Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Galati

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,190 in Galati, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 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
57

Cost of Living Index in Galati
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Galati Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Galati

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,190 in Galati, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Galati $1,190

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,683 in Galati, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Galati $1,683

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,176 in Galati, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Galati $2,176

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

Both Chiang Mai and Galati are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Galati 13% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$10.62 RON 50.6

-78.91%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$41.85 RON 199

-54.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.37 RON 35.10

-24.69%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.52 RON 12.00

-33.73%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$2.10 RON 10.02

-69.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$1.86 RON 8.87

-83.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.06 RON 9.83

14.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.18 RON 15.14

15.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.19 RON 5.67

63.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$0.70 RON 3.32

105.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.77 RON 8.43

-24.86%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$3.40 RON 16.22

-32.94%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$7.49 RON 35.68

119.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$5.91 RON 28.15

-52.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.54 RON 40.68

9.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.29 RON 6.12

82.17%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$1.61 RON 7.66

-39.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.51 RON 7.20

5.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.76 RON 8.38

-14.77%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$0.96 RON 4.56

33.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$1.01 RON 4.79

8.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$0.80 RON 3.83

-11.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.67 RON 3.18

-26.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.84 RON 27.82

-29.11%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$5.31 RON 25.31

229.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.95 RON 4.52

69.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.18 RON 5.63

135.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.77 RON 3.65

12.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$26.96 RON 128

100.63%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$0.60 RON 2.88

93.33%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$0.70 RON 3.34

-24.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$7.10 RON 33.85

-65.92%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.71 RON 8.15

-15.20%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$28.5K RON 135.6K

-26.02%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$24.7K RON 117.5K

9.23%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$146 RON 695

-57.39%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$7.61 RON 36.27

59.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$7.70 RON 36.68

161.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$36.70 RON 175

1.66%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$34.89 RON 166

-89.19%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.24 RON 29.75

4.01%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$601 RON 2,865

22.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$4,839 RON 23.1K

205.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$97.2 RON 463

-45.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$31.71 RON 151

-22.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$60.9 RON 290

50.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$83.6 RON 399

-13.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$514 RON 2,451

-6.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$471 RON 2,244

-34.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$778 RON 3,705

29.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$550 RON 2,623

15.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,723 RON 8,210

37.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,324 RON 6,309

20.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$911 RON 4,341

-35.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.2

-22.64%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Galati: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Galati

$471 39.6% 52.4% $162

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Galati

$182 15.3% 22.4% $52

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Galati

$123 10.3% 13.3% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Galati

$161 13.5% 70.7% $67

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Galati

$170 14.3% 119% $92

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Galati

$34 2.9% 44.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Galati

$49 4.1% 2.2% $1.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $514 in Galati. 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 54% higher in Galati. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $42 in Galati. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $182 in Galati – so Galati wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇴 Galati

🕒 Local time

01:22 1:22 AM

20:22 8:22 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

249,432

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.76 RON (1 RON = 0.21 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 Galati 7,060 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Galati

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 Galati: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Galati costs about 27% 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 $1,785 in Galati. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $482 in Chiang Mai and $514 in Galati. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $601 in Galati. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 22% cheaper in Galati – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,190 in Galati. 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 $1,190 in Galati. 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, Galati makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.