Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Sighetu Marmatiei

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Sighetu Marmatiei: $935 and $934 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Sighetu Marmatiei
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Sighetu Marmatiei Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Sighetu Marmatiei

🇷🇴 Romania

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Sighetu Marmatiei

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $934 in Sighetu Marmatiei, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Sighetu Marmatiei $934

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,383 in Sighetu Marmatiei, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Sighetu Marmatiei $1,383

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,832 in Sighetu Marmatiei, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Sighetu Marmatiei $1,832

Chiang Mai and Sighetu Marmatiei have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$8.48 RON 40.24

-74.88%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$21.32 RON 101

-12.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$7.15 RON 33.95

-21.68%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.71 RON 12.89

-38.75%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$1.83 RON 8.69

-64.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$1.78 RON 8.44

-83.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$2.04 RON 9.69

13.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$3.12 RON 14.81

17.63%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$1.43 RON 6.77

41.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$1.02 RON 4.83

38.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$1.21 RON 5.75

14.88%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$2.80 RON 13.31

-15.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$8.12 RON 38.57

103.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$6.24 RON 29.62

-57.21%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$9.27 RON 44.02

-2.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$1.12 RON 5.31

114.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$1.55 RON 7.37

-32.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$1.46 RON 6.93

13.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.34 RON 6.36

16.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$0.80 RON 3.82

55.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$0.92 RON 4.38

18.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$0.70 RON 3.32

8.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$0.77 RON 3.68

-33.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$5.37 RON 25.49

-23.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$5.91 RON 28.04

203.38%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$1.00 RON 4.73

62.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$1.74 RON 8.28

62.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

$0.71 RON 3.37

30.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

$21.69 RON 103

143.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$0.77 RON 3.64

53.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.72 RON 3.40

-76.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$8.63 RON 40.99

-79.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$1.67 RON 7.92

-11.98%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$28.1K RON 133.4K

-25.21%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$25.3K RON 119.9K

4.99%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$139 RON 661

-55.08%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$6.55 RON 31.09

77.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$7.69 RON 36.50

163.98%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

$37.27 RON 177

1.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$20.14 RON 95.6

-81.63%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$4.18 RON 19.83

55.74%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$396 RON 1,880

83.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$9,965 RON 47.3K

66.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$60.9 RON 289

-12.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$37.00 RON 176

-32.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$55.8 RON 265

62.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$64.1 RON 304

12.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$409 RON 1,940

17.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$268 RON 1,271

15.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

$564 RON 2,678

87.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$432 RON 2,052

52.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

$1,833 RON 8,701

31.93%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

$1,153 RON 5,475

39.53%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$533 RON 2,533

11.51%

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: November 1, 2026

Last update for Sighetu Marmatiei: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Sighetu Marmatiei

$268 28.7% 13.6% $42

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Sighetu Marmatiei

$188 20.1% 20.6% $49

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Sighetu Marmatiei

$98 10.5% 9.5% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Sighetu Marmatiei

$154 16.4% 62.5% $59

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Sighetu Marmatiei

$153 16.3% 99.5% $76

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Sighetu Marmatiei

$29 3.1% 50.8% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Sighetu Marmatiei

$46 4.9% 10.4% $5.3

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $409 in Sighetu Marmatiei. 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 12% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $21 in Sighetu Marmatiei. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $188 in Sighetu Marmatiei – so Sighetu Marmatiei wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇴 Sighetu Marmatiei

🕒 Local time

01:05 1:05 AM

20:05 8:05 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

37,640

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Sighetu Marmatiei 7,370 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Sighetu Marmatiei

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 Sighetu Marmatiei: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,402 in Sighetu Marmatiei. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sighetu Marmatiei, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $409 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $21 in Sighetu Marmatiei. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 59% less in Sighetu Marmatiei. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $935 in Chiang Mai and $934 in Sighetu Marmatiei, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

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 Sighetu Marmatiei. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.