Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Oradea

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,023 in Oradea, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Oradea outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
49

Cost of Living Index in Oradea
Learn more

Oradea Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Oradea

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,023

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,023 in Oradea, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Oradea $1,023

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,523 in Oradea, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Oradea $1,523

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,022 in Oradea, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Oradea $2,022

Chiang Mai is about 9% cheaper than Oradea, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Oradea are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Oradea 25% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$8.26 RON 39.34

-72.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$41.28 RON 197

-53.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.42 RON 35.34

-25.20%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.58 RON 12.29

-35.27%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$1.90 RON 9.03

-66.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$1.78 RON 8.50

-82.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.14 RON 10.22

10.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.19 RON 15.19

14.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.47 RON 7.02

32.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$1.05 RON 5.02

37.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.16 RON 5.51

14.66%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.78 RON 13.23

-17.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$8.13 RON 38.75

102.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.13 RON 29.21

-54.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$8.81 RON 41.99

5.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.07 RON 5.10

119.63%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$1.50 RON 7.15

-35.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.44 RON 6.87

11.11%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.36 RON 6.49

10.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$0.80 RON 3.82

60.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$0.87 RON 4.14

26.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$0.68 RON 3.24

4.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.81 RON 3.87

-39.51%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.63 RON 26.81

-26.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$5.90 RON 28.11

196.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.99 RON 4.69

62.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$1.76 RON 8.39

57.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.82 RON 3.90

6.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$22.55 RON 107

139.87%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$0.74 RON 3.54

56.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$0.70 RON 3.32

-24.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$7.27 RON 34.62

-66.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.78 RON 8.47

-18.54%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$28.0K RON 133.6K

-24.91%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$24.8K RON 118.1K

8.73%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$137 RON 652

-54.56%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$6.29 RON 29.98

93.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$7.80 RON 37.16

157.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$47.06 RON 224

-20.72%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$16.40 RON 78.2

-77.01%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.54 RON 35.91

-13.93%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$385 RON 1,833

91.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$8,983 RON 42.8K

64.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$60.6 RON 289

-11.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$37.01 RON 176

-33.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$55.6 RON 265

64.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$62.9 RON 300

14.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$428 RON 2,040

12.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$346 RON 1,647

-10.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$643 RON 3,065

56.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$504 RON 2,401

25.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$2,267 RON 10.8K

4.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,806 RON 8,606

-12.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$896 RON 4,271

-34.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.1

-21.55%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Oradea: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Oradea

$346 33.8% 11.9% $37

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Oradea

$186 18.2% 20.5% $48

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Oradea

$97 9.5% 10.5% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Oradea

$151 14.8% 59.8% $56

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Oradea

$151 14.8% 94.7% $73

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Oradea

$30 2.9% 51% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Oradea

$62 6.1% 23.6% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $428 in Oradea. 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 52% higher in Oradea. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $41 in Oradea. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $186 in Oradea – so Oradea wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇴 Oradea

🕒 Local time

20:50 8:50 PM

15:50 3:50 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

196,367

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.188 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.76 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Oradea 7,520 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Oradea

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 Oradea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Oradea costs about 9% 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 $1,535 in Oradea. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Oradea, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $428 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $385 in Oradea. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 21% cheaper in Oradea – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,023 in Oradea. 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 $1,023 in Oradea. 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, Oradea makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.