Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sfantu Gheorghe and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Sfantu Gheorghe: $813 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Sfantu Gheorghe
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Sfantu Gheorghe Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Sfantu Gheorghe

🇷🇴 Romania

$813

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $813 per month in Sfantu Gheorghe vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sfantu Gheorghe $813
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,297 per month in Sfantu Gheorghe vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sfantu Gheorghe $1,297
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $1,781 per month in Sfantu Gheorghe vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sfantu Gheorghe $1,781
Chiang Mai $1,903

Sfantu Gheorghe is about 12% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sfantu Gheorghe and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Sfantu Gheorghe 40% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.56 RON 40.51

$2.29 ฿76.5

273.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.50 RON 196

$19.64 ฿656

111.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.21 RON 34.10

$5.61 ฿188

28.52%

Cappuccino

$2.54 RON 12.04

$1.66 ฿55.6

53.01%

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

$1.23 RON 5.81

$0.70 ฿23.40

75.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 RON 5.06

$0.31 ฿10.24

245.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.48 RON 11.74

$2.41 ฿80.4

2.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 RON 10.20

$3.71 ฿124

-41.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.39 RON 6.55

$1.95 ฿65.3

-28.72%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 RON 5.36

$1.41 ฿47.03

-19.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.40 RON 6.64

$1.31 ฿43.62

6.87%

Eggs

$3.28 RON 15.52

$2.18 ฿72.9

50.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.81 RON 36.97

$16.65 ฿556

-53.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.61 RON 21.83

$2.76 ฿92.2

67.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.72 RON 36.51

$9.11 ฿304

-15.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.08 RON 5.11

$2.39 ฿80.0

-54.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.51 RON 7.14

$1.03 ฿34.26

46.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.17 RON 5.52

$1.63 ฿54.4

-28.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.52 RON 11.92

$1.50 ฿50.0

68.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.69 RON 3.27

$1.29 ฿43.13

-46.51%

Onion (1kg)

$0.60 RON 2.84

$1.11 ฿37.03

-45.95%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 RON 4.86

$0.72 ฿24.08

43.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 RON 3.81

$0.53 ฿17.59

52.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.90 RON 23.17

$4.31 ฿144

13.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.42 RON 35.10

$17.95 ฿600

-58.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 RON 4.56

$1.58 ฿52.9

-39.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 RON 5.05

$2.84 ฿95.0

-62.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 RON 4.10

$0.86 ฿28.86

1.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.61 RON 73.9

$53.3 ฿1,780

-70.70%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.00 RON 4.72

$1.21 ฿40.29

-17.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.88 RON 4.17

$0.57 ฿18.99

54.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.38 RON 39.63

$2.35 ฿78.6

256.60%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 RON 7.68

$1.44 ฿47.96

12.50%

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

$28.9K RON 136.9K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

39.55%

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

$24.9K RON 117.8K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-7.11%

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

$113 RON 536

$62.3 ฿2,083

81.81%

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

$9.41 RON 44.53

$12.11 ฿405

-22.30%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.23 RON 57.9

$19.94 ฿666

-38.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$40.71 RON 193

$37.07 ฿1,239

9.82%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.72 RON 98.0

$3.78 ฿126

448.15%

Cinema Ticket

$3.13 RON 14.80

$6.50 ฿217

-51.85%

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

$444 RON 2,102

$793 ฿26.5K

-43.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,646 RON 31.4K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-55.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.88 RON 122

$53.7 ฿1,796

-51.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.62 RON 64.4

$24.62 ฿823

-44.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$39.45 RON 187

$90.9 ฿3,036

-56.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.3 RON 299

$71.1 ฿2,378

-11.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$294 RON 1,389

$455 ฿15.2K

-35.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$212 RON 1,003

$298 ฿9,954

-28.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$524 RON 2,479

$908 ฿30.4K

-42.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$401 RON 1,897

$554 ฿18.5K

-27.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,843 RON 8,718

$1,931 ฿64.5K

-4.57%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,362 RON 6,445

$1,445 ฿48.3K

-5.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$691 RON 3,271

$591 ฿19.7K

17.02%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.75

5.57

21.18%

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

Last update for Sfantu Gheorghe: October 17, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sfantu Gheorghe

$212 26.1%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 40.4% $86

Groceries & Markets

Sfantu Gheorghe

$184 22.6%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 27.9% $51

Eating Out

Sfantu Gheorghe

$147 18%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 46.4% $68

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sfantu Gheorghe

$135 16.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 30.1% $41

Clothing & Footwear

Sfantu Gheorghe

$64 7.9%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 69% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Sfantu Gheorghe

$47 5.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 6.6% $3.1

Getting Around

Sfantu Gheorghe

$24 3%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 148% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $294 in Sfantu Gheorghe versus $455 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 17% higher in Sfantu Gheorghe, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41.00 in Sfantu Gheorghe versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $184 in Sfantu Gheorghe vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Sfantu Gheorghe wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Sfantu Gheorghe

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:08 3:08 AM

07:08 7:08 AM

4 h ahead of Sfantu Gheorghe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

56,006

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 24, 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 24, 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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Highest

Between locations

Sfantu Gheorghe Chiang Mai 7,230 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sfantu Gheorghe
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

Sfantu Gheorghe vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 14% more than Sfantu Gheorghe, 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 $1,220 per month in Sfantu Gheorghe and $1,388 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Kindergarten costs $444 per month in Sfantu Gheorghe and $793 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Sfantu Gheorghe, where all-in costs run around $813, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Sfantu Gheorghe 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. Sfantu Gheorghe costs $813 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 Sfantu Gheorghe. 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.