Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Orhei and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Orhei: $359 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

34

Cost of Living Index in Orhei
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Orhei Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Orhei

🇲🇩 Moldova

$359

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $359 per month in Orhei vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Orhei $359
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $586 per month in Orhei vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Orhei $586
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $814 per month in Orhei vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Orhei $814
Chiang Mai $1,903

Orhei is about 61% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Orhei and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Orhei 74% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.24 MDL 200

$2.29 ฿76.5

390.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.75 MDL 404

$19.64 ฿656

15.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.90 MDL 123

$5.61 ฿188

22.99%

Cappuccino

$1.41 MDL 25.07

$1.66 ฿55.6

-15.06%

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

$0.77 MDL 13.72

$0.70 ฿23.40

10.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.46 MDL 8.25

$0.31 ฿10.24

48.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 MDL 20.22

$2.41 ฿80.4

-52.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.41 MDL 25.12

$3.71 ฿124

-61.99%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 MDL 17.47

$1.95 ฿65.3

-49.74%

White Bread (500g)

$0.35 MDL 6.23

$1.41 ฿47.03

-75.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

Eggs

$1.86 MDL 33.08

$2.18 ฿72.9

-14.68%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

Banana (1kg)

$1.92 MDL 34.04

$1.03 ฿34.26

86.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 MDL 11.82

$1.29 ฿43.13

-48.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 MDL 9.14

$0.53 ฿17.59

-3.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 MDL 2.83

$0.86 ฿28.86

-81.40%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 MDL 20.49

$1.21 ฿40.29

-4.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.72 MDL 30.62

$1.44 ฿47.96

19.44%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

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

$20.2K MDL 359.6K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-24.44%

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

$58.9 MDL 1,046

$62.3 ฿2,083

-5.50%

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

$6.85 MDL 122

$12.11 ฿405

-43.44%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$10.21 MDL 181

$19.94 ฿666

-48.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$3.34 MDL 59.3

$6.50 ฿217

-48.62%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.87 MDL 601

$53.7 ฿1,796

-36.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.43 MDL 594

$24.62 ฿823

35.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 MDL 1,858

$90.9 ฿3,036

15.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$33.98 MDL 604

$71.1 ฿2,378

-52.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Orhei: October 19, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Eating Out

Orhei

$141 39.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 44.3% $62

Clothing & Footwear

Orhei

$93 25.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 16.7% $16

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Orhei

$76 21.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 24.2% $18

Groceries & Markets

Orhei

$40 * 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 482% $195

Sport & Entertainment

Orhei

$6.7 * 1.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 651% $43

Getting Around

Orhei

$1.8 * 0.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 3296% $59

Accommodation & Living

Orhei

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23.00 in Orhei versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $40.00 in Orhei vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Orhei wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇲🇩 Orhei

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:38 2:38 PM

18:38 6:38 PM

4 h ahead of Orhei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

24,918

127,240

💱 Currency

Moldovan Leu MDL L

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 MDL = 5.63 USD

100 MDL = 5.01 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to MDL – Moldovan Leu Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇩 Moldovan Leu (L)

Moldovan Leu exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 17.76 MDL (100 MDL = 5.63 USD). 1 EUR = 19.97 MDL (100 MDL = 5.01 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to MDL in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Orhei Chiang Mai 7,000 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Orhei
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 158% more than Orhei, 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 $538 per month in Orhei and $1,388 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $359 in Orhei and $925 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 158%.

Groceries cost about 482% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Orhei, where all-in costs run around $359, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Orhei it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Orhei costs $359 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. 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 Orhei. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.