Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Mamaia

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,035 in Mamaia, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Mamaia
Learn more

Mamaia Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Mamaia

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,035

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,035 in Mamaia, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Mamaia $1,035

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,581 in Mamaia, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Mamaia $1,581

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,127 in Mamaia, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Mamaia $2,127

Chiang Mai is about 10% cheaper than Mamaia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Mamaia are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Mamaia 23% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$9.98 RON 47.43

-78.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$45.76 RON 218

-59.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$7.88 RON 37.44

-28.93%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.71 RON 12.86

-38.75%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$2.00 RON 9.51

-67.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$1.74 RON 8.25

-82.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$2.33 RON 11.09

-0.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$2.78 RON 13.24

32.01%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$1.46 RON 6.94

38.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$1.21 RON 5.74

16.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$1.69 RON 8.04

-17.75%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$3.33 RON 15.81

-28.83%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$8.60 RON 40.89

92.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$6.67 RON 31.70

-59.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$9.79 RON 46.51

-7.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$1.13 RON 5.36

112.39%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$1.53 RON 7.26

-32.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$1.62 RON 7.68

2.47%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$2.22 RON 10.56

-29.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$0.86 RON 4.10

44.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$0.96 RON 4.58

13.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$0.89 RON 4.24

-14.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$0.78 RON 3.71

-34.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$5.74 RON 27.29

-28.22%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$6.35 RON 30.18

182.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$1.06 RON 5.05

52.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$1.70 RON 8.08

65.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

$0.66 RON 3.12

40.91%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

$19.69 RON 93.6

168.61%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$0.76 RON 3.59

55.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.76 RON 3.63

-77.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$7.12 RON 33.82

-74.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$1.61 RON 7.64

-8.70%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$27.9K RON 132.8K

-24.78%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$27.1K RON 129.0K

-2.31%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$147 RON 698

-57.40%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$7.88 RON 37.44

47.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$8.88 RON 42.19

128.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

$41.07 RON 195

-7.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$18.96 RON 90.1

-80.49%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$6.94 RON 32.98

-6.20%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$422 RON 2,006

72.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$7,038 RON 33.5K

135.51%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$68.1 RON 323

-21.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$40.19 RON 191

-38.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$75.8 RON 360

19.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$94.0 RON 447

-23.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$391 RON 1,859

23.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$290 RON 1,379

6.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$586 RON 2,785

80.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$445 RON 2,114

48.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

$1,899 RON 9,028

27.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

$1,459 RON 6,933

10.30%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.5

-14.31%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Mamaia: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Mamaia

$290 28% 6.4% $20

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Mamaia

$207 20% 12.7% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Mamaia

$125 12.1% 15.5% $17

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Mamaia

$164 15.8% 73.2% $69

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Mamaia

$168 16.2% 120% $92

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Mamaia

$27 2.6% 54.2% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Mamaia

$55 5.3% 8% $4.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $391 in Mamaia. 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 $46 in Mamaia. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $207 in Mamaia – so Mamaia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇴 Mamaia

🕒 Local time

23:18 11:18 PM

18:18 6:18 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

441

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Mamaia 7,020 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Mamaia

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 Mamaia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mamaia costs about 11% 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 $1,553 in Mamaia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mamaia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $391 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $422 in Mamaia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 13% cheaper in Mamaia – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,035 in Mamaia. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.