Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Iernut

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Iernut: $936 and $930 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Iernut
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Iernut Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Iernut

🇷🇴 Romania

$930

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $930 in Iernut, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Iernut $930

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,434 in Iernut, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Iernut $1,434

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,939 in Iernut, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Iernut $1,939

Chiang Mai and Iernut have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Chiang Mai and Iernut are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Iernut 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$8.91 RON 42.81

-74.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$42.80 RON 206

-55.61%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.18 RON 34.52

-22.70%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.19 RON 10.52

-23.74%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.44 RON 6.93

-55.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$1.23 RON 5.91

-74.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.14 RON 10.27

10.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.37 RON 11.37

54.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.39 RON 6.69

40.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.11 RON 5.35

29.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.46 RON 7.03

-8.90%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.92 RON 14.03

-21.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$8.14 RON 39.12

102.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$5.77 RON 27.75

-51.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$10.35 RON 49.74

-10.05%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$0.99 RON 4.75

137.37%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.33 RON 6.37

-27.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.46 RON 7.02

9.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.88 RON 9.05

-20.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.71 RON 3.41

80.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.51 RON 2.46

115.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.87 RON 4.19

-18.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.72 RON 3.44

-31.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.93 RON 28.51

-30.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$7.44 RON 35.77

135.48%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.08 RON 5.18

49.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.62 RON 7.76

71.60%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.71 RON 3.39

22.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$21.72 RON 104

149.03%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.63 RON 3.01

84.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.62 RON 3.00

-14.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$6.47 RON 31.10

-62.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.81 RON 8.70

-19.89%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$29.0K RON 139.4K

-27.42%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$25.8K RON 123.9K

4.54%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$101 RON 486

-38.48%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$7.63 RON 36.69

59.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$7.97 RON 38.28

152.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$38.48 RON 185

-3.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$20.63 RON 99.1

-81.73%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.51 RON 31.28

-0.31%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$419 RON 2,013

75.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$6,990 RON 33.6K

111.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$51.7 RON 249

3.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$30.48 RON 146

-19.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$75.3 RON 362

21.54%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$78.5 RON 377

-8.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$382 RON 1,835

26.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$289 RON 1,388

6.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$604 RON 2,905

66.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$441 RON 2,119

43.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,857 RON 8,924

27.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,329 RON 6,386

19.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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 Iernut: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Iernut

$289 31% 6.5% $20

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Iernut

$194 20.8% 17.3% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Iernut

$106 11.4% 2.3% $2.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Iernut

$117 12.5% 23.5% $22

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Iernut

$145 15.6% 87.1% $68

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Iernut

$28 3% 53.9% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Iernut

$52 5.5% 2.4% $1.2

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $382 in Iernut. 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 $43 in Iernut. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $194 in Iernut – so Iernut wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇴 Iernut

🕒 Local time

04:50 4:50 AM

23:50 11:50 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

9,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 RON = 0.208 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Iernut 7,350 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Iernut

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 Iernut: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,396 in Iernut. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Iernut, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $382 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $43 in Iernut. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 60% less in Iernut. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

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