Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dealu and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,041 in Dealu, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Dealu
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Dealu Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Dealu

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,041

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dealu 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 Dealu and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,041 per month in Dealu vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dealu $1,041
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,724 per month in Dealu vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dealu $1,724
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,407 per month in Dealu vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dealu $2,407
Chiang Mai $1,979

Dealu costs about 11% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Dealu and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Dealu 23% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.16 RON 68.1

$2.24 ฿75.7

532.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 RON 406

$19.00 ฿642

344.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.18 RON 39.29

$5.55 ฿188

47.39%

Cappuccino

$1.94 RON 9.35

$1.67 ฿56.6

16.17%

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

$2.03 RON 9.77

$0.64 ฿21.56

217.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.90 RON 9.11

$0.31 ฿10.32

512.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.49 RON 11.95

$2.36 ฿79.6

5.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 RON 15.55

$3.66 ฿124

-11.75%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.77 RON 8.49

$1.95 ฿65.8

-9.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.35 RON 6.47

$1.44 ฿48.51

-6.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.66 RON 7.97

$1.33 ฿45.07

24.81%

Eggs

$4.44 RON 21.33

$2.28 ฿77.1

94.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.48 RON 40.74

$16.45 ฿556

-48.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.54 RON 26.61

$2.78 ฿94.0

99.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.98 RON 47.98

$9.31 ฿314

7.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.11 RON 5.32

$2.35 ฿79.5

-52.77%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 RON 7.12

$0.97 ฿32.82

52.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.52

$1.60 ฿53.9

-1.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.58 RON 12.41

$1.50 ฿50.7

72.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 RON 3.45

$1.28 ฿43.15

-43.75%

Onion (1kg)

$0.68 RON 3.29

$1.10 ฿37.22

-38.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 RON 3.62

$0.71 ฿23.84

5.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 RON 3.89

$0.49 ฿16.38

65.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.25 RON 25.24

$4.14 ฿140

26.81%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.25 RON 30.04

$17.52 ฿592

-64.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 RON 7.00

$1.61 ฿54.5

-9.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 RON 9.33

$2.78 ฿94.0

-30.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 RON 3.67

$0.87 ฿29.33

-12.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.52 RON 103

$54.1 ฿1,827

-60.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.71 RON 3.40

$1.16 ฿39.08

-38.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.68 RON 3.26

$0.53 ฿17.82

28.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.79 RON 32.62

$2.42 ฿81.8

180.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.88 RON 9.04

$1.45 ฿48.93

29.66%

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

$28.9K RON 139.0K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

37.33%

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

$28.2K RON 135.6K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

4.71%

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

$104 RON 500

$62.2 ฿2,100

67.51%

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

$10.82 RON 52.0

$12.17 ฿411

-11.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$4.75 RON 22.85

$20.12 ฿680

-76.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.71 RON 181

$37.31 ฿1,260

1.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.38 RON 97.9

$3.77 ฿127

440.58%

Cinema Ticket

$10.46 RON 50.3

$6.49 ฿219

61.17%

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

$589 RON 2,830

$736 ฿24.9K

-20.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,936 RON 33.3K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-53.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.1 RON 279

$53.4 ฿1,802

8.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.95 RON 163

$24.64 ฿832

37.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$125 RON 600

$91.5 ฿3,089

36.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 RON 506

$71.9 ฿2,429

46.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$391 RON 1,880

$482 ฿16.3K

-18.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$282 RON 1,353

$309 ฿10.4K

-8.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$598 RON 2,876

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-40.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$439 RON 2,110

$633 ฿21.4K

-30.71%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,851 RON 8,895

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-21.68%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,341 RON 6,447

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-15.58%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.97

5.57

25.13%

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

Last update for Dealu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Dealu

$282 27%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 9.7% $27

Groceries & Markets

Dealu

$212 20.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 10.5% $22

Eating Out

Dealu

$196 18.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 60.4% $118

Clothing & Footwear

Dealu

$145 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 25.1% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dealu

$120 11.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 21.1% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Dealu

$59 5.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 14.3% $8.4

Getting Around

Dealu

$29 2.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 114% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $391 in Dealu versus $482 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $84 in Dealu versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $212 in Dealu vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Dealu wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Dealu

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

16:12 4:12 PM

21:12 9:12 PM

5 h ahead of Dealu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,800

127,240

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

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Between locations

Dealu Chiang Mai 7,270 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Dealu
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

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

Dealu costs about 11% 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 $1,562 per month in Dealu and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Dealu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $391 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $589 per month in Dealu and $736 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 9% cheaper in Dealu – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,041 in Dealu and $936 in Chiang Mai. 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 $1,041 in Dealu. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.