Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Pascani

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $967 in Pascani, rent and utilities included – about $380 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Pascani outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
44

Cost of Living Index in Pascani
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Pascani Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Pascani

🇷🇴 Romania

$967

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $967 in Pascani, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Pascani $967

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,444 in Pascani, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Pascani $1,444

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,921 in Pascani, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Pascani $1,921

Chiang Mai is about 3% cheaper than Pascani, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Pascani are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Pascani 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$8.50 RON 40.53

-74.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$41.83 RON 199

-55.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$8.35 RON 39.80

-32.93%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$2.08 RON 9.89

-20.19%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$1.53 RON 7.28

-57.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$1.03 RON 4.90

-70.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$1.69 RON 8.07

37.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$2.27 RON 10.81

61.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.28 RON 6.09

57.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$1.08 RON 5.15

30.56%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$1.39 RON 6.65

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$2.79 RON 13.30

-15.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$8.07 RON 38.47

104.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$5.93 RON 28.25

-54.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$10.02 RON 47.75

-9.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$0.94 RON 4.48

155.32%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$1.31 RON 6.26

-20.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$1.45 RON 6.91

14.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$1.74 RON 8.31

-10.34%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$0.69 RON 3.31

79.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$0.51 RON 2.42

113.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.85 RON 4.06

-10.59%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$0.71 RON 3.39

-28.17%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$5.93 RON 28.25

-30.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$7.45 RON 35.50

140.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$1.08 RON 5.14

50.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$1.52 RON 7.26

85.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

$0.72 RON 3.41

29.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

$24.40 RON 116

116.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$0.72 RON 3.42

63.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$0.70 RON 3.33

-75.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$12.34 RON 58.8

-85.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$1.44 RON 6.86

2.08%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$28.4K RON 135.4K

-26.05%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$25.0K RON 119.2K

6.01%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$99.3 RON 473

-36.97%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$6.22 RON 29.64

86.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$8.28 RON 39.49

145.17%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$38.05 RON 181

-0.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

$21.85 RON 104

-83.07%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$6.43 RON 30.66

1.24%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$417 RON 1,987

74.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$7,438 RON 35.5K

122.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$52.6 RON 251

1.83%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$29.74 RON 142

-16.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$76.1 RON 363

18.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$78.1 RON 372

-7.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$384 RON 1,832

25.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$333 RON 1,588

-6.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$705 RON 3,358

50.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$444 RON 2,118

48.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$1,801 RON 8,583

34.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$1,438 RON 6,854

11.88%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

$729 RON 3,473

-18.37%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.47

-25.44%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Pascani: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Pascani

$333 34.5% 7.5% $23

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Pascani

$190 19.6% 19.8% $47

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Pascani

$106 11% 1.7% $1.9

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Pascani

$114 11.8% 20.4% $19

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Pascani

$141 14.6% 84.4% $65

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Pascani

$31 3.3% 46.3% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Pascani

$51 5.3% 0% $0

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $384 in Pascani. 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 23% higher in Pascani. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $42 in Pascani. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $190 in Pascani – so Pascani wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇴 Pascani

🕒 Local time

15:37 3:37 PM

10:37 10:37 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

35,897

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 4.77 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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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Pascani 7,160 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Pascani

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 Pascani: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Pascani costs about 3% 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 $1,450 in Pascani. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Pascani, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $384 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $417 in Pascani. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 20% cheaper in Pascani – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $967 in Pascani. 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 $967 in Pascani. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Pascani makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.