Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Vaslui

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $970 in Vaslui, rent and utilities included – about $410 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Vaslui outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

Chiang Mai, Thailand
Vaslui, Romania
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Vaslui
🇷🇴 Romania
$970
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $970 in Vaslui, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $936
  • Vaslui $970

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,433 in Vaslui, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,457
  • Vaslui $1,433

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,895 in Vaslui, rent included.

  • Chiang Mai $1,979
  • Vaslui $1,895

Chiang Mai is about 4% cheaper than Vaslui, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Vaslui
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.24 ฿75.7
$6.28 RON 30.19
-64.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$19.00 ฿642
$32.12 RON 154
-40.85%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.55 ฿188
$6.31 RON 30.32
-12.04%
Cappuccino
$1.67 ฿56.6
$2.27 RON 10.89
-26.43%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.64 ฿21.56
$2.14 RON 10.28
-70.09%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.31 ฿10.32
$1.63 RON 7.83
-80.98%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.36 ฿79.6
$2.46 RON 11.82
-4.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.66 ฿124
$3.24 RON 15.60
12.96%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Vaslui
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.95 ฿65.8
$1.22 RON 5.89
59.84%
White Bread (500g)
$1.44 ฿48.51
$1.04 RON 5.00
38.46%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.33 ฿45.07
$1.66 RON 7.99
-19.88%
Eggs
$2.28 ฿77.1
$2.71 RON 13.04
-15.87%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$16.45 ฿556
$8.52 RON 40.94
93.08%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.78 ฿94.0
$6.16 RON 29.60
-54.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.31 ฿314
$11.40 RON 54.8
-18.33%
Apples (1kg)
$2.35 ฿79.5
$0.92 RON 4.42
155.43%
Banana (1kg)
$0.97 ฿32.82
$1.45 RON 6.99
-33.10%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.60 ฿53.9
$1.62 RON 7.77
-1.23%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.50 ฿50.7
$2.07 RON 9.96
-27.54%
Potato (1kg)
$1.28 ฿43.15
$0.76 RON 3.67
68.42%
Onion (1kg)
$1.10 ฿37.22
$0.99 RON 4.77
11.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿23.84
$1.06 RON 5.12
-33.02%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 ฿16.38
$0.64 RON 3.10
-23.44%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.14 ฿140
$5.55 RON 26.66
-25.41%
Wine (Bottle)
$17.52 ฿592
$5.35 RON 25.72
227.48%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.61 ฿54.5
$0.93 RON 4.49
73.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.78 ฿94.0
$1.43 RON 6.85
94.41%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Vaslui
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.87 ฿29.33
$0.76 RON 3.63
14.47%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$54.1 ฿1,827
$22.01 RON 106
145.75%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.16 ฿39.08
$0.73 RON 3.49
58.90%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.53 ฿17.82
$0.71 RON 3.39
-25.35%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.42 ฿81.8
$7.34 RON 35.29
-67.03%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.45 ฿48.93
$1.66 RON 8.00
-12.65%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K ฿711.2K
$27.0K RON 129.7K
-21.95%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$26.9K ฿909.8K
$25.3K RON 121.5K
6.58%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Vaslui
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$62.2 ฿2,100
$181 RON 868
-65.58%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.17 ฿411
$5.55 RON 26.69
119.28%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.12 ฿680
$7.92 RON 38.05
154.04%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Vaslui
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$37.31 ฿1,260
$37.74 RON 181
-1.14%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.77 ฿127
$20.74 RON 99.7
-81.82%
Cinema Ticket
$6.49 ฿219
$7.58 RON 36.45
-14.38%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Vaslui
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$736 ฿24.9K
$307 RON 1,477
139.52%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿498.6K
$8,949 RON 43.0K
64.99%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Vaslui
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$53.4 ฿1,802
$38.36 RON 184
39.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$24.64 ฿832
$14.82 RON 71.2
66.26%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$91.5 ฿3,089
$66.7 RON 321
37.17%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$71.9 ฿2,429
$73.1 RON 351
-1.64%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Vaslui
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$482 ฿16.3K
$380 RON 1,828
26.76%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$309 ฿10.4K
$282 RON 1,354
9.64%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,006 ฿34.0K
$591 RON 2,843
70.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$633 ฿21.4K
$441 RON 2,121
43.55%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,363 ฿79.8K
$1,876 RON 9,018
25.94%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,589 ฿53.7K
$1,355 RON 6,513
17.25%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Vaslui
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$590 ฿19.9K
$449 RON 2,158
31.35%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5.57
6.5
-14.31%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Vaslui: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
$309
Vaslui
$282 8.8% $27
Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
$234
Vaslui
$195 16.6% $39
Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
$109
Vaslui
$87 20.1% $22
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
$94
Vaslui
$194 106% $100
Eating Out
Chiang Mai
$78
Vaslui
$130 67.8% $53
Getting Around
Chiang Mai
$61
Vaslui
$29 52.3% $32
Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
$50
Vaslui
$53 5.2% $2.6

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $380 in Vaslui. 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 31% 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 $32 in Vaslui. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $195 in Vaslui – so Vaslui wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🇷🇴 Vaslui
🕒 Local time
06:05 6:05 AM
01:05 1:05 AM
5 h behind Chiang Mai
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
127,240
55,407
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Chiang Mai Vaslui 7,080 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Chiang Mai
  • Vaslui

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 Vaslui: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Chiang Mai or Vaslui?
Vaslui costs about 4% 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Chiang Mai and in Vaslui?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,456 in Vaslui. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Chiang Mai or Vaslui?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Vaslui, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $380 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.
How do childcare costs compare in Chiang Mai and in Vaslui?
Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $307 in Vaslui. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Chiang Mai or in Vaslui?
Interestingly, groceries are about 17% cheaper in Vaslui – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.
Can you live on $800/month in Chiang Mai or in Vaslui?
$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $970 in Vaslui. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Chiang Mai or Vaslui?
It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $936 in Chiang Mai to $970 in Vaslui. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
How safe is Chiang Mai compared to Vaslui?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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