Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Zalau Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Zalau

😐 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 4.9% more expensive than Zalau without rent, and 8.7% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 10.4% more expensive than Zalau without rent, and 4.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Zalau
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.03 ฿64.3
$7.93 RON 34.72
-74.40%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.59 ฿590
$34.85 RON 153
-46.66%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.48 ฿237
$5.67 RON 24.84
31.92%
Cappuccino
$2.00 ฿63.3
$2.13 RON 9.31
-6.10%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.85 ฿26.87
$2.02 RON 8.83
-57.92%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.35 ฿11.15
$1.71 RON 7.47
-79.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.21 ฿70.2
$2.80 RON 12.26
-21.07%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.76 ฿119
$2.83 RON 12.40
32.86%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Zalau
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 ฿54.5
$1.45 RON 6.37
18.62%
White Bread (500g)
$1.63 ฿51.8
$1.27 RON 5.56
28.35%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.16 ฿36.75
$1.40 RON 6.12
-17.14%
Eggs
$1.98 ฿62.8
$2.19 RON 9.57
-9.59%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.93 ฿505
$7.95 RON 34.81
100.38%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.17 ฿100
$6.15 RON 26.92
-48.46%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.90 ฿346
$9.03 RON 39.53
20.71%
Apples (1kg)
$2.65 ฿83.9
$0.87 RON 3.83
204.60%
Banana (1kg)
$1.22 ฿38.79
$1.56 RON 6.85
-21.79%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.70 ฿53.8
$1.64 RON 7.20
3.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.59 ฿50.4
$2.23 RON 9.75
-28.70%
Potato (1kg)
$1.32 ฿42.00
$0.67 RON 2.92
97.01%
Onion (1kg)
$1.17 ฿37.07
$0.66 RON 2.90
77.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.68 ฿21.50
$0.70 RON 3.08
-2.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ฿17.68
$0.93 RON 4.08
-39.78%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.51 ฿143
$5.38 RON 23.54
-16.17%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.07 ฿605
$5.80 RON 25.40
228.79%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿56.2
$0.99 RON 4.32
78.79%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.18 ฿101
$1.24 RON 5.41
156.45%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Zalau
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.96 ฿30.54
$0.90 RON 3.94
6.67%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.90 ฿599
$20.16 RON 88.3
-6.25%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.36 ฿43.07
$0.94 RON 4.11
44.68%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.35 ฿42.89
$0.79 RON 3.45
70.89%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.03 ฿255
$9.40 RON 41.19
-14.57%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 ฿39.43
$1.66 RON 7.25
-25.30%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ฿671.3K
$28.4K RON 124.5K
-25.57%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.8K ฿690.1K
$26.3K RON 115.2K
-17.30%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Zalau
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$71.2 ฿2,260
$141 RON 617
-49.42%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.09 ฿447
$4.51 RON 19.75
212.42%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.47 ฿554
$6.85 RON 30.00
155.04%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Zalau
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.07 ฿1,335
$36.31 RON 159
15.86%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.88 ฿218
$19.33 RON 84.7
-64.41%
Cinema Ticket
$5.94 ฿188
$5.74 RON 25.12
3.48%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Zalau
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$307 ฿9,750
$434 RON 1,903
-29.25%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿469.3K
$6,946 RON 30.4K
112.99%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Zalau
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.7 ฿1,766
$56.6 RON 248
-1.63%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.79 ฿850
$38.89 RON 170
-31.11%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$83.2 ฿2,640
$63.6 RON 279
30.77%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$70.1 ฿2,224
$69.7 RON 305
0.65%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Zalau
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$427 ฿13.6K
$385 RON 1,685
11.07%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$237 ฿7,521
$291 RON 1,277
-18.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$802 ฿25.4K
$581 RON 2,544
38.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$503 ฿16.0K
$442 RON 1,938
13.79%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,061 ฿65.4K
$1,729 RON 7,571
19.21%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,533 ฿48.6K
$1,427 RON 6,249
7.41%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Zalau
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$654 ฿20.7K
$685 RON 3,002
-4.62%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
6.5
-23.08%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

Last update for Zalau: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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