Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Constanta

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,318 in Constanta, rent and utilities included – about $4,600 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 Constanta
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Constanta Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Constanta

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,318

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,318 in Constanta, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Constanta $1,318

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,960 in Constanta, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Constanta $1,960

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,603 in Constanta, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Constanta $2,603

Chiang Mai is about 29% cheaper than Constanta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Constanta are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Constanta 3% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$12.62 RON 60.7

-82.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$63.2 RON 304

-69.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.41 RON 35.61

-25.10%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.27 RON 15.74

-48.93%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.79 RON 8.61

-64.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$1.23 RON 5.90

-74.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.20 RON 10.59

7.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.21 RON 15.43

14.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.65 RON 7.91

18.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.21 RON 5.83

19.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.63 RON 7.83

-18.40%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.89 RON 13.89

-21.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$8.78 RON 42.20

87.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$5.79 RON 27.83

-51.99%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.01 RON 43.32

3.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.36 RON 6.52

72.79%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.58 RON 7.57

-38.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.54 RON 7.39

3.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$2.58 RON 12.41

-41.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.91 RON 4.37

40.66%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.97 RON 4.68

13.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.01 RON 4.86

-29.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.83 RON 3.98

-40.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.35 RON 30.51

-34.80%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$6.21 RON 29.86

182.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.00 RON 4.83

61.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.76 RON 8.45

57.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.62 RON 2.97

40.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$18.71 RON 89.9

189.10%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.88 RON 4.21

31.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.73 RON 3.52

-27.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$7.24 RON 34.81

-66.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.91 RON 9.19

-24.08%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$28.8K RON 138.3K

-26.79%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$25.3K RON 121.8K

6.34%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$169 RON 811

-63.16%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$7.47 RON 35.88

62.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$7.48 RON 35.94

168.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$52.1 RON 251

-28.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$13.45 RON 64.6

-71.97%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.96 RON 33.45

-6.75%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$552 RON 2,655

33.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$7,704 RON 37.0K

91.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$64.9 RON 312

-17.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$45.42 RON 218

-45.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$87.5 RON 420

4.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$85.6 RON 412

-16.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$691 RON 3,322

-30.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$519 RON 2,495

-40.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$1,051 RON 5,053

-4.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$746 RON 3,585

-15.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$2,582 RON 12.4K

-8.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,968 RON 9,458

-19.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$934 RON 4,489

-36.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.99

-20.31%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Constanta: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Constanta

$519 39.4% 68.1% $210

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Constanta

$204 15.5% 13% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Constanta

$128 9.7% 17.4% $19

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Constanta

$184 13.9% 94.5% $89

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Constanta

$192 14.6% 148% $114

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Constanta

$26 2% 58.1% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Constanta

$66 5% 31.4% $16

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $691 in Constanta. 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 58% higher in Constanta. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $63 in Constanta. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $204 in Constanta – so Constanta wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇴 Constanta

🕒 Local time

05:55 5:55 AM

00:55 12:55 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

283,872

💱 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 = 37.59 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Constanta 7,010 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Constanta

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 Constanta: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Constanta costs about 41% 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 $1,977 in Constanta. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $691 in Constanta.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $552 in Constanta. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 13% cheaper in Constanta – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,318 in Constanta. 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 $1,318 in Constanta. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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