Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lugoj and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Lugoj: $769 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

37

Cost of Living Index in Lugoj
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Lugoj Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Lugoj

🇷🇴 Romania

$769

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $769 per month in Lugoj vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lugoj $769
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,201 per month in Lugoj vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lugoj $1,201
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,633 per month in Lugoj vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Lugoj $1,633
Chiang Mai $1,999

Lugoj is about 18% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Lugoj and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Lugoj 43% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.18 RON 43.61

$2.13 ฿71.7

330.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$33.57 RON 160

$18.62 ฿625

80.29%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.17 RON 24.60

$5.60 ฿188

-7.68%

Cappuccino

$1.75 RON 8.30

$1.66 ฿55.9

5.42%

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

$1.54 RON 7.31

$0.65 ฿21.73

136.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 RON 7.17

$0.30 ฿10.24

403.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 RON 9.75

$2.32 ฿78.0

-11.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 RON 9.24

$3.67 ฿123

-47.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.60 RON 7.61

$2.02 ฿67.7

-20.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 RON 4.62

$1.41 ฿47.29

-31.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.65 RON 3.09

$1.39 ฿46.75

-53.24%

Eggs

$1.28 RON 6.07

$2.37 ฿79.5

-45.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.36 RON 15.99

$16.52 ฿555

-79.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.89 RON 18.47

$2.67 ฿89.7

45.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.23 RON 20.09

$9.02 ฿303

-53.10%

Apples (1kg)

$1.02 RON 4.87

$2.40 ฿80.6

-57.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 RON 5.89

$1.04 ฿34.98

19.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 RON 7.89

$1.66 ฿55.7

Tomato (1kg)

$0.62 RON 2.94

$1.56 ฿52.4

-60.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.66 RON 3.11

$1.24 ฿41.57

-46.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.66 RON 3.12

$1.09 ฿36.50

-39.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 RON 4.27

$0.76 ฿25.59

18.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 RON 2.90

$0.51 ฿17.27

19.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.85 RON 23.04

$4.12 ฿138

17.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.31 RON 20.48

$17.93 ฿602

-75.96%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.20 RON 5.70

$1.62 ฿54.5

-25.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 RON 8.19

$2.82 ฿94.8

-39.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.60 RON 2.86

$0.93 ฿31.39

-35.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.22 RON 101

$52.9 ฿1,777

-59.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 RON 4.17

$1.18 ฿39.52

-25.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 RON 4.14

$0.17 ฿5.76

411.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.34 RON 39.66

$1.81 ฿60.9

360.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.91 RON 9.08

$1.47 ฿49.47

29.93%

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

$28.5K RON 135.5K

$21.0K ฿705.8K

35.63%

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

$24.9K RON 118.3K

$26.5K ฿890.7K

-6.16%

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

$52.6 RON 250

$62.6 ฿2,101

-15.89%

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

$8.27 RON 39.30

$11.60 ฿390

-28.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.56 RON 45.46

$20.30 ฿682

-52.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$21.04 RON 100

$37.88 ฿1,272

-44.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.03 RON 119

$3.70 ฿124

576.49%

Cinema Ticket

$9.48 RON 45.07

$6.51 ฿219

45.62%

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

$584 RON 2,776

$727 ฿24.4K

-19.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.4K RON 59.1K

$16.6K ฿556.7K

-24.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$88.5 RON 421

$53.5 ฿1,798

65.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.68 RON 208

$24.80 ฿833

76.13%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$97.1 RON 462

$90.4 ฿3,036

7.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$106 RON 502

$72.0 ฿2,418

46.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$182 RON 867

$481 ฿16.2K

-62.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$212 RON 1,009

$310 ฿10.4K

-31.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$312 RON 1,482

$1,058 ฿35.5K

-70.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$314 RON 1,494

$659 ฿22.1K

-52.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,320 RON 6,272

$2,418 ฿81.2K

-45.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,057 RON 5,022

$1,609 ฿54.0K

-34.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$919 RON 4,368

$595 ฿20.0K

54.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.65

5.57

19.39%

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

Last update for Lugoj: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lugoj

$212 27.6%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 46% $98

Clothing & Footwear

Lugoj

$151 19.6%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 28.1% $42

Eating Out

Lugoj

$136 17.7%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 43.8% $60

Groceries & Markets

Lugoj

$130 16.9%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 81.8% $106

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lugoj

$70 9.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 34.1% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Lugoj

$40 5.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 27.2% $11

Getting Around

Lugoj

$29 3.8%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 103% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $182 in Lugoj versus $481 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 55% higher in Lugoj, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Lugoj versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $130 in Lugoj vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Lugoj wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Lugoj

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:05 6:05 AM

11:05 11:05 AM

5 h ahead of Lugoj

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

49,742

127,240

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.21 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4.75 RON (1 RON = 0.21 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Lugoj Chiang Mai 7,540 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Lugoj
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 22% more than Lugoj, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,153 per month in Lugoj 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 Lugoj, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $182 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $584 per month in Lugoj and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 82% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $769 in Lugoj and $935 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Lugoj – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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