Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galati and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,190 in Galati, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

57

Cost of Living Index in Galati
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Galati Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Galati

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,190

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,190 per month in Galati vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Galati $1,190
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,683 per month in Galati vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Galati $1,683
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,176 per month in Galati vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Galati $2,176
Chiang Mai $1,979

Galati costs about 27% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Galati and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Galati 13% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.62 RON 50.8

$2.24 ฿75.6

374.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.85 RON 200

$19.00 ฿641

120.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.37 RON 35.25

$5.55 ฿187

32.79%

Cappuccino

$2.52 RON 12.05

$1.67 ฿56.5

50.90%

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

$2.10 RON 10.06

$0.64 ฿21.55

228.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.86 RON 8.91

$0.31 ฿10.31

500.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.06 RON 9.87

$2.36 ฿79.6

-12.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 RON 15.20

$3.66 ฿124

-13.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 RON 5.69

$1.95 ฿65.8

-38.97%

White Bread (500g)

$0.70 RON 3.33

$1.44 ฿48.48

-51.39%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 RON 8.47

$1.33 ฿45.04

33.08%

Eggs

$3.40 RON 16.29

$2.28 ฿77.1

49.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.49 RON 35.83

$16.45 ฿555

-54.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.91 RON 28.27

$2.78 ฿93.9

112.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.54 RON 40.85

$9.31 ฿314

-8.27%

Apples (1kg)

$1.29 RON 6.15

$2.35 ฿79.4

-45.11%

Banana (1kg)

$1.61 RON 7.70

$0.97 ฿32.80

65.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 RON 7.23

$1.60 ฿53.9

-5.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 RON 8.42

$1.50 ฿50.6

17.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.96 RON 4.58

$1.28 ฿43.12

-25.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 RON 4.81

$1.10 ฿37.19

-8.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 RON 3.85

$0.71 ฿23.82

12.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 RON 3.19

$0.49 ฿16.37

36.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.84 RON 27.93

$4.14 ฿140

41.06%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.31 RON 25.42

$17.52 ฿591

-69.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.95 RON 4.54

$1.61 ฿54.5

-40.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.18 RON 5.65

$2.78 ฿94.0

-57.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.77 RON 3.67

$0.87 ฿29.31

-11.49%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.96 RON 129

$54.1 ฿1,826

-50.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.60 RON 2.89

$1.16 ฿39.06

-48.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.70 RON 3.35

$0.53 ฿17.80

32.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.10 RON 33.99

$2.42 ฿81.8

193.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.71 RON 8.19

$1.45 ฿48.90

17.93%

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

$28.5K RON 136.2K

$21.1K ฿710.7K

35.18%

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

$24.7K RON 118.0K

$26.9K ฿909.3K

-8.45%

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

$146 RON 698

$62.2 ฿2,098

134.70%

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

$7.61 RON 36.42

$12.17 ฿411

-37.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.70 RON 36.83

$20.12 ฿679

-61.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.70 RON 176

$37.31 ฿1,259

-1.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$34.89 RON 167

$3.77 ฿127

825.46%

Cinema Ticket

$6.24 RON 29.87

$6.49 ฿219

-3.85%

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

$601 RON 2,877

$736 ฿24.8K

-18.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,839 RON 23.2K

$14.8K ฿498.3K

-67.22%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.2 RON 465

$53.4 ฿1,801

82.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.71 RON 152

$24.64 ฿831

28.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$60.9 RON 291

$91.5 ฿3,087

-33.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$83.6 RON 400

$71.9 ฿2,428

16.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$514 RON 2,461

$482 ฿16.3K

6.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$471 RON 2,253

$309 ฿10.4K

52.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$778 RON 3,720

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-22.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$550 RON 2,634

$633 ฿21.4K

-13.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,723 RON 8,244

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-27.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,324 RON 6,336

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-16.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$911 RON 4,359

$590 ฿19.9K

54.49%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

5.57

29.26%

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

Last update for Galati: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Galati

$471 39.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 34.4% $162

Groceries & Markets

Galati

$182 15.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 28.8% $52

Eating Out

Galati

$170 14.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 54.3% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galati

$161 13.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 41.4% $67

Clothing & Footwear

Galati

$123 10.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 11.7% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Galati

$49 4.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 2.2% $1.1

Getting Around

Galati

$34 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 79.7% $27

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $514 in Galati 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.

Salaries run about 54% higher in Galati. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42 in Galati versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $182 in Galati vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Galati wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Galati

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

18:47 6:47 PM

23:47 11:47 PM

5 h ahead of Galati

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

249,432

127,240

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 4.78 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Galati Chiang Mai 7,060 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Galati
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

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

Galati costs about 27% 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 $1,785 per month in Galati and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $514 in Galati and $482 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $601 per month in Galati 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 22% cheaper in Galati – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,190 in Galati 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 $1,190 in Galati. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

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