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

🙂 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 6.1% cheaper than Zărnești without rent, and 15.9% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 22.6% cheaper than Zărnești without rent, and 9.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Zărnești
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.03 ฿64.8
$8.75 RON 38.49
-76.80%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.59 ฿594
$40.94 RON 180
-54.59%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.48 ฿239
$8.71 RON 38.33
-14.12%
Cappuccino
$2.00 ฿63.8
$2.31 RON 10.18
-13.42%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.85 ฿27.08
$1.28 RON 5.62
-33.59%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.35 ฿11.24
$1.16 RON 5.10
-69.83%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.21 ฿70.7
$2.20 RON 9.69
0.45%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.76 ฿120
$2.83 RON 12.46
32.86%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Zărnești
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.72 ฿54.9
$1.34 RON 5.89
28.36%
White Bread (500g)
$1.63 ฿52.2
$1.13 RON 4.97
44.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.16 ฿37.04
$1.60 RON 7.04
-27.50%
Eggs
$1.98 ฿63.3
$3.02 RON 13.29
-34.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.93 ฿509
$8.45 RON 37.19
88.52%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.17 ฿101
$5.16 RON 22.71
-38.57%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$10.90 ฿349
$12.36 RON 54.4
-11.81%
Apples (1kg)
$2.65 ฿84.6
$1.01 RON 4.44
162.38%
Banana (1kg)
$1.22 ฿39.09
$1.30 RON 5.73
-6.15%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.70 ฿54.3
$1.34 RON 5.92
26.87%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.59 ฿50.8
$1.35 RON 5.93
17.78%
Potato (1kg)
$1.32 ฿42.33
$0.95 RON 4.17
38.95%
Onion (1kg)
$1.17 ฿37.36
$0.94 RON 4.13
24.47%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.68 ฿21.67
$0.75 RON 3.28
-9.33%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.56 ฿17.81
$0.81 RON 3.55
-30.86%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.51 ฿144
$5.64 RON 24.80
-20.04%
Wine (Bottle)
$19.07 ฿610
$8.16 RON 35.90
133.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.77 ฿56.6
$1.09 RON 4.78
62.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.18 ฿102
$1.39 RON 6.12
128.78%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Zărnești
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.96 ฿30.78
$0.67 RON 2.94
43.28%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$18.90 ฿604
$20.06 RON 88.3
-5.78%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.36 ฿43.41
$0.91 RON 3.99
49.45%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.35 ฿43.23
$0.87 RON 3.81
55.17%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.03 ฿257
$7.42 RON 32.65
8.22%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.24 ฿39.74
$1.61 RON 7.07
-22.98%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ฿676.6K
$28.4K RON 124.8K
-25.36%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.8K ฿695.5K
$28.0K RON 123.1K
-22.25%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Zărnești
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$71.2 ฿2,277
$167 RON 736
-57.40%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.09 ฿450
$8.24 RON 36.26
71.00%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.47 ฿559
$9.99 RON 43.97
74.87%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Zărnești
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$42.07 ฿1,345
$42.10 RON 185
-0.07%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.88 ฿220
$19.12 RON 84.1
-64.02%
Cinema Ticket
$5.94 ฿190
$5.71 RON 25.14
4.03%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Zărnești
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$307 ฿9,827
$426 RON 1,873
-27.78%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$14.8K ฿473.0K
$6,985 RON 30.7K
111.79%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Zărnești
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$55.7 ฿1,780
$47.61 RON 210
16.93%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.79 ฿856
$29.64 RON 130
-9.62%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$83.2 ฿2,661
$74.2 RON 326
12.19%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$70.1 ฿2,241
$80.3 RON 353
-12.68%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Zărnești
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$427 ฿13.7K
$393 RON 1,729
8.75%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$237 ฿7,580
$289 RON 1,270
-17.85%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$802 ฿25.6K
$589 RON 2,590
36.18%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$503 ฿16.1K
$437 RON 1,924
15.13%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,061 ฿65.9K
$1,594 RON 7,014
29.27%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,533 ฿49.0K
$1,404 RON 6,176
9.19%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Zărnești
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$654 ฿20.9K
$544 RON 2,393
20.19%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
8.17
-38.80%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: March 1, 2026

Last update for Zărnești: 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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