Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Carei and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $974 in Carei, rent and utilities included – about $470 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

47

Cost of Living Index in Carei
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Carei Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Carei

🇷🇴 Romania

$974

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $974 per month in Carei vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Carei $974
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,549 per month in Carei vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Carei $1,549
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,124 per month in Carei vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Carei $2,124
Chiang Mai $1,999

Carei costs about 4% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Carei and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Carei 28% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.32 RON 53.8

$2.13 ฿71.8

431.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$40.18 RON 191

$18.62 ฿626

115.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.33 RON 39.54

$5.60 ฿188

48.75%

Cappuccino

$2.58 RON 12.23

$1.66 ฿55.9

55.42%

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

$1.81 RON 8.58

$0.65 ฿21.75

178.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.43 RON 6.79

$0.30 ฿10.25

376.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.03 RON 9.65

$2.32 ฿78.1

-12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.81 RON 13.33

$3.67 ฿123

-23.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 RON 6.79

$2.02 ฿67.8

-29.21%

White Bread (500g)

$1.10 RON 5.20

$1.41 ฿47.34

-21.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.43 RON 6.80

$1.39 ฿46.79

2.88%

Eggs

$2.88 RON 13.68

$2.37 ฿79.6

21.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.91 RON 37.58

$16.52 ฿555

-52.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.99 RON 28.43

$2.67 ฿89.8

124.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.81 RON 46.58

$9.02 ฿303

8.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.09 RON 5.20

$2.40 ฿80.6

-54.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 RON 7.17

$1.04 ฿35.01

45.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.90

$1.66 ฿55.8

-12.65%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.92 RON 9.10

$1.56 ฿52.4

23.08%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 RON 3.48

$1.24 ฿41.61

-41.13%

Onion (1kg)

$0.75 RON 3.54

$1.09 ฿36.53

-31.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.94 RON 4.47

$0.76 ฿25.61

23.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.68 RON 3.24

$0.51 ฿17.29

33.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.89 RON 27.97

$4.12 ฿139

42.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.02 RON 28.60

$17.93 ฿603

-66.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 RON 4.85

$1.62 ฿54.6

-37.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.64 RON 7.78

$2.82 ฿94.9

-41.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 RON 3.19

$0.93 ฿31.42

-27.96%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$23.08 RON 110

$52.9 ฿1,778

-56.36%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.83 RON 3.92

$1.18 ฿39.56

-29.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 RON 3.02

$0.17 ฿5.76

276.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.59 RON 31.31

$1.81 ฿60.9

264.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 RON 8.78

$1.47 ฿49.51

25.85%

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

$32.3K RON 153.4K

$21.0K ฿706.4K

53.75%

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

$28.9K RON 137.3K

$26.5K ฿891.4K

9.06%

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

$117 RON 556

$62.6 ฿2,103

87.16%

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

$7.68 RON 36.49

$11.60 ฿390

-33.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.69 RON 41.28

$20.30 ฿683

-57.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.46 RON 192

$37.88 ฿1,274

6.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.14 RON 100

$3.70 ฿124

471.35%

Cinema Ticket

$8.14 RON 38.63

$6.51 ฿219

25.04%

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

$381 RON 1,810

$727 ฿24.4K

-47.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,339 RON 39.6K

$16.6K ฿557.2K

-49.68%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.7 RON 288

$53.5 ฿1,800

13.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.68 RON 188

$24.80 ฿834

60.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.5 RON 320

$90.4 ฿3,039

-25.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.1 RON 442

$72.0 ฿2,420

29.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$339 RON 1,610

$481 ฿16.2K

-29.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$270 RON 1,283

$310 ฿10.4K

-12.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 RON 2,962

$1,058 ฿35.6K

-41.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$523 RON 2,484

$659 ฿22.1K

-20.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,111 RON 10.0K

$2,418 ฿81.3K

-12.67%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,222 RON 5,803

$1,609 ฿54.1K

-24.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

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 Carei: 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

Carei

$270 27.7%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 14.7% $40

Groceries & Markets

Carei

$192 19.7%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 23.5% $45

Eating Out

Carei

$175 18%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 56.3% $99

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Carei

$133 13.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 29.2% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Carei

$117 12.1%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 7.7% $9.1

Sport & Entertainment

Carei

$57 5.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 10.3% $5.8

Getting Around

Carei

$30 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 97% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $339 in Carei 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Carei versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $192 in Carei vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Carei wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Carei

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:07 6:07 PM

23:07 11:07 PM

5 h ahead of Carei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

25,911

127,240

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Carei Chiang Mai 7,480 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Carei
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

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

Carei costs about 4% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,462 per month in Carei 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 Carei, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $339 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Interestingly, groceries are about 19% cheaper in Carei – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $40 in Carei and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $974 in Carei 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 $974 in Carei. 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.