Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Slatina

For one person, living is cheaper in Slatina: $799 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Slatina
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Slatina Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Slatina

🇷🇴 Romania

$799

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $799 in Slatina, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Slatina $799

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,251 in Slatina, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Slatina $1,251

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,704 in Slatina, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Slatina $1,704

Chiang Mai costs about 17% more than Slatina, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Slatina are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Slatina 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$11.16 RON 53.4

-79.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$31.03 RON 148

-38.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.51 RON 35.91

-26.10%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.60 RON 12.44

-35.77%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$2.09 RON 10.02

-69.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$1.72 RON 8.22

-81.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.66 RON 7.96

42.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.13 RON 10.18

71.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.44 RON 6.88

35.42%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$0.86 RON 4.13

67.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.71 RON 8.18

-22.22%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.60 RON 12.44

-12.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$8.70 RON 41.60

89.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$3.91 RON 18.70

-28.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$5.99 RON 28.67

55.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$0.80 RON 3.84

193.75%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.43 RON 6.86

-32.17%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.60 RON 7.66

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.17 RON 5.60

28.21%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.83 RON 3.96

54.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.82 RON 3.94

34.15%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.91 RON 4.37

-21.98%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.66 RON 3.16

-25.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.18 RON 24.77

-20.08%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$3.22 RON 15.41

444.10%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.19 RON 5.71

35.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.80 RON 8.62

54.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.75 RON 3.59

16.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$21.64 RON 104

149.95%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$0.68 RON 3.26

70.59%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.62 RON 2.97

-14.52%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$6.60 RON 31.56

-63.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.38 RON 6.60

5.07%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$29.0K RON 138.6K

-27.30%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$24.9K RON 119.2K

8.15%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$106 RON 507

-41.32%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$1.67 RON 7.98

628.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$9.41 RON 45.01

113.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$37.64 RON 180

-0.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$20.63 RON 98.7

-81.73%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$9.38 RON 44.90

-30.81%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$441 RON 2,112

66.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$6,983 RON 33.4K

111.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$51.4 RON 246

3.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$31.52 RON 151

-21.83%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$67.8 RON 324

34.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$72.2 RON 346

-0.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$213 RON 1,017

126.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$165 RON 792

86.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$353 RON 1,688

185.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$296 RON 1,415

114.11%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,890 RON 9,042

25.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,321 RON 6,319

20.32%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$859 RON 4,111

-31.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

7.07

-21.22%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Slatina: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Slatina

$165 20.7% 46.4% $143

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Slatina

$160 20.1% 31.5% $74

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Slatina

$100 12.6% 7.6% $8.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Slatina

$117 14.7% 23.9% $23

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Slatina

$171 21.4% 120% $93

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Slatina

$28 3.6% 53.7% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Slatina

$56 7.1% 12.2% $6.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $213 in Slatina. 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 46% higher in Slatina, 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 $31 in Slatina. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $160 in Slatina – so Slatina wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇴 Slatina

🕒 Local time

11:11 11:11 AM

06:11 6:11 AM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

70,293

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1 RON = 0.209 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 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 Slatina 7,350 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Slatina

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 Slatina: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 17% more than Slatina, 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 $1,198 in Slatina. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Slatina, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $213 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $441 in Slatina. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 46% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

Families tend to lean toward Slatina – 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.