Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Brasov

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,310 in Brasov, rent and utilities included – about $4,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
63

Cost of Living Index in Brasov
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Brasov Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Brasov

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,310

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $938 in Chiang Mai versus $1,310 in Brasov.

Chiang Mai $938
Brasov $1,310

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,426 in Chiang Mai versus $2,115 in Brasov.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Brasov $2,115

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,914 in Chiang Mai versus $2,920 in Brasov.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Brasov $2,920

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 28% less than in Brasov, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 30% lower, Brasov 3% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$10.91 RON 51.6

-79.29%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$52.7 RON 249

-63.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$7.49 RON 35.42

-25.37%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$3.58 RON 16.93

-51.96%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$2.42 RON 11.43

-73.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$2.21 RON 10.44

-85.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$3.16 RON 14.97

-25.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$3.33 RON 15.76

17.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.52 RON 7.21

34.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.42 RON 6.71

-1.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.78 RON 8.42

-28.09%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$3.60 RON 17.01

-37.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$8.75 RON 41.39

93.60%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$6.95 RON 32.87

-60.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$12.48 RON 59.1

-25.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$1.48 RON 7.00

62.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.54 RON 7.30

-34.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.62 RON 7.68

-0.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$2.73 RON 12.91

-44.32%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.76 RON 3.60

68.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.91 RON 4.30

21.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.90 RON 4.27

-20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.80 RON 3.79

-35.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$5.97 RON 28.23

-27.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$7.53 RON 35.63

135.46%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.23 RON 5.81

32.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$1.81 RON 8.57

57.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$1.07 RON 5.05

-20.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$23.18 RON 110

132.53%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$0.63 RON 2.98

85.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.62 RON 2.94

-8.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$6.56 RON 31.05

-63.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.92 RON 9.08

-24.48%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$28.2K RON 133.3K

-27.33%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$26.1K RON 123.6K

1.51%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$179 RON 849

-65.27%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$7.73 RON 36.56

58.73%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$8.82 RON 41.74

126.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$56.8 RON 269

-33.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$13.60 RON 64.4

-72.35%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$9.13 RON 43.19

-26.51%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$450 RON 2,131

76.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$6,955 RON 32.9K

113.26%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$51.1 RON 242

4.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$34.95 RON 165

-28.33%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$75.3 RON 356

21.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$89.7 RON 424

-18.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$676 RON 3,197

-31.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$472 RON 2,235

-35.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$1,316 RON 6,228

-30.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$1,053 RON 4,980

-47.52%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$3,079 RON 14.6K

-37.90%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$2,386 RON 11.3K

-39.73%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$1,102 RON 5,212

-45.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.2

-22.64%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Brasov: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Brasov

$472 36.1% 55.1% $168

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Brasov

$228 17.4% 4.1% $9.7

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Brasov

$113 8.6% 3.1% $3.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Brasov

$196 15% 107% $101

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Brasov

$194 14.8% 145% $115

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Brasov

$31 2.4% 49.1% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Brasov

$75 5.7% 46.2% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $464 in Chiang Mai and $676 in Brasov. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Brasov pays 85% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $19.00 in Chiang Mai vs $53.0 in Brasov. Groceries flip the comparison at $238 vs $228, with Brasov cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇴 Brasov

🕒 Local time

15:03 3:03 PM

11:03 11:03 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

253,200

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Brasov 7,250 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Brasov

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 Brasov: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai and Brasov differ by about 40% in total monthly costs ($938 vs $1,310 including rent). Chiang Mai is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 85% lower in Brasov. 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: $464 in Chiang Mai versus $676 in Brasov. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19.00 versus $53.0 in Brasov. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you'll spend $938 per month in Chiang Mai versus $1,310 in Brasov – a 40% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $938 in Chiang Mai versus $1,310 in Brasov, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Chiang Mai but tight or insufficient in Brasov. The gap between the two cities makes Chiang Mai the clear choice for anyone on this 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 Brasov are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Chiang Mai gentler on the wallet – expenses run 40% less than in Brasov. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.