Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buzau and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in Buzau and in Chiang Mai: $979 and $938 a month, rent and utilities included.

47

Cost of Living Index in Buzau
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Buzau Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Buzau

🇷🇴 Romania

$979

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $979 in Buzau versus $938 in Chiang Mai.

Buzau $979
Chiang Mai $938

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,449 in Buzau versus $1,426 in Chiang Mai.

Buzau $1,449
Chiang Mai $1,426

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,919 in Buzau versus $1,914 in Chiang Mai.

Buzau $1,919
Chiang Mai $1,914

Living in Buzau is roughly 4% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Buzau 27% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.42 RON 49.30

$2.26 ฿75.4

361.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.71 RON 117

$19.18 ฿641

28.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.30 RON 29.79

$5.59 ฿187

12.70%

Cappuccino

$2.02 RON 9.58

$1.72 ฿57.6

17.44%

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

$1.93 RON 9.12

$0.64 ฿21.54

201.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.50 RON 7.08

$0.33 ฿11.18

354.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.66 RON 7.85

$2.36 ฿78.7

-29.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 RON 8.10

$3.90 ฿130

-56.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.76 RON 8.32

$2.05 ฿68.6

-14.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.31 RON 6.21

$1.40 ฿46.70

-6.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.84

$1.28 ฿42.89

13.28%

Eggs

$3.10 RON 14.67

$2.25 ฿75.3

37.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.50 RON 35.47

$16.94 ฿566

-55.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 RON 31.33

$2.74 ฿91.6

141.61%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.10 RON 52.5

$9.36 ฿313

18.59%

Apples (1kg)

$0.95 RON 4.50

$2.40 ฿80.3

-60.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.63 RON 7.72

$1.01 ฿33.92

61.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.11 RON 5.25

$1.61 ฿53.9

-31.06%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$1.52 ฿50.7

-19.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 RON 3.18

$1.28 ฿42.90

-47.66%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 RON 3.68

$1.11 ฿37.22

-29.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.48 RON 2.28

$0.72 ฿24.09

-33.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 RON 3.11

$0.52 ฿17.54

26.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.24 RON 29.54

$4.33 ฿145

44.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.43 RON 30.42

$17.73 ฿593

-63.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 RON 3.58

$1.63 ฿54.4

-53.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 RON 6.77

$2.85 ฿95.3

-49.82%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 RON 3.10

$0.85 ฿28.31

-22.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.60 RON 102

$53.9 ฿1,801

-59.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.52 RON 2.47

$1.17 ฿39.18

-55.56%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.49 RON 2.32

$0.57 ฿19.00

-14.04%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.19 RON 29.27

$2.37 ฿79.2

161.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.65 RON 7.81

$1.45 ฿48.32

13.79%

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

$19.4K RON 91.7K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

-5.31%

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

$21.1K RON 100.0K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-20.27%

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

$119 RON 563

$62.3 ฿2,083

90.76%

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

$7.87 RON 37.24

$12.27 ฿410

-35.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.72 RON 36.53

$19.97 ฿668

-61.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.03 RON 152

$37.91 ฿1,267

-15.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.85 RON 84.5

$3.76 ฿126

374.73%

Cinema Ticket

$6.89 RON 32.60

$6.71 ฿224

2.68%

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

$285 RON 1,348

$797 ฿26.6K

-64.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,766 RON 32.0K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-54.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.5 RON 258

$53.3 ฿1,780

2.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$57.7 RON 273

$25.05 ฿837

130.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.5 RON 461

$91.6 ฿3,062

6.44%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.1 RON 398

$73.5 ฿2,455

14.51%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$344 RON 1,629

$464 ฿15.5K

-25.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$292 RON 1,379

$305 ฿10.2K

-4.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$606 RON 2,867

$915 ฿30.6K

-33.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$423 RON 2,002

$552 ฿18.5K

-23.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,475 RON 6,976

$1,912 ฿63.9K

-22.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,194 RON 5,648

$1,438 ฿48.1K

-17.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$850 RON 4,021

$595 ฿19.9K

42.80%

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 Buzau: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buzau

$292 29.8%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 4.5% $13

Groceries & Markets

Buzau

$196 20%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 21.5% $42

Eating Out

Buzau

$152 15.5%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 48% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buzau

$134 13.7%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 29.7% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Buzau

$132 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 17.2% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Buzau

$46 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 12.1% $5.5

Getting Around

Buzau

$27 2.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 125% $34

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $344 in Buzau and $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buzau pays 43% 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: $25.00 in Buzau vs $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $196 vs $238, with Buzau cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Buzau

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:03 4:03 AM

08:03 8:03 AM

4 h ahead of Buzau

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

115,494

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

Buzau Chiang Mai 7,150 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Buzau
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

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

Buzau and Chiang Mai differ by about 4% in total monthly costs ($979 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 43% higher in Buzau, 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: $344 in Buzau versus $464 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Shoppers in Buzau pay roughly 22% less for everyday groceries. It's an unusual reversal that partly offsets higher costs elsewhere.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $25.00 in Buzau. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $938 in Chiang Mai versus $979 in Buzau, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Buzau. 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, Buzau 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 4% less than in Buzau. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.