

Brasov $2,115
Chiang Mai $1,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,920 in Brasov versus $1,914 in Chiang Mai.

Brasov $2,920
Chiang Mai $1,914

Living in Brasov is roughly 40% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Brasov 3% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.91 RON 51.6

$2.26 ฿75.4

382.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$52.7 RON 249

$19.18 ฿641

174.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 RON 35.42

$5.59 ฿187

33.99%

Cappuccino

$3.58 RON 16.93

$1.72 ฿57.6

108.14%

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

$2.42 RON 11.43

$0.64 ฿21.54

278.12%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 RON 10.44

$0.33 ฿11.18

569.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.16 RON 14.97

$2.36 ฿78.7

33.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 RON 15.76

$3.90 ฿130

-14.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.52 RON 7.21

$2.05 ฿68.6

-25.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.42 RON 6.71

$1.40 ฿46.70

1.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.78 RON 8.42

$1.28 ฿42.89

39.06%

Eggs

$3.60 RON 17.01

$2.25 ฿75.3

60.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.75 RON 41.39

$16.94 ฿566

-48.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.95 RON 32.87

$2.74 ฿91.6

153.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.48 RON 59.1

$9.36 ฿313

33.33%

Apples (1kg)

$1.48 RON 7.00

$2.40 ฿80.3

-38.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.54 RON 7.30

$1.01 ฿33.92

52.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 RON 7.68

$1.61 ฿53.9

0.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.73 RON 12.91

$1.52 ฿50.7

79.61%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 RON 3.60

$1.28 ฿42.90

-40.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.91 RON 4.30

$1.11 ฿37.22

-18.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 RON 4.27

$0.72 ฿24.09

25.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 RON 3.79

$0.52 ฿17.54

53.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.97 RON 28.23

$4.33 ฿145

37.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.53 RON 35.63

$17.73 ฿593

-57.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.81

$1.63 ฿54.4

-24.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 RON 8.57

$2.85 ฿95.3

-36.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 RON 5.05

$0.85 ฿28.31

25.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.18 RON 110

$53.9 ฿1,801

-56.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 RON 2.98

$1.17 ฿39.18

-46.15%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.94

$0.57 ฿19.00

8.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.56 RON 31.05

$2.37 ฿79.2

176.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 RON 9.08

$1.45 ฿48.32

32.41%

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

$28.2K RON 133.3K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

37.61%

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

$26.1K RON 123.6K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-1.49%

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

$179 RON 849

$62.3 ฿2,083

187.94%

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

$7.73 RON 36.56

$12.27 ฿410

-37.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.82 RON 41.74

$19.97 ฿668

-55.83%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.8 RON 269

$37.91 ฿1,267

49.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.60 RON 64.4

$3.76 ฿126

261.70%

Cinema Ticket

$9.13 RON 43.19

$6.71 ฿224

36.07%

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

$450 RON 2,131

$797 ฿26.6K

-43.49%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,955 RON 32.9K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-53.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.1 RON 242

$53.3 ฿1,780

-4.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.95 RON 165

$25.05 ฿837

39.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$75.3 RON 356

$91.6 ฿3,062

-17.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$89.7 RON 424

$73.5 ฿2,455

22.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$676 RON 3,197

$464 ฿15.5K

45.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$472 RON 2,235

$305 ฿10.2K

55.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,316 RON 6,228

$915 ฿30.6K

43.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,053 RON 4,980

$552 ฿18.5K

90.56%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,079 RON 14.6K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

61.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,386 RON 11.3K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

65.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,102 RON 5,212

$595 ฿19.9K

85.07%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

5.57

29.26%

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

Last update for Brasov: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Brasov

$472 36.1%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 35.5% $168

Groceries & Markets

Brasov

$228 17.4%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 4.3% $9.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Brasov

$196 15%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 51.7% $101

Eating Out

Brasov

$194 14.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 59.2% $115

Clothing & Footwear

Brasov

$113 8.6%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 3% $3.4

Sport & Entertainment

Brasov

$75 5.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 31.6% $24

Getting Around

Brasov

$31 2.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 96.6% $30

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $676 in Brasov and $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasov pays 85% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $53.0 in Brasov vs $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $228 vs $238, with Brasov cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Brasov

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:22 10:22 AM

14:22 2:22 PM

4 h ahead of Brasov

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

253,200

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

Brasov Chiang Mai 7,250 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Brasov
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

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

Brasov and Chiang Mai differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($1,310 vs $938 including rent). Chiang Mai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 85% higher in Brasov, 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: $676 in Brasov versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $53.0 in Brasov. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $1,310 per month in Brasov versus $938 in Chiang Mai – a 40% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $938 in Chiang Mai versus $1,310 in Brasov, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Brasov. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this 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, Brasov 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.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Brasov. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.