Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Sighisoara

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Sighisoara: $925 and $935 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Sighisoara
Learn more

Sighisoara Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Sighisoara

🇷🇴 Romania

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $935 in Sighisoara, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Sighisoara $935

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,507 in Sighisoara, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Sighisoara $1,507

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,079 in Sighisoara, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Sighisoara $2,079

Chiang Mai is about 1% cheaper than Sighisoara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Sighisoara are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Sighisoara 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$10.56 RON 49.97

-78.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$37.09 RON 176

-47.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$8.36 RON 39.54

-32.89%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.14 RON 10.14

-22.43%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$2.09 RON 9.87

-66.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$2.32 RON 10.97

-86.64%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$2.17 RON 10.27

11.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$2.79 RON 13.22

32.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.50 RON 7.08

30.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$1.18 RON 5.57

19.49%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$1.43 RON 6.75

-8.39%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$3.51 RON 16.59

-37.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$7.33 RON 34.69

127.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$7.32 RON 34.66

-62.30%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$7.43 RON 35.16

22.61%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$1.03 RON 4.86

132.04%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$1.65 RON 7.80

-37.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.83 RON 8.66

-10.93%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$2.43 RON 11.50

-38.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$0.73 RON 3.45

76.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.95 RON 4.50

16.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$1.00 RON 4.71

-28.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$1.01 RON 4.79

-47.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$5.16 RON 24.43

-16.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$7.50 RON 35.47

139.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.27 RON 6.00

24.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$1.68 RON 7.95

69.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.65 RON 3.07

32.31%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$0.81 RON 3.83

49.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.99 RON 4.66

-42.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$8.62 RON 40.77

-72.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.73 RON 8.17

-16.76%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$28.2K RON 133.4K

-26.48%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$24.3K RON 115.0K

10.30%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$59.0 RON 279

5.57%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$8.38 RON 39.64

44.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$8.35 RON 39.53

138.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$51.7 RON 245

-28.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$9.69 RON 45.85

-32.92%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$585 RON 2,767

35.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$9,663 RON 45.7K

53.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$87.8 RON 415

-38.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$47.36 RON 224

-48.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$98.9 RON 468

-8.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$108 RON 511

-34.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$319 RON 1,510

42.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$249 RON 1,179

19.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

$535 RON 2,530

69.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$489 RON 2,316

13.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

$1,554 RON 7,355

24.22%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

$1,059 RON 5,010

36.40%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$595 RON 2,817

-0.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.65

-16.24%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Sighisoara: October 19, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Sighisoara

$249 26.7% 16.3% $49

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Sighisoara

$207 22.1% 12.2% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Sighisoara

$154 16.5% 42.3% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Sighisoara

$76 8.1% 19.7% $19

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Sighisoara

$169 18.1% 116% $91

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Sighisoara

$8.3 * 0.9% 86.3% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Sighisoara

$71 7.6% 42.1% $21

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $319 in Sighisoara. 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 1% higher in Sighisoara, 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 $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $37.00 in Sighisoara. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $207 in Sighisoara – so Sighisoara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇴 Sighisoara

🕒 Local time

07:50 7:50 AM

03:50 3:50 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

32,570

💱 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 24, 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 24, 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 Sighisoara 7,310 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Sighisoara

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 Sighisoara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sighisoara costs about 1% 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,402 in Sighisoara. 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai and $37.00 in Sighisoara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 14% cheaper in Sighisoara – 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 $925, than in Sighisoara at $935. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Sighisoara it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $935 in Sighisoara. 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, Sighisoara makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.