Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Roman

For one person, living is cheaper in Roman: $842 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,100 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
40

Cost of Living Index in Roman
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Roman Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Roman

🇷🇴 Romania

$842

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $842 in Roman, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Roman $842

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,393 in Roman, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Roman $1,393

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,944 in Roman, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Roman $1,944

Chiang Mai costs about 11% more than Roman, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Roman are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Roman 38% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$10.46 RON 49.67

-79.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$33.05 RON 157

-43.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$7.27 RON 34.51

-22.97%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.54 RON 12.05

-34.65%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$1.35 RON 6.40

-51.85%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$1.04 RON 4.93

-71.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$2.14 RON 10.16

8.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$2.18 RON 10.35

68.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$1.18 RON 5.61

71.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$0.66 RON 3.14

113.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$1.43 RON 6.81

-2.80%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$2.91 RON 13.82

-18.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$7.85 RON 37.28

110.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$5.76 RON 27.35

-53.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$8.25 RON 39.18

9.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$1.07 RON 5.06

124.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$1.49 RON 7.10

-30.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$1.39 RON 6.58

19.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.83 RON 8.69

-14.75%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$0.68 RON 3.25

82.35%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$0.83 RON 3.94

31.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$0.81 RON 3.86

-6.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$0.73 RON 3.45

-30.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$5.32 RON 25.24

-22.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$5.38 RON 25.56

233.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$0.96 RON 4.55

68.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$1.17 RON 5.58

141.03%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

$0.74 RON 3.53

25.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

$20.48 RON 97.3

158.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$0.65 RON 3.11

81.54%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.65 RON 3.08

-73.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$7.36 RON 34.94

-75.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$1.82 RON 8.65

-19.23%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$28.3K RON 134.4K

-25.78%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$24.7K RON 117.5K

7.15%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$147 RON 698

-57.47%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$6.70 RON 31.82

73.13%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$8.03 RON 38.14

152.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

$37.42 RON 178

1.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$17.23 RON 81.8

-78.53%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$6.26 RON 29.70

3.99%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$290 RON 1,375

150.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$6,433 RON 30.5K

157.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$96.0 RON 456

-44.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$25.20 RON 120

-1.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$61.6 RON 292

46.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$58.4 RON 277

23.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$213 RON 1,013

125.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$159 RON 754

95.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

$611 RON 2,903

73.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$459 RON 2,179

43.50%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

$1,818 RON 8,634

32.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

$1,519 RON 7,212

5.92%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$828 RON 3,931

-28.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.2

-22.64%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Roman: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Roman

$159 18.8% 48.8% $151

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Roman

$176 20.8% 25.8% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Roman

$109 12.9% 0.2% $0.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Roman

$162 19.2% 71.3% $67

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Roman

$161 19.1% 110% $84

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Roman

$27 3.3% 53.4% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Roman

$50 5.9% 1.9% $1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $213 in Roman. 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 39% higher in Roman, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $33 in Roman. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $176 in Roman – so Roman wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇴 Roman

🕒 Local time

00:01 12:01 AM

19:01 7:01 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

80,328

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.69 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.211 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 Roman 7,140 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Roman

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 Roman: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 11% more than Roman, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $1,264 in Roman. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Roman, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $213 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $290 in Roman. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 35% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Roman – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.