Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Braila

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,143 in Braila, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 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
55

Cost of Living Index in Braila
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Braila Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Braila

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,143

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai versus $1,143 in Braila.

Chiang Mai $936
Braila $1,143

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,457 in Chiang Mai versus $1,725 in Braila.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Braila $1,725

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,979 in Chiang Mai versus $2,308 in Braila.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Braila $2,308

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 18% less than in Braila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Braila 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$18.68 RON 89.4

-88.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$39.07 RON 187

-51.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$8.78 RON 41.98

-36.79%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.63 RON 12.58

-36.50%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$2.06 RON 9.85

-68.93%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$1.70 RON 8.14

-81.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.63 RON 7.79

44.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.08 RON 9.94

75.96%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.82 RON 8.70

7.14%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$1.42 RON 6.80

1.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.47 RON 7.05

-9.52%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.36 RON 16.09

-32.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$8.71 RON 41.67

88.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$7.65 RON 36.58

-63.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.51 RON 45.50

-2.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$0.95 RON 4.53

147.37%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.46 RON 6.96

-33.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.30 RON 6.23

23.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.15 RON 5.50

30.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.84 RON 4.04

52.38%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.72 RON 3.46

52.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.68 RON 3.25

4.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.79 RON 3.76

-37.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.16 RON 29.46

-32.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$6.19 RON 29.64

183.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.02 RON 4.87

57.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.56 RON 7.45

78.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.61 RON 2.91

42.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$15.47 RON 74.0

249.64%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$1.03 RON 4.94

12.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.72 RON 3.46

-26.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$6.77 RON 32.38

-64.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.58 RON 7.58

-8.23%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$26.8K RON 128.1K

-21.34%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$29.7K RON 142.0K

-9.24%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$138 RON 661

-55.02%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$8.19 RON 39.16

48.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$12.91 RON 61.8

55.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$32.14 RON 154

16.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$14.83 RON 70.9

-74.58%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.27 RON 34.80

-10.73%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$366 RON 1,751

101.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$8,266 RON 39.5K

78.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$100 RON 479

-46.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$60.5 RON 289

-59.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$91.3 RON 437

0.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$123 RON 589

-41.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$376 RON 1,800

28.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$305 RON 1,460

1.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$536 RON 2,565

87.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$446 RON 2,135

41.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,880 RON 8,994

25.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,304 RON 6,238

21.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$851 RON 4,070

-30.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

8.3

-32.89%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Braila: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Braila

$305 26.7% 1.2% $3.8

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Braila

$206 18% 12.2% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Braila

$169 14.8% 55.3% $60

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Braila

$159 13.9% 68.6% $65

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Braila

$235 20.5% 202% $157

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Braila

$23 2% 63.2% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Braila

$47 4.1% 7.1% $3.6

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $376 in Braila. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Braila pays 44% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $39 in Braila. Groceries flip the comparison at $234 vs $206, with Braila cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇴 Braila

🕒 Local time

17:03 5:03 PM

12:03 12:03 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

180,302

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 2, 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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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Braila 7,070 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Braila

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 Braila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Braila. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Chiang Mai the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

On paper, salaries run 31% 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 $376 in Braila. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Braila runs roughly 71% less than in Chiang Mai. The price difference matters if you commute daily and watch your budget.

Childcare runs $736 in Chiang Mai versus $366 in Braila. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai 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.

It comes down to priorities – Chiang Mai wins on affordability, Braila on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.