Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Arad Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Arad

😐 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 0.6% more expensive than Arad without rent, and 0.3% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 6.9% cheaper than Arad without rent, and 6.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Arad
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.01 ฿64.4
$8.97 RON 38.76
-77.59%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.23 ฿583
$35.09 RON 152
-48.05%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.65 ฿244
$6.82 RON 29.46
12.17%
Cappuccino
$1.92 ฿61.3
$2.19 RON 9.48
-12.33%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 ฿26.90
$1.59 RON 6.85
-47.17%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 ฿11.39
$1.69 RON 7.31
-78.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.19 ฿70.0
$2.11 RON 9.12
3.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.79 ฿121
$2.80 RON 12.09
35.36%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Arad
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 ฿52.4
$1.45 RON 6.25
13.10%
White Bread (500g)
$1.62 ฿51.8
$1.27 RON 5.47
27.56%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.15 ฿36.88
$1.58 RON 6.84
-27.22%
Eggs
$1.94 ฿62.0
$2.95 RON 12.75
-34.24%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.94 ฿510
$7.79 RON 33.67
104.62%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.10 ฿99.2
$4.47 RON 19.30
-30.65%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.07 ฿354
$9.03 RON 39.03
22.59%
Apples (1kg)
$2.71 ฿86.5
$1.22 RON 5.28
122.13%
Banana (1kg)
$1.18 ฿37.69
$1.51 RON 6.54
-21.85%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.71 ฿54.5
$1.74 RON 7.50
-1.72%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 ฿51.3
$1.68 RON 7.26
-4.17%
Potato (1kg)
$1.39 ฿44.53
$0.76 RON 3.27
82.89%
Onion (1kg)
$1.15 ฿36.70
$0.94 RON 4.07
22.34%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿22.76
$1.02 RON 4.41
-30.39%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿17.60
$0.94 RON 4.05
-41.49%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.57 ฿146
$6.02 RON 25.99
-24.09%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.87 ฿603
$6.81 RON 29.41
177.09%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿58.2
$1.00 RON 4.30
82.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.21 ฿103
$1.58 RON 6.81
103.16%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Arad
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.88 ฿28.16
$0.89 RON 3.83
-1.12%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.89 ฿604
$23.87 RON 103
-20.86%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.41 ฿45.17
$0.83 RON 3.59
69.88%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.30 ฿41.59
$0.85 RON 3.69
52.94%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.20 ฿262
$9.07 RON 39.19
-9.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.23 ฿39.18
$1.54 RON 6.67
-20.13%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ฿677.0K
$27.7K RON 119.7K
-23.56%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.3K ฿713.3K
$26.7K RON 115.2K
-16.35%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Arad
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$69.9 ฿2,234
$109 RON 470
-35.78%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.07 ฿450
$8.44 RON 36.46
66.71%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.70 ฿566
$7.95 RON 34.33
122.64%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Arad
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.41 ฿1,324
$39.45 RON 170
4.97%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.69 ฿214
$22.93 RON 99.1
-70.82%
Cinema Ticket
$5.74 ฿184
$5.92 RON 25.57
-3.04%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Arad
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$299 ฿9,566
$231 RON 997
29.63%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.0K ฿479.8K
$6,898 RON 29.8K
117.57%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Arad
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.8 ฿1,753
$39.95 RON 173
37.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.35 ฿842
$37.51 RON 162
-29.75%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.7 ฿2,706
$80.8 RON 349
4.80%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$69.7 ฿2,229
$67.8 RON 293
2.91%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Arad
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$427 ฿13.6K
$327 RON 1,414
30.42%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$241 ฿7,697
$223 RON 961
8.19%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$811 ฿25.9K
$559 RON 2,414
45.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$498 ฿15.9K
$429 RON 1,853
16.21%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,022 ฿64.7K
$1,577 RON 6,811
28.28%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,524 ฿48.7K
$1,141 RON 4,928
33.57%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Arad
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$639 ฿20.4K
$854 RON 3,691
-25.18%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
6.5
-23.08%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: April 13, 2026

Last update for Arad: April 14, 2026

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

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