Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cahul and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Cahul: $627 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Cahul
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Cahul Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Cahul

🇲🇩 Moldova

$627

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $627 in Cahul versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Cahul $627
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $917 in Cahul versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Cahul $917
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,207 in Cahul versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Cahul $1,207
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Cahul costs roughly 33% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cahul 54% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.19 MDL 146

$2.24 ฿75.5

265.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.41 MDL 417

$19.00 ฿640

23.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.36 MDL 185

$5.55 ฿187

86.67%

Cappuccino

$1.69 MDL 30.11

$1.67 ฿56.4

1.20%

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

$1.11 MDL 19.82

$0.64 ฿21.51

73.44%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.53 MDL 9.53

$0.31 ฿10.29

70.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.01 MDL 35.81

$2.36 ฿79.5

-14.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 MDL 31.45

$3.66 ฿123

-51.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 MDL 21.36

$1.95 ฿65.7

-38.46%

White Bread (500g)

$0.49 MDL 8.72

$1.44 ฿48.41

-65.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 MDL 28.45

$1.33 ฿44.97

20.30%

Eggs

$2.24 MDL 39.89

$2.28 ฿77.0

-1.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.51 MDL 116

$16.45 ฿554

-60.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.54 MDL 80.9

$2.78 ฿93.8

63.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.17 MDL 110

$9.31 ฿314

-33.73%

Apples (1kg)

$0.98 MDL 17.39

$2.35 ฿79.3

-58.30%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 MDL 39.09

$0.97 ฿32.75

125.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 MDL 32.25

$1.60 ฿53.8

13.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.37 MDL 42.33

$1.50 ฿50.6

58.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 MDL 13.54

$1.28 ฿43.06

-40.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.52 MDL 9.22

$1.10 ฿37.14

-52.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 MDL 7.74

$0.71 ฿23.79

-39.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 MDL 9.50

$0.49 ฿16.34

8.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.39 MDL 60.5

$4.14 ฿140

-18.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.38 MDL 78.1

$17.52 ฿590

-75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.41 MDL 25.19

$1.61 ฿54.4

-12.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 MDL 35.06

$2.78 ฿93.8

-29.14%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.27 MDL 4.81

$0.87 ฿29.27

-68.97%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.87 MDL 51.1

$1.16 ฿39.00

147.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.24 MDL 4.27

$0.53 ฿17.78

-54.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.44 MDL 97.0

$2.42 ฿81.6

124.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 MDL 27.74

$1.45 ฿48.82

7.59%

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

$33.3K MDL 593.4K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

58.05%

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

$24.4K MDL 435.5K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

-9.34%

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

$221 MDL 3,948

$62.2 ฿2,095

256.18%

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

$7.65 MDL 136

$12.17 ฿410

-37.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.03 MDL 197

$20.12 ฿678

-45.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$7.62 MDL 136

$6.49 ฿219

17.41%

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

$110 MDL 1,964

$736 ฿24.8K

-85.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,249 MDL 93.6K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-64.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$45.08 MDL 804

$53.4 ฿1,799

-15.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$56.4 MDL 1,005

$91.5 ฿3,083

-38.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$51.0 MDL 909

$71.9 ฿2,424

-29.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$507 MDL 9,048

$590 ฿19.9K

-13.95%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

43.63%

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

Last update for Cahul: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cahul

$240 38.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 60.7% $146

Groceries & Markets

Cahul

$161 25.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 45.3% $73

Eating Out

Cahul

$137 21.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 43.4% $59

Clothing & Footwear

Cahul

$69 * 10.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 58.4% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Cahul

$15 * 2.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 230% $35

Getting Around

Cahul

$5.1 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 1094% $56

Accommodation & Living

Cahul

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Chiang Mai pays 16% 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: $23 in Cahul vs $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $161 vs $234, with Cahul cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Cahul

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

10:21 10:21 AM

15:21 3:21 PM

5 h ahead of Cahul

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

39,500

127,240

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.61 USD

100 MDL = 5.03 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MDL – Moldovan Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇩 Moldovan Leu (L)

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 17.83 MDL (100 MDL = 5.61 USD). 1 EUR = 19.9 MDL (100 MDL = 5.03 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.61 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MDL in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cahul Chiang Mai 7,050 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Cahul
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

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

Cahul wins on cost – living expenses run 33% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Cahul the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Cahul. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Supermarket bills run roughly 45% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $627 per month in Cahul versus $936 in Chiang Mai – Cahul is about 33% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $627 in Cahul versus $936 in Chiang Mai, a $800 budget is realistic in Cahul but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Cahul 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, Cahul and Chiang Mai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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