Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Giurgiu

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,102 in Giurgiu, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
53

Cost of Living Index in Giurgiu
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Giurgiu Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Giurgiu

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,102

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,102 in Giurgiu, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Giurgiu $1,102

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,693 in Giurgiu, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Giurgiu $1,693

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,284 in Giurgiu, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Giurgiu $2,284

Chiang Mai is about 15% cheaper than Giurgiu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Giurgiu are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Giurgiu 18% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.6

$11.21 RON 53.6

-81.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿624

$52.7 RON 252

-64.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$7.51 RON 35.90

-25.43%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.8

$3.69 RON 17.63

-55.01%

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

$0.65 ฿21.69

$2.44 RON 11.66

-73.36%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.22

$2.23 RON 10.65

-86.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.9

$3.13 RON 14.96

-25.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$3.43 RON 16.41

7.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.6

$1.60 RON 7.67

26.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.21

$1.42 RON 6.78

-0.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.67

$1.69 RON 8.07

-17.75%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.4

$3.62 RON 17.28

-34.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿554

$8.83 RON 42.23

87.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.5

$6.76 RON 32.30

-60.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$12.78 RON 61.1

-29.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.4

$1.50 RON 7.19

60.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.91

$1.55 RON 7.43

-32.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.6

$1.59 RON 7.59

4.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$2.62 RON 12.52

-40.46%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.50

$0.76 RON 3.62

63.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.44

$0.81 RON 3.85

34.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.54

$0.81 RON 3.87

-6.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.24

$0.79 RON 3.78

-35.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$5.99 RON 28.63

-31.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿601

$7.48 RON 35.73

139.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$1.22 RON 5.85

32.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.6

$1.77 RON 8.46

59.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.33

$0.76 RON 3.63

22.37%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,773

$22.27 RON 106

137.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.45

$0.68 RON 3.24

73.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.75

$0.63 RON 2.99

-73.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.8

$6.36 RON 30.41

-71.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.38

$1.86 RON 8.88

-20.97%

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

$21.0K ฿704.5K

$28.8K RON 137.8K

-27.13%

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

$26.5K ฿889.1K

$25.7K RON 122.7K

3.27%

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

$62.6 ฿2,098

$181 RON 867

-65.52%

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

$11.60 ฿389

$7.15 RON 34.17

62.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿681

$8.93 RON 42.66

127.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,270

$42.94 RON 205

-11.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$21.83 RON 104

-83.05%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$9.24 RON 44.17

-29.55%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$444 RON 2,121

63.84%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿555.7K

$7,626 RON 36.5K

117.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,795

$50.8 RON 243

5.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿832

$35.38 RON 169

-29.90%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,031

$76.2 RON 364

18.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,413

$88.7 RON 424

-18.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$335 RON 1,602

43.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$276 RON 1,319

12.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$642 RON 3,067

64.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$431 RON 2,061

52.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.1K

$1,909 RON 9,124

26.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.9K

$1,195 RON 5,712

34.62%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$897 RON 4,286

-33.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.23

-22.96%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Giurgiu: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Giurgiu

$276 25% 11% $34

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Giurgiu

$228 20.7% 3.8% $9

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Giurgiu

$113 10.3% 4.3% $4.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Giurgiu

$198 17.9% 109% $103

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Giurgiu

$198 17.9% 158% $121

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Giurgiu

$29 2.6% 50.4% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Giurgiu

$61 5.6% 20.7% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $335 in Giurgiu. 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 51% higher in Giurgiu. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $53 in Giurgiu. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $228 in Giurgiu – so Giurgiu wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇴 Giurgiu

🕒 Local time

22:45 10:45 PM

17:45 5:45 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

61,353

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.186 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.37 RON (1 RON = 0.186 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Giurgiu 7,230 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Giurgiu

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 Giurgiu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Giurgiu costs about 18% 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 $1,653 in Giurgiu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Giurgiu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $335 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $444 in Giurgiu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Giurgiu – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,102 in Giurgiu. 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,102 in Giurgiu. 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, Giurgiu makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.