Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Buzias

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $992 in Buzias, rent and utilities included – about $670 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Buzias
Learn more

Buzias Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Buzias

🇷🇴 Romania

$992

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $992 in Buzias, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Buzias $992

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,519 in Buzias, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Buzias $1,519

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,046 in Buzias, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Buzias $2,046

Chiang Mai is about 6% cheaper than Buzias, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Buzias are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Buzias 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$8.56 RON 41.16

-73.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$42.87 RON 206

-55.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.24 RON 34.78

-23.34%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.12 RON 15.00

-46.47%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$2.03 RON 9.76

-68.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$1.75 RON 8.42

-82.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$3.13 RON 15.03

-24.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.00 RON 19.21

-8.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.38 RON 6.62

41.30%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.10 RON 5.28

30.91%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.39 RON 6.69

-4.32%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.36 RON 16.13

-32.14%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$7.92 RON 38.08

107.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$6.01 RON 28.86

-53.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.69 RON 36.97

21.07%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.17 RON 5.61

100.85%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.55 RON 7.46

-37.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.43 RON 6.89

11.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$2.53 RON 12.16

-40.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.65 RON 3.11

96.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.64 RON 3.08

71.88%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.03 RON 4.93

-31.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.90 RON 4.33

-45.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.83 RON 28.02

-28.99%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$7.54 RON 36.23

132.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.99 RON 4.77

62.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.35 RON 6.47

105.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.72 RON 3.45

20.83%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$21.30 RON 102

153.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.93 RON 4.46

24.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.80 RON 3.86

-33.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$8.24 RON 39.61

-70.63%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.93 RON 9.28

-24.87%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$28.0K RON 134.7K

-24.85%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$25.5K RON 122.3K

5.86%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$116 RON 558

-46.41%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$9.29 RON 44.63

31.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$12.08 RON 58.1

66.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$37.51 RON 180

-0.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$20.56 RON 98.8

-81.66%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.96 RON 33.43

-6.75%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$450 RON 2,161

63.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$6,606 RON 31.7K

123.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$74.0 RON 355

-27.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$31.70 RON 152

-22.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$87.2 RON 419

4.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$88.2 RON 424

-18.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$386 RON 1,853

25.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$286 RON 1,374

8.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$592 RON 2,846

69.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$440 RON 2,113

44.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,866 RON 8,969

26.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,363 RON 6,552

16.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.02

-20.66%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Buzias: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Buzias

$286 28.8% 7.5% $23

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Buzias

$195 19.7% 16.8% $39

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Buzias

$126 12.8% 16.4% $18

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Buzias

$137 13.9% 45.4% $43

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Buzias

$166 16.8% 115% $89

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Buzias

$29 2.9% 52.5% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Buzias

$51 5.2% 2.3% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $386 in Buzias. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $43 in Buzias. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $195 in Buzias – so Buzias wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇴 Buzias

🕒 Local time

23:08 11:08 PM

18:08 6:08 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

7,000

💱 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

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Buzias 7,560 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Buzias

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 Buzias: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Buzias is pricier by about 6%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,488 in Buzias. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Buzias, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $386 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Public transport costs about 61% less in Buzias. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $450 in Buzias. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $992 in Buzias. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $992 in Buzias. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.