Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Chitila

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,093 in Chitila, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Chitila
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Chitila Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Chitila

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,093

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,093 in Chitila, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Chitila $1,093

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,706 in Chitila, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Chitila $1,706

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,318 in Chitila, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Chitila $2,318

Chiang Mai is about 14% cheaper than Chitila, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Chitila are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Chitila 19% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$13.53 RON 64.3

-84.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$60.4 RON 287

-69.15%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$7.54 RON 35.82

-25.73%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$3.35 RON 15.92

-50.45%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$1.78 RON 8.44

-63.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$1.29 RON 6.13

-76.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$2.14 RON 10.18

8.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$3.13 RON 14.85

17.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$1.63 RON 7.75

23.93%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$1.22 RON 5.77

15.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$1.62 RON 7.68

-14.20%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$2.88 RON 13.68

-17.71%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$7.60 RON 36.09

117.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$5.53 RON 26.27

-51.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$8.73 RON 41.46

3.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$1.31 RON 6.23

83.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$1.64 RON 7.78

-36.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$1.49 RON 7.06

11.41%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$2.52 RON 11.98

-38.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$0.86 RON 4.09

44.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$0.79 RON 3.73

37.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$0.90 RON 4.29

-15.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$0.87 RON 4.13

-41.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$6.47 RON 30.70

-36.32%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$6.12 RON 29.04

192.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$1.01 RON 4.80

60.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$1.65 RON 7.85

70.91%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

$0.78 RON 3.69

19.23%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

$21.77 RON 103

142.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$0.66 RON 3.14

78.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.65 RON 3.07

-73.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$6.41 RON 30.42

-71.76%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$1.84 RON 8.75

-20.11%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$28.1K RON 133.4K

-25.22%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$25.3K RON 120.3K

4.62%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$170 RON 807

-63.19%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$8.44 RON 40.09

37.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$9.24 RON 43.89

119.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

$37.98 RON 180

-0.26%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$20.35 RON 96.6

-81.82%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$6.66 RON 31.61

-2.25%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$564 RON 2,677

28.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$8,220 RON 39.0K

101.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$82.8 RON 393

-35.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$45.17 RON 214

-45.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$86.9 RON 413

3.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$87.2 RON 414

-17.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$377 RON 1,792

27.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$292 RON 1,389

5.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

$616 RON 2,925

71.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$467 RON 2,217

41.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

$1,937 RON 9,197

24.82%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

$1,363 RON 6,470

18.07%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$853 RON 4,050

-30.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.75

-17.48%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chitila: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Chitila

$292 26.8% 5.6% $17

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Chitila

$197 18% 16.8% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Chitila

$136 12.4% 25.5% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Chitila

$188 17.2% 98.6% $93

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Chitila

$200 18.3% 162% $124

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Chitila

$29 2.6% 51% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Chitila

$51 4.7% 0.8% $0.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $377 in Chitila. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 43% higher in Chitila. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $60 in Chitila. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $197 in Chitila – so Chitila wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇴 Chitila

🕒 Local time

21:15 9:15 PM

16:15 4:15 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

10,866

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Chitila 7,220 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Chitila

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 Chitila: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chitila costs about 17% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from eating out. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,640 in Chitila. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chitila, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $377 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $564 in Chitila. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 17% cheaper in Chitila – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,093 in Chitila. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $935 versus $1,093 in Chitila. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chitila makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.