Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Mangalia

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,068 in Mangalia, 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Mangalia
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Mangalia Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Mangalia

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,068

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,068 in Mangalia, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Mangalia $1,068

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,652 in Mangalia, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Mangalia $1,652

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,236 in Mangalia, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Mangalia $2,236

Chiang Mai is about 12% cheaper than Mangalia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Mangalia are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Mangalia 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$11.53 RON 55.4

-80.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$46.81 RON 225

-59.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.56 RON 36.31

-26.59%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.87 RON 13.82

-41.81%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$2.14 RON 10.30

-70.09%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$2.17 RON 10.43

-85.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.56 RON 12.29

-7.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.37 RON 16.19

8.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.62 RON 7.78

20.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.13 RON 5.43

27.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.48 RON 7.13

-10.14%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$3.05 RON 14.68

-25.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$7.94 RON 38.14

107.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$6.87 RON 33.02

-59.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.38 RON 45.08

-0.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.34 RON 6.46

75.37%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.64 RON 7.86

-40.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.43 RON 6.89

11.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.95 RON 9.38

-23.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.72 RON 3.47

77.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.69 RON 3.33

59.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.65 RON 3.11

9.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.79 RON 3.80

-37.97%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$6.17 RON 29.67

-32.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$6.66 RON 31.99

163.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.00 RON 4.79

61.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.44 RON 6.91

93.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.82 RON 3.93

6.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$22.49 RON 108

140.51%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.66 RON 3.15

75.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.66 RON 3.15

-19.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$6.18 RON 29.72

-60.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.85 RON 8.90

-21.62%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$28.8K RON 138.6K

-27.00%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$25.4K RON 122.0K

6.17%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$166 RON 799

-62.60%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$6.18 RON 29.71

96.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$8.39 RON 40.31

139.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$37.28 RON 179

0.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$21.67 RON 104

-82.60%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$8.47 RON 40.71

-23.38%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$366 RON 1,757

101.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$5,846 RON 28.1K

152.56%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$73.4 RON 353

-27.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$41.66 RON 200

-40.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$89.9 RON 432

1.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$95.4 RON 458

-24.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$386 RON 1,855

24.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$281 RON 1,352

9.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$618 RON 2,971

62.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$479 RON 2,303

32.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$2,136 RON 10.3K

10.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,410 RON 6,777

12.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$741 RON 3,563

-20.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.85

-29.04%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Mangalia: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Mangalia

$281 26.3% 8.9% $28

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Mangalia

$201 18.8% 14.3% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Mangalia

$135 12.7% 24.4% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Mangalia

$181 16.9% 91.4% $86

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Mangalia

$186 17.4% 140% $109

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Mangalia

$30 2.8% 51.6% $32

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Mangalia

$54 5.1% 7.8% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $386 in Mangalia. 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 26% higher in Mangalia. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $47 in Mangalia. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $201 in Mangalia – so Mangalia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇴 Mangalia

🕒 Local time

05:14 5:14 AM

00:14 12:14 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

36,364

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Mangalia

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 Mangalia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mangalia costs about 14% 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 $1,602 in Mangalia. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mangalia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $386 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $366 in Mangalia. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 14% cheaper in Mangalia – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,068 in Mangalia. 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 $1,068 in Mangalia. 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, Mangalia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.