Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Deva

For one person, living is cheaper in Deva: $862 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $760 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
42

Cost of Living Index in Deva
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Deva Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Deva

🇷🇴 Romania

$862

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $862 in Deva, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Deva $862

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,338 in Deva, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Deva $1,338

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,814 in Deva, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Deva $1,814

Chiang Mai costs about 7% more than Deva, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Deva are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Deva 36% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$6.81 RON 32.20

-66.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$21.08 RON 99.7

-6.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$7.28 RON 34.46

-22.94%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.71 RON 8.10

-2.92%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$2.09 RON 9.89

-66.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$1.20 RON 5.68

-74.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$1.29 RON 6.13

86.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$2.09 RON 9.90

77.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.56 RON 7.39

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.27 RON 6.03

11.02%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.10 RON 5.21

19.09%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$3.18 RON 15.03

-31.45%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$7.80 RON 36.91

113.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$5.29 RON 25.05

-47.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$8.12 RON 38.42

12.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$1.37 RON 6.49

74.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.38 RON 6.52

-25.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.53 RON 7.23

6.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$2.12 RON 10.05

-29.25%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.71 RON 3.37

81.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.96 RON 4.54

15.63%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.85 RON 4.04

-15.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.86 RON 4.05

-38.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$5.34 RON 25.26

-19.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$7.39 RON 34.98

142.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.07 RON 5.06

47.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$1.75 RON 8.28

62.29%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.57 RON 2.67

50.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$32.18 RON 152

65.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$0.79 RON 3.74

53.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.66 RON 3.12

-13.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$8.58 RON 40.59

-72.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.62 RON 7.68

-11.11%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$28.8K RON 136.1K

-27.93%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$24.7K RON 116.8K

8.54%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$133 RON 631

-53.30%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$8.71 RON 41.23

39.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$9.54 RON 45.15

109.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$39.18 RON 185

-5.39%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

$53.0 RON 251

-92.87%

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$6.28 RON 29.70

3.50%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$577 RON 2,731

37.30%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$9,789 RON 46.3K

51.27%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$69.0 RON 326

-22.07%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$44.86 RON 212

-45.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$84.9 RON 402

7.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$74.1 RON 351

-4.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$237 RON 1,122

92.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$184 RON 871

61.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$400 RON 1,892

127.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$353 RON 1,672

56.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$4,841 RON 22.9K

-60.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$3,476 RON 16.4K

-58.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$1,154 RON 5,458

-48.78%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.65

-16.24%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Deva: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Deva

$184 21.3% 38.2% $114

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Deva

$193 22.4% 18.1% $43

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Deva

$123 14.2% 13.5% $15

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Deva

$152 17.6% 60.8% $57

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Deva

$121 14% 53.5% $42

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Deva

$39 4.5% 36.6% $22

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Deva

$52 6% 3.4% $1.7

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $237 in Deva. 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 95% higher in Deva, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $21.00 in Deva. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $193 in Deva – so Deva wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇴 Deva

🕒 Local time

22:15 10:15 PM

18:15 6:15 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

61,123

💱 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 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

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Deva 7,460 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Deva

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 Deva: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 7% more than Deva, 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,294 in Deva. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Deva, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $793 per month in Chiang Mai and $577 in Deva. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 22% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Deva, where all-in costs run around $862, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Deva it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Deva costs $862 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. 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 Deva. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.