Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Calafat and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,016 in Calafat, rent and utilities included – about $970 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Calafat outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

48

Cost of Living Index in Calafat
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Calafat Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Calafat

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,016

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,016 per month in Calafat vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Calafat $1,016
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,499 per month in Calafat vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Calafat $1,499
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,982 per month in Calafat vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Calafat $1,982
Chiang Mai $1,999

Calafat costs about 9% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Calafat and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Calafat 25% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.35 RON 34.96

$2.13 ฿71.7

245.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.38 RON 182

$18.62 ฿625

106.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.21 RON 34.26

$5.60 ฿188

28.75%

Cappuccino

$2.14 RON 10.15

$1.66 ฿55.9

28.92%

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

$1.44 RON 6.83

$0.65 ฿21.73

121.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 RON 4.12

$0.30 ฿10.24

190.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.08 RON 5.12

$2.32 ฿78.0

-53.45%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 RON 8.72

$3.67 ฿123

-50.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 RON 5.31

$2.02 ฿67.7

-44.55%

White Bread (500g)

$0.76 RON 3.63

$1.41 ฿47.29

-46.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.35 RON 6.40

$1.39 ฿46.75

-2.88%

Eggs

$2.33 RON 11.07

$2.37 ฿79.5

-1.69%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$6.69 RON 31.81

$16.52 ฿555

-59.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.35 RON 30.16

$2.67 ฿89.7

137.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.24 RON 29.64

$9.02 ฿303

-30.82%

Apples (1kg)

$1.01 RON 4.80

$2.40 ฿80.6

-57.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.08

$1.04 ฿34.98

43.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.28 RON 6.06

$1.66 ฿55.7

-22.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 RON 6.85

$1.56 ฿52.4

-7.69%

Potato (1kg)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$1.24 ฿41.57

-51.61%

Onion (1kg)

$0.75 RON 3.57

$1.09 ฿36.50

-31.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 RON 3.28

$0.76 ฿25.59

-9.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.71 RON 3.38

$0.51 ฿17.27

39.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.31 RON 25.22

$4.12 ฿138

28.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.27 RON 29.80

$17.93 ฿602

-65.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 RON 4.16

$1.62 ฿54.5

-45.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.45 RON 6.91

$2.82 ฿94.8

-48.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 RON 3.55

$0.93 ฿31.39

-19.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.34 RON 106

$52.9 ฿1,777

-57.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.53 RON 2.53

$1.18 ฿39.52

-55.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.51 RON 2.42

$0.17 ฿5.76

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.77 RON 46.44

$1.81 ฿60.9

439.78%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 RON 7.16

$1.47 ฿49.47

2.72%

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

$25.5K RON 121.0K

$21.0K ฿705.8K

21.18%

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

$25.5K RON 121.2K

$26.5K ฿890.7K

-3.80%

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

$214 RON 1,018

$62.6 ฿2,101

242.46%

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

$7.55 RON 35.90

$11.60 ฿390

-34.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$6.33 RON 30.07

$20.30 ฿682

-68.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.82 RON 180

$37.88 ฿1,272

-0.16%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.06 RON 90.6

$3.70 ฿124

415.14%

Cinema Ticket

$7.40 RON 35.17

$6.51 ฿219

13.67%

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

$412 RON 1,960

$727 ฿24.4K

-43.29%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,151 RON 38.7K

$16.6K ฿556.7K

-50.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.5 RON 302

$53.5 ฿1,798

18.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.04 RON 200

$24.80 ฿833

69.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.2 RON 400

$90.4 ฿3,036

-6.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.5 RON 397

$72.0 ฿2,418

15.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$380 RON 1,806

$481 ฿16.2K

-21.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 RON 1,399

$310 ฿10.4K

-5.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$617 RON 2,931

$1,058 ฿35.5K

-41.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$468 RON 2,223

$659 ฿22.1K

-29.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,910 RON 9,080

$2,418 ฿81.2K

-20.99%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,190 RON 5,658

$1,609 ฿54.0K

-26.01%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$812 RON 3,860

$595 ฿20.0K

36.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.72%

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

Last update for Calafat: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Calafat

$294 29%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 5.3% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Calafat

$228 22.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 58.6% $134

Groceries & Markets

Calafat

$165 16.2%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 43.6% $72

Eating Out

Calafat

$124 12.3%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 38.4% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Calafat

$123 12.1%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 11.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Calafat

$53 5.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 3.3% $1.7

Getting Around

Calafat

$28 2.8%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 107% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $380 in Calafat versus $481 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.

Salaries run about 37% higher in Calafat. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $38 in Calafat versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $165 in Calafat vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Calafat wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Calafat

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:06 6:06 AM

11:06 11:06 AM

5 h ahead of Calafat

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

18,500

127,240

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Calafat Chiang Mai 7,470 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Calafat
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $1,016 in Calafat, $935 in Chiang Mai – Chiang Mai comes out roughly 8% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,523 per month in Calafat and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Calafat, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $380 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $1,016 in Calafat and $935 in Chiang Mai. That makes Chiang Mai about 8% cheaper.

Public transport costs about 58% less in Calafat. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,016 in Calafat and $935 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,016 in Calafat. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Calafat makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.