Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Craiova and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $1,182 in Craiova, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in Craiova
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Craiova Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Craiova

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,182

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Craiova and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,182 per month in Craiova vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Craiova $1,182
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,739 per month in Craiova vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Craiova $1,739
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $2,297 per month in Craiova vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Craiova $2,297
Chiang Mai $1,914

Craiova costs about 26% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Craiova and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Craiova 12% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.45 RON 35.24

$2.26 ฿75.4

229.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.89 RON 198

$19.18 ฿641

118.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.11 RON 33.62

$5.59 ฿187

27.19%

Cappuccino

$2.65 RON 12.54

$1.72 ฿57.6

54.07%

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

$2.20 RON 10.39

$0.64 ฿21.54

243.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 RON 8.68

$0.33 ฿11.18

454.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.24 RON 10.60

$2.36 ฿78.7

-5.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.52 RON 16.65

$3.90 ฿130

-9.74%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.28 RON 6.05

$2.05 ฿68.6

-37.56%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 RON 4.06

$1.40 ฿46.70

-38.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.36 RON 6.43

$1.28 ฿42.89

6.25%

Eggs

$3.27 RON 15.47

$2.25 ฿75.3

45.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.11 RON 33.63

$16.94 ฿566

-58.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.49 RON 30.73

$2.74 ฿91.6

136.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.50 RON 54.4

$9.36 ฿313

22.86%

Apples (1kg)

$0.94 RON 4.44

$2.40 ฿80.3

-60.83%

Banana (1kg)

$1.44 RON 6.83

$1.01 ฿33.92

42.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.47 RON 6.94

$1.61 ฿53.9

-8.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.80 RON 8.51

$1.52 ฿50.7

18.42%

Potato (1kg)

$0.76 RON 3.60

$1.28 ฿42.90

-40.63%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.95

$1.11 ฿37.22

-25.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 RON 3.49

$0.72 ฿24.09

2.78%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 RON 3.38

$0.52 ฿17.54

38.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.32 RON 29.92

$4.33 ฿145

45.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 RON 29.95

$17.73 ฿593

-64.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.16 RON 5.48

$1.63 ฿54.4

-28.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 RON 7.15

$2.85 ฿95.3

-47.02%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 RON 3.85

$0.85 ฿28.31

-4.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$24.73 RON 117

$53.9 ฿1,801

-54.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.65 RON 3.06

$1.17 ฿39.18

-44.44%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 RON 3.12

$0.57 ฿19.00

15.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.17 RON 29.18

$2.37 ฿79.2

160.34%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.83 RON 8.66

$1.45 ฿48.32

26.21%

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

$28.5K RON 135.1K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

39.42%

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

$26.4K RON 125.0K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-0.33%

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

$211 RON 996

$62.3 ฿2,083

237.80%

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

$9.13 RON 43.18

$12.27 ฿410

-25.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.58 RON 54.8

$19.97 ฿668

-42.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$44.63 RON 211

$37.91 ฿1,267

17.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$22.02 RON 104

$3.76 ฿126

485.64%

Cinema Ticket

$7.45 RON 35.24

$6.71 ฿224

11.03%

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

$423 RON 2,002

$797 ฿26.6K

-46.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,143 RON 38.5K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-45.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.8 RON 293

$53.3 ฿1,780

16.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.2 RON 242

$25.05 ฿837

104.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.2 RON 398

$91.6 ฿3,062

-8.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 RON 487

$73.5 ฿2,455

40.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$508 RON 2,404

$464 ฿15.5K

9.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$383 RON 1,814

$305 ฿10.2K

25.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$893 RON 4,225

$915 ฿30.6K

-2.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$596 RON 2,822

$552 ฿18.5K

7.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,614 RON 12.4K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

36.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,960 RON 9,272

$1,438 ฿48.1K

36.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$931 RON 4,404

$595 ฿19.9K

56.40%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.84

5.57

22.80%

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

Last update for Craiova: October 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Craiova

$383 32.5%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 20.5% $79

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Craiova

$231 19.6%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 59.1% $137

Groceries & Markets

Craiova

$193 16.4%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 23.1% $45

Eating Out

Craiova

$147 12.5%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 46.3% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Craiova

$135 11.4%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 18.9% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Craiova

$60 5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 13.7% $8.2

Getting Around

Craiova

$32 2.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 92% $29

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $508 in Craiova versus $464 in Chiang Mai. 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 56% higher in Craiova, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Craiova versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $193 in Craiova vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Craiova wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Craiova

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:53 6:53 PM

22:53 10:53 PM

4 h ahead of Craiova

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

269,506

127,240

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to RON – Romanian Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇴 Romanian Leu (lei)

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Craiova Chiang Mai 7,400 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Craiova
Chiang Mai

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

Craiova vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Craiova costs about 26% 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 $1,772 per month in Craiova and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $423 per month in Craiova and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 23% cheaper in Craiova – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Craiova at $1,182. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Craiova it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $1,182 in Craiova. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Craiova makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.