Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Alba Iulia

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Alba Iulia: $936 and $901 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Alba Iulia
Learn more

Alba Iulia Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Alba Iulia

🇷🇴 Romania

$901

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Alba Iulia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in Alba Iulia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $901 in Alba Iulia.

Chiang Mai $936
Alba Iulia $901

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $1,378 in Alba Iulia.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Alba Iulia $1,378

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $1,855 in Alba Iulia.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Alba Iulia $1,855

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 4% more expensive than in Alba Iulia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Alba Iulia 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$8.60 RON 41.32

-73.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$30.98 RON 149

-38.67%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$5.88 RON 28.25

-5.61%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.28 RON 10.95

-26.75%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.75 RON 8.43

-63.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$1.48 RON 7.13

-79.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.97 RON 9.45

19.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.04 RON 9.79

79.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.23 RON 5.91

58.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.08 RON 5.20

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.43 RON 6.86

-6.99%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.69 RON 12.93

-15.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$7.53 RON 36.17

118.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$6.03 RON 28.97

-53.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.80 RON 51.9

-13.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$0.92 RON 4.44

155.43%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.31 RON 6.29

-25.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.26 RON 6.06

26.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$2.33 RON 11.20

-35.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.72 RON 3.44

77.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.59 RON 2.83

86.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.87 RON 4.18

-18.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.61 RON 2.92

-19.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.18 RON 24.88

-20.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$4.28 RON 20.56

309.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.12 RON 5.36

43.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.27 RON 6.11

118.90%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.75 RON 3.60

16.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$16.98 RON 81.6

218.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.64 RON 3.06

81.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.63 RON 3.03

-15.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$4.47 RON 21.46

-45.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.50 RON 7.20

-3.33%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$28.8K RON 138.4K

-26.86%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$23.7K RON 114.1K

13.50%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$125 RON 598

-50.08%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$7.31 RON 35.12

66.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$9.01 RON 43.29

123.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$29.55 RON 142

26.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$30.83 RON 148

-87.77%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.09 RON 24.44

27.50%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$435 RON 2,092

69.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$6,969 RON 33.5K

111.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$38.02 RON 183

40.37%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$23.94 RON 115

2.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$73.8 RON 355

23.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$61.7 RON 297

16.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$296 RON 1,422

63.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$283 RON 1,360

9.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$612 RON 2,941

64.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$478 RON 2,298

32.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,643 RON 7,894

43.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,401 RON 6,732

13.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$903 RON 4,340

-34.70%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.97

-20.09%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Alba Iulia: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Alba Iulia

$283 31.4% 8.4% $26

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Alba Iulia

$185 20.5% 21.2% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Alba Iulia

$89 9.9% 18.2% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Alba Iulia

$141 15.6% 49.1% $46

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Alba Iulia

$141 15.6% 81.3% $63

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Alba Iulia

$24 2.6% 61.3% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Alba Iulia

$40 4.4% 21% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $296 in Alba Iulia. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alba Iulia pays 53% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $31 in Alba Iulia. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $185, with Alba Iulia cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇴 Alba Iulia

🕒 Local time

20:05 8:05 PM

15:05 3:05 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

63,536

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Alba Iulia 7,400 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Alba Iulia

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

Chiang Mai vs Alba Iulia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alba Iulia is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, transport, and clothing. The 4% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 35% lower in Chiang Mai. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $296 in Alba Iulia. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you’ll spend $936 per month in Chiang Mai versus $901 in Alba Iulia – a 4% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Alba Iulia runs roughly 69% less than in Chiang Mai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your 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, Chiang Mai and Alba Iulia are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.