Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mangalia and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,068 in Mangalia, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

52

Cost of Living Index in Mangalia
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Mangalia Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Mangalia

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,068

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,068 per month in Mangalia vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mangalia $1,068
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,652 per month in Mangalia vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mangalia $1,652
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,236 per month in Mangalia vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mangalia $2,236
Chiang Mai $1,979

Mangalia costs about 14% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mangalia and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Mangalia 22% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.53 RON 55.4

$2.24 ฿75.7

414.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.81 RON 225

$19.00 ฿642

146.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.56 RON 36.31

$5.55 ฿188

36.22%

Cappuccino

$2.87 RON 13.82

$1.67 ฿56.6

71.86%

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

$2.14 RON 10.30

$0.64 ฿21.56

234.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 RON 10.43

$0.31 ฿10.32

600.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.56 RON 12.29

$2.36 ฿79.6

8.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.37 RON 16.19

$3.66 ฿124

-7.92%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 RON 7.78

$1.95 ฿65.8

-16.92%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 RON 5.43

$1.44 ฿48.51

-21.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.48 RON 7.13

$1.33 ฿45.07

11.28%

Eggs

$3.05 RON 14.68

$2.28 ฿77.1

33.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.94 RON 38.14

$16.45 ฿556

-51.73%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.87 RON 33.02

$2.78 ฿94.0

147.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.38 RON 45.08

$9.31 ฿314

0.75%

Apples (1kg)

$1.34 RON 6.46

$2.35 ฿79.5

-42.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 RON 7.86

$0.97 ฿32.82

69.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.43 RON 6.89

$1.60 ฿53.9

-10.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.95 RON 9.38

$1.50 ฿50.7

30.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 RON 3.47

$1.28 ฿43.15

-43.75%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 RON 3.33

$1.10 ฿37.22

-37.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 RON 3.11

$0.71 ฿23.84

-8.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 RON 3.80

$0.49 ฿16.38

61.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.17 RON 29.67

$4.14 ฿140

49.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.66 RON 31.99

$17.52 ฿592

-61.99%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 RON 4.79

$1.61 ฿54.5

-37.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.44 RON 6.91

$2.78 ฿94.0

-48.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 RON 3.93

$0.87 ฿29.33

-5.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.49 RON 108

$54.1 ฿1,827

-58.42%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.66 RON 3.15

$1.16 ฿39.08

-43.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.66 RON 3.15

$0.53 ฿17.82

24.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.18 RON 29.72

$2.42 ฿81.8

155.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 RON 8.90

$1.45 ฿48.93

27.59%

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

$28.8K RON 138.6K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

36.98%

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

$25.4K RON 122.0K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-5.81%

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

$166 RON 799

$62.2 ฿2,100

167.41%

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

$6.18 RON 29.71

$12.17 ฿411

-49.22%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.39 RON 40.31

$20.12 ฿680

-58.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.28 RON 179

$37.31 ฿1,260

-0.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$21.67 RON 104

$3.77 ฿127

474.80%

Cinema Ticket

$8.47 RON 40.71

$6.49 ฿219

30.51%

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

$366 RON 1,757

$736 ฿24.9K

-50.35%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,846 RON 28.1K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-60.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$73.4 RON 353

$53.4 ฿1,802

37.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.66 RON 200

$24.64 ฿832

69.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.9 RON 432

$91.5 ฿3,089

-1.78%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.4 RON 458

$71.9 ฿2,429

32.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$386 RON 1,855

$482 ฿16.3K

-19.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$281 RON 1,352

$309 ฿10.4K

-8.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$618 RON 2,971

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-38.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$479 RON 2,303

$633 ฿21.4K

-24.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,136 RON 10.3K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-9.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,410 RON 6,777

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-11.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$741 RON 3,563

$590 ฿19.9K

25.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.85

5.57

40.93%

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

Last update for Mangalia: 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

Mangalia

$281 26.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 9.8% $28

Groceries & Markets

Mangalia

$201 18.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 16.7% $34

Eating Out

Mangalia

$186 17.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 58.3% $109

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mangalia

$181 16.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 47.8% $86

Clothing & Footwear

Mangalia

$135 12.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 19.6% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Mangalia

$54 5.1%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 7.2% $3.9

Getting Around

Mangalia

$30 2.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 107% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $386 in Mangalia 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 26% higher in Mangalia. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $47 in Mangalia versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $201 in Mangalia vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Mangalia wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Mangalia

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

23:22 11:22 PM

04:22 4:22 AM

5 h ahead of Mangalia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,364

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 = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Mangalia
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

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

Mangalia costs about 14% 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 $1,602 per month in Mangalia 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 Mangalia, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $386 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $366 per month in Mangalia 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 14% cheaper in Mangalia – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,068 in Mangalia 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 $1,068 in Mangalia. 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, Mangalia makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.