Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Pattaya and Baia Mare

For one person, living is cheaper in Baia Mare: $882 a month against $1,036 in Pattaya, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Pattaya outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

50

Cost of Living Index in Pattaya
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Pattaya Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Baia Mare
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Baia Mare Living Index

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Pattaya

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,036

/mo nomad

Baia Mare

🇷🇴 Romania

$882

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Pattaya and in Baia Mare

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Pattaya and in Baia Mare actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,036 in Pattaya versus $882 in Baia Mare.

Pattaya $1,036
Baia Mare $882

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,655 in Pattaya versus $1,385 in Baia Mare.

Pattaya $1,655
Baia Mare $1,385

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,273 in Pattaya versus $1,888 in Baia Mare.

Pattaya $2,273
Baia Mare $1,888

Living in Pattaya is roughly 17% more expensive than in Baia Mare, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Pattaya 23% lower, Baia Mare 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.34 ฿112

$12.30 RON 58.2

-72.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$35.47 ฿1,186

$31.87 RON 151

11.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.00 ฿301

$8.21 RON 38.85

9.62%

Cappuccino

$2.04 ฿68.1

$2.08 RON 9.82

-1.92%

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

$0.70 ฿23.44

$1.74 RON 8.25

-59.77%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.47

$1.33 RON 6.30

-76.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.33 ฿77.8

$1.60 RON 7.58

45.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 ฿87.4

$2.14 RON 10.11

22.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 ฿59.3

$1.45 RON 6.84

22.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.48 ฿49.57

$1.45 RON 6.84

2.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.38 ฿46.26

$1.48 RON 7.02

-6.76%

Eggs

$2.13 ฿71.3

$2.93 RON 13.88

-27.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.50 ฿518

$6.13 RON 29.01

152.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.57 ฿86.0

$6.48 RON 30.66

-60.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.09 ฿337

$10.53 RON 49.80

-4.18%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 ฿112

$1.13 RON 5.36

197.35%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.67

$1.53 RON 7.24

-16.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.86 ฿62.3

$1.32 RON 6.26

40.91%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.88 ฿62.8

$2.62 RON 12.41

-28.24%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.46

$0.91 RON 4.33

36.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 ฿36.25

$1.07 RON 5.08

0.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 ฿42.53

$1.10 RON 5.23

15.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 ฿14.82

$0.81 RON 3.85

-45.68%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$6.41 RON 30.35

-33.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.59 ฿588

$4.62 RON 21.88

280.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.70 ฿56.9

$1.09 RON 5.17

55.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.97 ฿99.1

$1.68 RON 7.93

76.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.61 ฿20.43

$0.66 RON 3.11

-7.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.79 ฿662

$14.36 RON 67.9

37.81%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ฿45.46

$0.76 RON 3.59

78.95%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 ฿36.10

$0.75 RON 3.53

44.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.62 ฿121

$5.94 RON 28.11

-39.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 ฿47.73

$1.72 RON 8.12

-16.86%

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

$44.9K ฿1.5M

$28.2K RON 133.3K

59.19%

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

$26.8K ฿895.5K

$25.4K RON 120.1K

5.60%

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

$93.9 ฿3,137

$103 RON 489

-9.24%

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

$11.74 ฿392

$14.96 RON 70.8

-21.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.75 ฿627

$11.75 RON 55.6

59.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.37 ฿1,416

$38.39 RON 182

10.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.76 ฿694

$16.14 RON 76.4

28.62%

Cinema Ticket

$7.48 ฿250

$10.07 RON 47.66

-25.72%

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

$619 ฿20.7K

$527 RON 2,493

17.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.2K ฿475.3K

$5,253 RON 24.9K

170.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.7 ฿1,693

$36.87 RON 174

37.40%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.31 ฿980

$41.97 RON 199

-30.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$95.3 ฿3,184

$62.1 RON 294

53.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$74.7 ฿2,496

$75.0 RON 355

-0.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$569 ฿19.0K

$278 RON 1,313

104.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$370 ฿12.4K

$203 RON 960

82.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,530 ฿51.1K

$489 RON 2,314

212.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$778 ฿26.0K

$368 RON 1,743

111.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,474 ฿82.7K

$2,044 RON 9,671

21.04%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,479 ฿49.4K

$1,414 RON 6,691

4.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$461 ฿15.4K

$859 RON 4,063

-46.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

7.48

-20.32%

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

Last update for Pattaya: October 12, 2026

Last update for Baia Mare: October 10, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Pattaya

$370 35.7%

Baia Mare

$203 23% 45.2% $167

Groceries & Markets

Pattaya

$244 23.5%

Baia Mare

$199 22.6% 18.1% $44

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Pattaya

$124 12%

Baia Mare

$130 14.8% 4.6% $5.8

Clothing & Footwear

Pattaya

$112 10.9%

Baia Mare

$97 11% 13.6% $15

Eating Out

Pattaya

$99 9.6%

Baia Mare

$173 19.6% 74% $73

Sport & Entertainment

Pattaya

$57 5.5%

Baia Mare

$59 6.6% 2.1% $1.2

Getting Around

Pattaya

$29 2.8%

Baia Mare

$21 2.4% 25.9% $7.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $569 in Pattaya and $278 in Baia Mare. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Baia Mare pays 86% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $35.00 in Pattaya vs $32.00 in Baia Mare for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $244 vs $199 per month, with Baia Mare cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Pattaya

🇷🇴 Baia Mare

🕒 Local time

21:57 9:57 PM

17:57 5:57 PM

4 h behind Pattaya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

119,532

123,738

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Romanian Leu RON lei

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1 RON = 0.211 USD

1 RON = 0.188 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RON, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Romanian Leu exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 4.73 RON (1 RON = 0.211 USD). 1 EUR = 5.32 RON (1 RON = 0.188 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Pattaya Baia Mare 8,000 km ≈ 11 h nonstop flight

From you

Pattaya
Baia Mare

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

Pattaya vs Baia Mare: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Baia Mare is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and utilities. The 17% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 86% lower in Baia Mare. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $569 in Pattaya versus $278 in Baia Mare. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $619 in Pattaya versus $527 in Baia Mare. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 22% higher in Pattaya. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $882 in Baia Mare versus $1,036 in Pattaya, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Baia Mare but tight or insufficient in Pattaya. The gap between the two cities makes Baia Mare the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Baia Mare is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Pattaya, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Pattaya and Baia Mare are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Baia Mare gentler on the wallet – expenses run 17% less than in Pattaya. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.