Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Alexandria, Romania

Name: Alexandria
Address: Alexandria, RO

For one person, living is cheaper in Alexandria: $866 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $840 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Alexandria
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Alexandria Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Alexandria

🇷🇴 Romania

$866

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Alexandria

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 Alexandria actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $866 in Alexandria.

Chiang Mai $936
Alexandria $866

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $1,322 in Alexandria.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Alexandria $1,322

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $1,778 in Alexandria.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Alexandria $1,778

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 8% more expensive than in Alexandria, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Alexandria 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$8.43 RON 40.29

-73.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$29.79 RON 142

-36.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.52 RON 35.93

-26.20%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.69 RON 8.09

-1.18%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.75 RON 8.38

-63.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$1.43 RON 6.85

-78.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.07 RON 9.89

14.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.47 RON 11.80

48.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.43 RON 6.84

36.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$0.87 RON 4.16

65.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.13 RON 5.41

17.70%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.11 RON 10.08

8.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$5.07 RON 24.24

224.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$4.41 RON 21.05

-36.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.92 RON 37.87

17.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$0.91 RON 4.33

158.24%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.18 RON 5.64

-17.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.97 RON 4.64

64.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.92 RON 4.38

63.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.65 RON 3.09

96.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.62 RON 2.94

77.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.75 RON 3.59

-5.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.83 RON 3.95

-40.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.29 RON 25.27

-21.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$5.21 RON 24.89

236.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.95 RON 4.56

69.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.07 RON 5.10

159.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.65 RON 3.12

33.85%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$41.63 RON 199

29.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$0.43 RON 2.06

169.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.40 RON 1.91

32.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$5.33 RON 25.45

-54.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.76 RON 8.42

-17.61%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$16.5K RON 78.9K

27.63%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$22.4K RON 107.1K

20.26%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$116 RON 553

-46.32%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$5.26 RON 25.15

131.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$7.55 RON 36.07

166.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$57.9 RON 277

-35.56%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$24.58 RON 117

-84.66%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.09 RON 29.12

6.57%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$318 RON 1,519

131.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$6,749 RON 32.2K

118.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$52.0 RON 248

2.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$22.29 RON 106

10.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$62.0 RON 296

47.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$63.6 RON 304

13.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$309 RON 1,475

56.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$242 RON 1,155

27.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$573 RON 2,739

75.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$411 RON 1,966

53.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,269 RON 6,064

86.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$793 RON 3,792

100.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$846 RON 4,043

-30.29%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.73

-17.24%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Alexandria: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Alexandria

$242 27.9% 21.8% $67

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Alexandria

$151 17.4% 35.8% $84

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Alexandria

$90 10.4% 17.2% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Alexandria

$129 14.9% 36.2% $34

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Alexandria

$138 16% 78.3% $61

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Alexandria

$47 5.4% 23.9% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Alexandria

$70 8.1% 39.4% $20

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $309 in Alexandria. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Alexandria pays 43% 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 $30 in Alexandria. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $151, with Alexandria cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇴 Alexandria

🕒 Local time

03:15 3:15 AM

22:15 10:15 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

45,434

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Alexandria 7,280 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Alexandria

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 Alexandria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Alexandria wins on cost – living expenses run 7% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Alexandria the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 30% 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 $309 in Alexandria. 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 $866 in Alexandria – Alexandria is about 7% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

A monthly transit pass in Alexandria runs roughly 23% less than in Chiang Mai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Alexandria is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.