Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Focsani

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,019 in Focsani, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Focsani outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Focsani
Learn more

Focsani Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Focsani

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,019

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,019 in Focsani, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Focsani $1,019

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,643 in Focsani, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Focsani $1,643

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,266 in Focsani, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Focsani $2,266

Chiang Mai is about 8% cheaper than Focsani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Focsani are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Focsani 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$7.53 RON 35.97

-70.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$42.58 RON 203

-55.38%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.21 RON 34.44

-23.02%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.40 RON 11.46

-30.42%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.85 RON 8.85

-65.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$1.58 RON 7.56

-80.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.91 RON 9.13

23.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.55 RON 12.17

43.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.66 RON 7.91

17.47%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$1.08 RON 5.15

33.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$1.23 RON 5.86

8.13%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.13 RON 14.95

-27.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$8.65 RON 41.32

90.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$6.66 RON 31.84

-58.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.42 RON 49.78

-10.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.20 RON 5.75

95.83%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$1.58 RON 7.53

-38.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.57 RON 7.51

1.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$2.25 RON 10.76

-33.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.85 RON 4.06

50.59%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.79 RON 3.80

39.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.61 RON 2.94

16.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.76 RON 3.63

-35.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.77 RON 27.56

-28.25%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$4.25 RON 20.31

312.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.15 RON 5.50

40.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.48 RON 7.05

87.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.81 RON 3.88

7.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$15.65 RON 74.8

245.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$0.61 RON 2.90

90.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.66 RON 3.16

-19.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$6.34 RON 30.28

-61.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.87 RON 8.93

-22.46%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$24.9K RON 118.9K

-15.38%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$24.1K RON 115.3K

11.67%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$170 RON 811

-63.35%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$8.23 RON 39.31

47.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$9.01 RON 43.05

123.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$27.77 RON 133

34.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$36.37 RON 174

-89.63%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$8.12 RON 38.79

-20.07%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$319 RON 1,522

131.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

$14.6K RON 69.6K

1.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$89.2 RON 426

-40.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$38.40 RON 184

-35.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$79.1 RON 378

15.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$92.0 RON 440

-21.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$377 RON 1,800

28.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$291 RON 1,389

6.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$895 RON 4,278

12.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$636 RON 3,040

-0.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,045 RON 4,995

126.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$878 RON 4,195

81.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$683 RON 3,264

-13.67%

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Focsani: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Focsani

$291 28.5% 5.9% $18

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Focsani

$201 19.7% 14.2% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Focsani

$134 13.2% 23.7% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Focsani

$187 18.3% 97.8% $92

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Focsani

$139 13.6% 79.1% $61

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Focsani

$23 2.2% 62.8% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Focsani

$44 4.3% 12.5% $6.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $377 in Focsani. 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 16% higher in Focsani. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $43 in Focsani. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $201 in Focsani – so Focsani wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇴 Focsani

🕒 Local time

05:20 5:20 AM

00:20 12:20 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

97,186

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Focsani 7,130 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Focsani

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 Focsani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Focsani costs about 9% 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 $1,528 in Focsani. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Focsani, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $377 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $319 in Focsani. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 14% cheaper in Focsani – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,019 in Focsani. 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 $1,019 in Focsani. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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