Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Oradea and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $938 a month against $985 in Oradea, rent and utilities included – about $560 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Oradea outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

48

Cost of Living Index in Oradea
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Oradea Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Oradea

🇷🇴 Romania

$985

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $985 per month in Oradea vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Oradea $985
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,447 per month in Oradea vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Oradea $1,447
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,908 per month in Oradea vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Oradea $1,908
Chiang Mai $1,914

Oradea costs about 5% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Oradea and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Oradea 27% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.16 RON 38.63

$2.26 ฿75.4

261.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.66 RON 197

$19.18 ฿641

117.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.26 RON 34.35

$5.59 ฿187

29.87%

Cappuccino

$2.69 RON 12.72

$1.72 ฿57.6

56.40%

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

$1.86 RON 8.80

$0.64 ฿21.54

190.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 RON 8.38

$0.33 ฿11.18

436.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.07 RON 9.78

$2.36 ฿78.7

-12.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.16 RON 14.95

$3.90 ฿130

-18.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.47 RON 6.97

$2.05 ฿68.6

-28.29%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 RON 5.02

$1.40 ฿46.70

-24.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 RON 5.70

$1.28 ฿42.89

-6.25%

Eggs

$2.81 RON 13.28

$2.25 ฿75.3

24.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.42 RON 39.83

$16.94 ฿566

-50.30%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.38 RON 30.20

$2.74 ฿91.6

132.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.23 RON 43.68

$9.36 ฿313

-1.39%

Apples (1kg)

$1.12 RON 5.28

$2.40 ฿80.3

-53.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.48 RON 6.99

$1.01 ฿33.92

46.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 RON 6.81

$1.61 ฿53.9

-10.56%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.41 RON 6.69

$1.52 ฿50.7

-7.24%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 RON 4.08

$1.28 ฿42.90

-32.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.89 RON 4.20

$1.11 ฿37.22

-19.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 RON 3.23

$0.72 ฿24.09

-5.56%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.79 RON 3.72

$0.52 ฿17.54

51.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.68 RON 26.89

$4.33 ฿145

31.18%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.90 RON 27.92

$17.73 ฿593

-66.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 RON 4.82

$1.63 ฿54.4

-37.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 RON 8.56

$2.85 ฿95.3

-36.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.71 RON 3.35

$0.85 ฿28.31

-16.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.14 RON 90.6

$53.9 ฿1,801

-64.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.71 RON 3.38

$1.17 ฿39.18

-39.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.76 RON 3.59

$0.57 ฿19.00

33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.39 RON 34.96

$2.37 ฿79.2

211.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.85 RON 8.74

$1.45 ฿48.32

27.59%

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

$28.6K RON 135.3K

$20.5K ฿684.3K

39.71%

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

$25.1K RON 118.6K

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-5.43%

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

$137 RON 646

$62.3 ฿2,083

119.20%

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

$6.22 RON 29.42

$12.27 ฿410

-49.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.86 RON 37.19

$19.97 ฿668

-60.64%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.73 RON 216

$37.91 ฿1,267

20.63%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.03 RON 75.8

$3.76 ฿126

326.33%

Cinema Ticket

$7.40 RON 35.01

$6.71 ฿224

10.28%

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

$397 RON 1,879

$797 ฿26.6K

-50.19%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,055 RON 42.8K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-38.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$60.2 RON 285

$53.3 ฿1,780

13.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.50 RON 177

$25.05 ฿837

49.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$55.2 RON 261

$91.6 ฿3,062

-39.75%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.5 RON 300

$73.5 ฿2,455

-13.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$396 RON 1,872

$464 ฿15.5K

-14.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 RON 1,463

$305 ฿10.2K

1.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$545 RON 2,578

$915 ฿30.6K

-40.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 RON 1,843

$552 ฿18.5K

-29.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,933 RON 9,148

$1,912 ฿63.9K

1.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,910 RON 9,035

$1,438 ฿48.1K

32.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$906 RON 4,288

$595 ฿19.9K

52.28%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.1

5.57

27.47%

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

Last update for Oradea: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Oradea

$309 31.4%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 1.5% $4.6

Groceries & Markets

Oradea

$191 19.3%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 24.9% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Oradea

$151 15.3%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 37.2% $56

Eating Out

Oradea

$151 15.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 47.5% $72

Clothing & Footwear

Oradea

$97 9.9%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 12.5% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Oradea

$61 6.1%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 15.2% $9.2

Getting Around

Oradea

$26 2.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 132% $35

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $396 in Oradea versus $464 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 52% higher in Oradea, 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 $42.00 in Oradea versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $191 in Oradea vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Oradea wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Oradea

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:25 6:25 AM

10:25 10:25 AM

4 h ahead of Oradea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

196,367

127,240

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 19, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Oradea Chiang Mai 7,520 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Oradea
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

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

Oradea costs about 5% 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 $1,478 per month in Oradea and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $397 per month in Oradea and $797 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 25% cheaper in Oradea – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $938, than in Oradea at $985. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Oradea it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $938 versus $985 in Oradea. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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