Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Onesti and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,042 in Onesti, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Onesti
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Onesti Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Onesti

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,042

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,042 per month in Onesti vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Onesti $1,042
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,597 per month in Onesti vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Onesti $1,597
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,153 per month in Onesti vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Onesti $2,153
Chiang Mai $1,999

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.35 RON 49.20

$2.13 ฿71.7

385.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.83 RON 199

$18.62 ฿625

124.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.13 RON 33.88

$5.60 ฿188

27.32%

Cappuccino

$2.97 RON 14.11

$1.66 ฿55.9

78.92%

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

$2.20 RON 10.47

$0.65 ฿21.73

238.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 RON 8.45

$0.30 ฿10.24

493.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.16 RON 15.03

$2.32 ฿78.0

36.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 RON 17.69

$3.67 ฿123

1.36%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 RON 4.92

$2.02 ฿67.7

-48.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.34 RON 6.38

$1.41 ฿47.29

-4.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.92 RON 9.14

$1.39 ฿46.75

38.13%

Eggs

$2.94 RON 13.96

$2.37 ฿79.5

24.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.46 RON 35.46

$16.52 ฿555

-54.84%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.56 RON 31.18

$2.67 ฿89.7

145.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.11 RON 48.07

$9.02 ฿303

12.08%

Apples (1kg)

$1.03 RON 4.90

$2.40 ฿80.6

-57.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.89

$1.04 ฿34.98

39.42%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.68 RON 8.00

$1.66 ฿55.7

1.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.06 RON 9.81

$1.56 ฿52.4

32.05%

Potato (1kg)

$0.80 RON 3.80

$1.24 ฿41.57

-35.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 RON 3.89

$1.09 ฿36.50

-24.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 RON 5.32

$0.76 ฿25.59

47.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 RON 2.88

$0.51 ฿17.27

19.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.32 RON 30.06

$4.12 ฿138

53.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.34 RON 25.38

$17.93 ฿602

-70.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 RON 6.35

$1.62 ฿54.5

-17.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 RON 10.15

$2.82 ฿94.8

-24.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.70 RON 3.30

$0.93 ฿31.39

-24.73%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.70 RON 108

$52.9 ฿1,777

-57.08%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.80 RON 3.81

$1.18 ฿39.52

-32.20%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 RON 4.16

$0.17 ฿5.76

417.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.57 RON 40.74

$1.81 ฿60.9

373.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 RON 6.81

$1.47 ฿49.47

-2.72%

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

$28.5K RON 135.6K

$21.0K ฿705.8K

35.76%

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

$26.1K RON 124.1K

$26.5K ฿890.7K

-1.54%

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

$186 RON 882

$62.6 ฿2,101

196.61%

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

$7.43 RON 35.31

$11.60 ฿390

-35.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.70 RON 41.34

$20.30 ฿682

-57.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$36.79 RON 175

$37.88 ฿1,272

-2.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.40 RON 97.0

$3.70 ฿124

451.35%

Cinema Ticket

$8.50 RON 40.41

$6.51 ฿219

30.57%

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

$389 RON 1,848

$727 ฿24.4K

-46.51%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,819 RON 37.2K

$16.6K ฿556.7K

-52.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.62 RON 179

$53.5 ฿1,798

-29.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.20 RON 186

$24.80 ฿833

58.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$94.7 RON 450

$90.4 ฿3,036

4.79%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.9 RON 437

$72.0 ฿2,418

27.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$406 RON 1,931

$481 ฿16.2K

-15.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$261 RON 1,242

$310 ฿10.4K

-15.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$653 RON 3,102

$1,058 ฿35.5K

-38.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$464 RON 2,203

$659 ฿22.1K

-29.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,929 RON 9,170

$2,418 ฿81.2K

-20.20%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,329 RON 6,315

$1,609 ฿54.0K

-17.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$634 RON 3,015

$595 ฿20.0K

6.63%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.18

5.57

28.90%

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

Last update for Onesti: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Onesti

$261 25.1%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 18.6% $49

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Onesti

$202 19.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 53.2% $107

Groceries & Markets

Onesti

$197 18.9%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 20.1% $40

Eating Out

Onesti

$179 17.2%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 57.2% $102

Clothing & Footwear

Onesti

$119 11.4%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 8.6% $10

Sport & Entertainment

Onesti

$54 5.2%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 5.4% $2.9

Getting Around

Onesti

$31 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 91.3% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $406 in Onesti 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 7% higher in Onesti, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42 in Onesti versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $197 in Onesti vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Onesti wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Onesti

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:06 6:06 AM

11:06 11:06 AM

5 h ahead of Onesti

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

57,333

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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Highest

Between locations

Onesti Chiang Mai 7,160 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Onesti
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

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

Onesti 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 $1,563 per month in Onesti 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 Onesti, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $406 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $389 per month in Onesti and $727 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 17% cheaper in Onesti – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,042 in Onesti and $935 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,042 in Onesti. 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, Onesti makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.