Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ialoveni

For one person, living is cheaper in Ialoveni: $804 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 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
38

Cost of Living Index in Ialoveni
Learn more

Ialoveni Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Ialoveni

🇲🇩 Moldova

$804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $804 in Ialoveni, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Ialoveni $804

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,296 in Ialoveni, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Ialoveni $1,296

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,789 in Ialoveni, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Ialoveni $1,789

Chiang Mai costs about 16% more than Ialoveni, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Ialoveni are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Ialoveni 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$8.46 MDL 151

-74.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$29.37 MDL 522

-36.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$10.47 MDL 186

-46.51%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.24 MDL 39.81

-25.89%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$1.25 MDL 22.25

-48.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$0.80 MDL 14.26

-62.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$2.17 MDL 38.57

6.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$2.26 MDL 40.23

62.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$1.26 MDL 22.46

60.32%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$0.69 MDL 12.21

104.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$0.69 MDL 12.23

101.45%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$2.74 MDL 48.75

-13.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$6.75 MDL 120

144.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$4.97 MDL 88.4

-46.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$4.72 MDL 83.8

91.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$0.97 MDL 17.31

147.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$1.93 MDL 34.32

-46.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$2.04 MDL 36.33

-18.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$2.38 MDL 42.27

-34.45%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$0.77 MDL 13.67

61.04%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$0.53 MDL 9.34

105.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$1.36 MDL 24.11

-44.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$0.83 MDL 14.67

-38.55%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$3.44 MDL 61.2

19.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$4.94 MDL 87.8

262.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$1.28 MDL 22.68

26.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$1.94 MDL 34.57

45.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

$0.32 MDL 5.65

190.63%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

$6.61 MDL 118

700.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$2.26 MDL 40.25

-47.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.26 MDL 4.63

-34.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$5.00 MDL 89.0

-63.80%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$1.62 MDL 28.75

-9.26%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$29.1K MDL 516.6K

-27.69%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$24.3K MDL 431.9K

9.14%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$188 MDL 3,341

-66.71%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$9.34 MDL 166

24.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$11.10 MDL 197

82.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

$28.30 MDL 503

33.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$11.21 MDL 199

-66.99%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$7.32 MDL 130

-11.07%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$112 MDL 1,996

547.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$5,209 MDL 92.6K

218.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$43.96 MDL 782

21.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$28.03 MDL 498

-11.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$84.9 MDL 1,509

6.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$93.6 MDL 1,664

-23.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$168 MDL 2,982

186.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$111 MDL 1,981

178.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

$362 MDL 6,428

192.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$367 MDL 6,532

79.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$585 MDL 10.4K

1.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-30.37%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Ialoveni: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Ialoveni

$111 13.9% 64% $199

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Ialoveni

$168 20.9% 29.1% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Ialoveni

$113 14% 4% $4.4

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Ialoveni

$208 25.9% 121% $114

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Ialoveni

$150 18.6% 95.4% $73

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Ialoveni

$11 1.4% 80.5% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Ialoveni

$43 5.3% 15.7% $8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $168 in Ialoveni. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $29 in Ialoveni. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $168 in Ialoveni – so Ialoveni wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇲🇩 Ialoveni

🕒 Local time

02:51 2:51 AM

21:51 9:51 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

15,300

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Moldovan Leu MDL L

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

100 MDL = 5.62 USD

100 MDL = 5 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MDL, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 17.78 MDL (100 MDL = 5.62 USD). 1 EUR = 20.02 MDL (100 MDL = 5 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Ialoveni 7,000 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Ialoveni

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 Ialoveni: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 16% more than Ialoveni, 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 $1,206 in Ialoveni. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ialoveni, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $168 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $112 in Ialoveni. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $804 in Ialoveni. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.