Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mamaia and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,039 in Mamaia, rent and utilities included – about $1,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

50

Cost of Living Index in Mamaia
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Mamaia Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Mamaia

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,039

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,039 per month in Mamaia vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mamaia $1,039
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,585 per month in Mamaia vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mamaia $1,585
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,132 per month in Mamaia vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mamaia $2,132
Chiang Mai $1,979

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

Both Mamaia and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Mamaia 24% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.00 RON 47.93

$2.24 ฿75.5

346.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.70 RON 224

$19.00 ฿640

145.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.73 RON 37.08

$5.55 ฿187

39.28%

Cappuccino

$2.70 RON 12.93

$1.67 ฿56.4

61.68%

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

$2.00 RON 9.59

$0.64 ฿21.51

212.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 RON 8.21

$0.31 ฿10.29

451.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.28 RON 10.95

$2.36 ฿79.5

-3.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.69 RON 12.92

$3.66 ฿123

-26.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.53 RON 7.36

$1.95 ฿65.7

-21.54%

White Bread (500g)

$1.25 RON 5.99

$1.44 ฿48.41

-13.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.61 RON 7.73

$1.33 ฿44.97

21.05%

Eggs

$3.33 RON 15.98

$2.28 ฿77.0

46.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.34 RON 39.99

$16.45 ฿554

-49.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.76 RON 32.42

$2.78 ฿93.8

143.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.83 RON 47.15

$9.31 ฿314

5.59%

Apples (1kg)

$1.13 RON 5.43

$2.35 ฿79.3

-51.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 RON 7.54

$0.97 ฿32.75

61.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 RON 7.66

$1.60 ฿53.8

Tomato (1kg)

$2.19 RON 10.51

$1.50 ฿50.6

46.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 RON 4.13

$1.28 ฿43.06

-32.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 RON 4.58

$1.10 ฿37.14

-13.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.89 RON 4.29

$0.71 ฿23.79

25.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 RON 4.03

$0.49 ฿16.34

71.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.03 RON 28.92

$4.14 ฿140

45.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.16 RON 29.56

$17.52 ฿590

-64.84%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 RON 5.10

$1.61 ฿54.4

-34.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 RON 8.05

$2.78 ฿93.8

-39.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.67 RON 3.22

$0.87 ฿29.27

-22.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.09 RON 96.3

$54.1 ฿1,823

-62.86%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.78 RON 3.72

$1.16 ฿39.00

-32.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 RON 3.63

$0.53 ฿17.78

43.40%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.75 RON 32.36

$2.42 ฿81.6

178.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 RON 7.67

$1.45 ฿48.82

10.34%

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

$27.6K RON 132.2K

$21.1K ฿709.7K

30.88%

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

$27.6K RON 132.3K

$26.9K ฿907.9K

2.38%

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

$145 RON 694

$62.2 ฿2,095

132.91%

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

$7.99 RON 38.32

$12.17 ฿410

-34.35%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.19 RON 44.09

$20.12 ฿678

-54.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.87 RON 201

$37.31 ฿1,257

12.22%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.21 RON 92.1

$3.77 ฿127

409.55%

Cinema Ticket

$7.03 RON 33.73

$6.49 ฿219

8.32%

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

$434 RON 2,081

$736 ฿24.8K

-41.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,018 RON 33.7K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-52.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$67.1 RON 322

$53.4 ฿1,799

25.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$40.98 RON 197

$24.64 ฿830

66.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$74.5 RON 357

$91.5 ฿3,083

-18.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$94.4 RON 453

$71.9 ฿2,424

31.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 RON 1,853

$482 ฿16.3K

-19.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$294 RON 1,410

$309 ฿10.4K

-4.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$585 RON 2,807

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-41.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$444 RON 2,128

$633 ฿21.3K

-29.94%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,887 RON 9,050

$2,363 ฿79.6K

-20.14%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,480 RON 7,099

$1,589 ฿53.6K

-6.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.5

5.57

16.70%

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

Last update for Mamaia: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mamaia

$294 28.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 5.1% $15

Groceries & Markets

Mamaia

$208 20%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 12.9% $27

Eating Out

Mamaia

$167 16.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 53.6% $90

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mamaia

$162 15.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 41.7% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Mamaia

$125 12%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 12.8% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Mamaia

$56 5.4%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 10.1% $5.7

Getting Around

Mamaia

$27 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 125% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $386 in Mamaia 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 $47 in Mamaia versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $208 in Mamaia vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Mamaia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Mamaia

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

07:27 7:27 AM

12:27 12:27 PM

5 h ahead of Mamaia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

441

127,240

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.209 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 4.8 RON (1 RON = 0.209 USD). 1 EUR = 5.34 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mamaia Chiang Mai 7,020 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Mamaia
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

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

Mamaia 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 $1,558 per month in Mamaia 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 Mamaia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $386 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $434 per month in Mamaia 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 11% cheaper in Mamaia – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,039 in Mamaia and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.