Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Cugir

For one person, living is cheaper in Cugir: $866 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $830 less a year. The total is higher in Chiang Mai despite lower rent and utilities.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
42

Cost of Living Index in Cugir
Learn more

Cugir Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Cugir

🇷🇴 Romania

$866

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $866 in Cugir, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Cugir $866

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,273 in Cugir, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Cugir $1,273

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,680 in Cugir, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Cugir $1,680

Chiang Mai costs about 8% more than Cugir, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Cugir are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Cugir 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$5.71 RON 27.13

-62.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$21.29 RON 101

-12.54%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$7.28 RON 34.61

-23.08%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.50 RON 7.13

10.67%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$1.37 RON 6.50

-52.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$1.16 RON 5.52

-74.14%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$1.43 RON 6.81

62.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$2.13 RON 10.14

72.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$1.25 RON 5.94

61.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$1.19 RON 5.68

18.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$1.77 RON 8.41

-21.47%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$2.66 RON 12.63

-10.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$7.30 RON 34.69

126.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$4.69 RON 22.27

-43.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$10.39 RON 49.40

-13.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$1.67 RON 7.92

43.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$1.77 RON 8.44

-41.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$1.72 RON 8.16

-3.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.40 RON 6.64

11.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$0.80 RON 3.78

55.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$0.87 RON 4.12

25.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$1.20 RON 5.70

-36.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$0.81 RON 3.86

-37.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$5.22 RON 24.79

-21.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$5.75 RON 27.35

211.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$1.23 RON 5.86

31.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$1.74 RON 8.28

62.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

$0.71 RON 3.39

30.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

$21.52 RON 102

145.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$0.54 RON 2.56

118.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.54 RON 2.57

-68.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$5.26 RON 25.02

-65.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$1.37 RON 6.51

7.30%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$28.2K RON 133.9K

-25.40%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$25.2K RON 119.9K

5.12%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$122 RON 581

-48.79%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$8.30 RON 39.47

39.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$7.09 RON 33.69

186.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

$32.70 RON 155

15.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$22.90 RON 109

-83.84%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$5.28 RON 25.08

23.30%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$156 RON 742

365.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$3,898 RON 18.5K

325.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$31.54 RON 150

69.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$8.46 RON 40.22

193.14%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$70.1 RON 333

28.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$73.4 RON 349

-1.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$420 RON 1,997

14.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$277 RON 1,316

11.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$684 RON 3,249

54.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$422 RON 2,007

56.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

$2,155 RON 10.2K

12.19%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

$1,188 RON 5,647

35.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$531 RON 2,525

11.96%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.35

-24.22%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Cugir: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Cugir

$277 32% 10.7% $33

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Cugir

$191 22.1% 19.2% $45

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Cugir

$83 9.5% 23.8% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Cugir

$138 15.9% 45.6% $43

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Cugir

$107 12.4% 39.8% $30

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Cugir

$28 3.2% 52.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Cugir

$43 5% 15% $7.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $420 in Cugir. 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 12% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $21 in Cugir. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $191 in Cugir – so Cugir wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇴 Cugir

🕒 Local time

10:04 10:04 AM

05:04 5:04 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

28,780

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 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 Cugir 7,420 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Cugir

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 Cugir: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 8% more than Cugir, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $1,299 in Cugir. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cugir, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $420 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $156 in Cugir. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 24% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Cugir – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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