Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Craiova

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,182 in Craiova, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 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
58

Cost of Living Index in Craiova
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Craiova Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Craiova

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,182

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,182 in Craiova, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Craiova $1,182

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,739 in Craiova, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Craiova $1,739

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,297 in Craiova, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Craiova $2,297

Chiang Mai is about 21% cheaper than Craiova, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Craiova are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Craiova 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$7.45 RON 35.24

-69.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$41.89 RON 198

-54.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$7.11 RON 33.62

-21.38%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$2.65 RON 12.54

-35.09%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$2.20 RON 10.39

-70.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$1.83 RON 8.68

-81.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$2.24 RON 10.60

5.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$3.52 RON 16.65

10.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.28 RON 6.05

60.16%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$0.86 RON 4.06

62.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.36 RON 6.43

-5.88%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$3.27 RON 15.47

-31.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$7.11 RON 33.63

138.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$6.49 RON 30.73

-57.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$11.50 RON 54.4

-18.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$0.94 RON 4.44

155.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.44 RON 6.83

-29.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.47 RON 6.94

9.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$1.80 RON 8.51

-15.56%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.76 RON 3.60

68.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.83 RON 3.95

33.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.74 RON 3.49

-2.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.72 RON 3.38

-27.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$6.32 RON 29.92

-31.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$6.33 RON 29.95

180.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.16 RON 5.48

40.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$1.51 RON 7.15

88.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.81 RON 3.85

4.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$24.73 RON 117

117.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$0.65 RON 3.06

80.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.66 RON 3.12

-13.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$6.17 RON 29.18

-61.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.83 RON 8.66

-20.77%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$28.5K RON 135.1K

-28.28%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$26.4K RON 125.0K

0.33%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$211 RON 996

-70.40%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$9.13 RON 43.18

34.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$11.58 RON 54.8

72.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$44.63 RON 211

-15.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$22.02 RON 104

-82.92%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$7.45 RON 35.24

-9.93%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$423 RON 2,002

88.36%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$8,143 RON 38.5K

82.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$61.8 RON 293

-13.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$51.2 RON 242

-51.11%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$84.2 RON 398

8.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$103 RON 487

-28.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$508 RON 2,404

-8.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$383 RON 1,814

-20.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$893 RON 4,225

2.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$596 RON 2,822

-7.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$2,614 RON 12.4K

-26.84%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$1,960 RON 9,272

-26.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$931 RON 4,404

-36.06%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.84

-18.57%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Craiova: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Craiova

$383 32.5% 25.9% $79

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Craiova

$193 16.4% 18.7% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Craiova

$135 11.4% 23.3% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Craiova

$231 19.6% 145% $137

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Craiova

$147 12.5% 86.2% $68

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Craiova

$32 2.7% 47.9% $29

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Craiova

$60 5% 15.9% $8.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $508 in Craiova. 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 56% higher in Craiova, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $42.00 in Craiova. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $193 in Craiova – so Craiova wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇴 Craiova

🕒 Local time

23:50 11:50 PM

19:50 7:50 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

269,506

💱 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Craiova 7,400 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Craiova

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 Craiova: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Craiova costs about 26% 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,772 in Craiova. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $423 in Craiova. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 23% cheaper in Craiova – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Craiova at $1,182. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Craiova it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,182 in Craiova. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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.

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