Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Sibiu

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,114 in Sibiu, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 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
54

Cost of Living Index in Sibiu
Learn more

Sibiu Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Sibiu

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,114

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,114 in Sibiu, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Sibiu $1,114

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,644 in Sibiu, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Sibiu $1,644

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,173 in Sibiu, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Sibiu $2,173

Chiang Mai is about 16% cheaper than Sibiu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Sibiu are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Sibiu 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$8.53 RON 40.36

-73.51%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$41.04 RON 194

-53.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$7.47 RON 35.33

-25.17%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$3.23 RON 15.27

-46.75%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$2.01 RON 9.53

-68.16%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$1.76 RON 8.31

-81.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$3.09 RON 14.60

-23.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$3.93 RON 18.60

-0.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.42 RON 6.72

44.37%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.10 RON 5.19

27.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.33 RON 6.30

-3.76%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$3.47 RON 16.44

-35.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$8.00 RON 37.85

111.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$5.77 RON 27.32

-52.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$7.97 RON 37.69

17.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$1.15 RON 5.43

108.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.49 RON 7.07

-32.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.43 RON 6.78

12.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$2.49 RON 11.77

-38.96%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.66 RON 3.14

93.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.60 RON 2.86

85.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$1.03 RON 4.86

-30.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.92 RON 4.37

-43.48%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$5.84 RON 27.62

-25.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$7.20 RON 34.05

146.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$0.98 RON 4.63

66.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$1.35 RON 6.37

111.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$0.71 RON 3.36

19.72%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

$17.69 RON 83.7

204.69%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$0.97 RON 4.60

20.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.82 RON 3.86

-30.49%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$8.51 RON 40.27

-72.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.92 RON 9.06

-24.48%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$28.0K RON 132.6K

-26.97%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$25.2K RON 119.3K

5.15%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$115 RON 543

-45.71%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$9.12 RON 43.14

34.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$12.32 RON 58.3

62.09%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$35.02 RON 166

8.25%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

$14.38 RON 68.1

-73.85%

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$6.85 RON 32.42

-2.04%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$437 RON 2,068

82.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$6,793 RON 32.1K

118.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$73.8 RON 349

-27.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$31.28 RON 148

-19.92%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$87.0 RON 412

5.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$87.2 RON 413

-15.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$447 RON 2,113

3.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$416 RON 1,967

-26.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$821 RON 3,884

11.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$596 RON 2,819

-7.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$2,432 RON 11.5K

-21.37%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$2,022 RON 9,565

-28.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$1,109 RON 5,247

-46.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.02

-20.66%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Sibiu: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Sibiu

$416 37.3% 36.4% $111

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Sibiu

$194 17.5% 18.3% $44

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Sibiu

$126 11.3% 14.7% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Sibiu

$136 12.2% 44% $42

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Sibiu

$168 15.1% 112% $89

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Sibiu

$26 2.3% 58.3% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Sibiu

$49 4.4% 5.1% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $447 in Sibiu. 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 86% higher in Sibiu, 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $41.00 in Sibiu. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $194 in Sibiu – so Sibiu wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇴 Sibiu

🕒 Local time

14:59 2:59 PM

10:59 10:59 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

147,245

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Sibiu 7,360 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Sibiu

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 Sibiu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sibiu costs about 19% 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,671 in Sibiu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $797 per month in Chiang Mai and $437 in Sibiu. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 22% cheaper in Sibiu – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Sibiu at $1,114. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sibiu it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,114 in Sibiu. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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