Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Onesti

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,042 in Onesti, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 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
51

Cost of Living Index in Onesti
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Onesti Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Onesti

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,042

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,042 in Onesti, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Onesti $1,042

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,597 in Onesti, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Onesti $1,597

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,153 in Onesti, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Onesti $2,153

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$10.35 RON 49.20

-79.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$41.83 RON 199

-55.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$7.13 RON 33.88

-21.46%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.97 RON 14.11

-44.11%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$2.20 RON 10.47

-70.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$1.78 RON 8.45

-83.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$3.16 RON 15.03

-26.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$3.72 RON 17.69

-1.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$1.04 RON 4.92

94.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$1.34 RON 6.38

5.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$1.92 RON 9.14

-27.60%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$2.94 RON 13.96

-19.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$7.46 RON 35.46

121.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$6.56 RON 31.18

-59.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$10.11 RON 48.07

-10.78%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$1.03 RON 4.90

133.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$1.45 RON 6.89

-28.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$1.68 RON 8.00

-1.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$2.06 RON 9.81

-24.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$0.80 RON 3.80

55.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$0.82 RON 3.89

32.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$1.12 RON 5.32

-32.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$0.61 RON 2.88

-16.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$6.32 RON 30.06

-34.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$5.34 RON 25.38

235.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$1.34 RON 6.35

20.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$2.14 RON 10.15

31.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

$0.70 RON 3.30

32.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

$22.70 RON 108

133.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$0.80 RON 3.81

47.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.88 RON 4.16

-80.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$8.57 RON 40.74

-78.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$1.43 RON 6.81

2.80%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$28.5K RON 135.6K

-26.34%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$26.1K RON 124.1K

1.57%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$186 RON 882

-66.29%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$7.43 RON 35.31

56.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$8.70 RON 41.34

133.33%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

$36.79 RON 175

2.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$20.40 RON 97.0

-81.86%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$8.50 RON 40.41

-23.41%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$389 RON 1,848

86.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$7,819 RON 37.2K

111.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$37.62 RON 179

42.32%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$39.20 RON 186

-36.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$94.7 RON 450

-4.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$91.9 RON 437

-21.71%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$406 RON 1,931

18.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$261 RON 1,242

18.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$653 RON 3,102

62.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$464 RON 2,203

42.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

$1,929 RON 9,170

25.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

$1,329 RON 6,315

21.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$634 RON 3,015

-6.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.18

-22.42%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Onesti: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Onesti

$261 25.1% 15.7% $49

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Onesti

$197 18.9% 16.7% $40

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Onesti

$119 11.4% 9.5% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Onesti

$202 19.4% 114% $107

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Onesti

$179 17.2% 134% $102

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Onesti

$31 2.9% 47.7% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Onesti

$54 5.2% 5.7% $2.9

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $406 in Onesti. 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 7% higher in Onesti, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $42 in Onesti. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $197 in Onesti – so Onesti wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇴 Onesti

🕒 Local time

10:05 10:05 AM

05:05 5:05 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

57,333

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 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 Onesti 7,160 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Onesti

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 Onesti: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Onesti 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 $1,563 in Onesti. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Onesti, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $406 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $389 in Onesti. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 17% cheaper in Onesti – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,042 in Onesti. 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 $1,042 in Onesti. 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, Onesti makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.