Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Targu Jiu

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $966 in Targu Jiu, rent and utilities included – about $360 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Targu Jiu outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
47

Cost of Living Index in Targu Jiu
Learn more

Targu Jiu Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Targu Jiu

🇷🇴 Romania

$966

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Targu Jiu

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $966 in Targu Jiu, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Targu Jiu $966

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,502 in Targu Jiu, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Targu Jiu $1,502

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,038 in Targu Jiu, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Targu Jiu $2,038

Chiang Mai is about 3% cheaper than Targu Jiu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Targu Jiu are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Targu Jiu 29% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$14.60 RON 70.2

-84.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$57.6 RON 277

-67.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.24 RON 34.80

-23.34%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.56 RON 17.10

-53.09%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.02 RON 4.93

-37.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$2.21 RON 10.64

-85.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$3.67 RON 17.66

-35.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.23 RON 20.32

-13.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.67 RON 8.03

16.77%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.28 RON 6.17

12.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.77 RON 8.49

-24.86%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.75 RON 13.21

-17.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$7.41 RON 35.63

122.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.91 RON 13.99

-4.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$6.95 RON 33.40

33.96%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$0.91 RON 4.38

158.24%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.49 RON 7.17

-34.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.17 RON 5.60

36.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.22 RON 5.84

22.95%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.83 RON 3.97

54.22%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.74 RON 3.54

48.65%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.61 RON 2.92

16.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.50 RON 2.40

-2.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$5.21 RON 25.02

-20.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$3.00 RON 14.42

484.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.82 RON 3.93

96.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.07 RON 5.16

159.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.65 RON 3.12

78.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.61 RON 2.93

-13.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$6.39 RON 30.69

-62.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.93 RON 9.30

-24.87%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$28.8K RON 138.4K

-26.85%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$25.9K RON 124.3K

4.19%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$196 RON 943

-68.33%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$6.01 RON 28.87

102.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$9.32 RON 44.78

115.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$31.49 RON 151

18.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$8.34 RON 40.08

-22.18%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$676 RON 3,247

8.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$14.3K RON 68.8K

3.13%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$49.38 RON 237

8.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$25.42 RON 122

-3.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$51.7 RON 248

76.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$84.2 RON 405

-14.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$353 RON 1,698

36.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$233 RON 1,119

32.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$478 RON 2,295

110.66%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$403 RON 1,937

57.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$2,555 RON 12.3K

-7.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$518 RON 2,490

13.82%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

6.75

-17.48%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Targu Jiu: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Targu Jiu

$233 24.1% 24.6% $76

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Targu Jiu

$154 16% 34.2% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Targu Jiu

$95 9.8% 12.7% $14

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Targu Jiu

$212 21.9% 124% $117

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Targu Jiu

$221 22.9% 185% $143

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Targu Jiu

$3.7 * 0.4% 94% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Targu Jiu

$48 5% 4.2% $2.1

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $353 in Targu Jiu. 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 14% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $58 in Targu Jiu. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $154 in Targu Jiu – so Targu Jiu wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇷🇴 Targu Jiu

🕒 Local time

04:22 4:22 AM

23:22 11:22 PM

5 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

82,504

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 RON = 0.208 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Targu Jiu 7,430 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Targu Jiu

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 Targu Jiu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Targu Jiu costs about 3% 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,449 in Targu Jiu. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Targu Jiu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $353 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $58 in Targu Jiu. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 34% cheaper in Targu Jiu – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $966 in Targu Jiu. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $966 in Targu Jiu. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.