Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sighetu Marmatiei and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in Sighetu Marmatiei and in Chiang Mai: $958 and $936 a month, rent and utilities included.

46

Cost of Living Index in Sighetu Marmatiei
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Sighetu Marmatiei Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Sighetu Marmatiei

🇷🇴 Romania

$958

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $958 per month in Sighetu Marmatiei vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sighetu Marmatiei $958
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,401 per month in Sighetu Marmatiei vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sighetu Marmatiei $1,401
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,843 per month in Sighetu Marmatiei vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Sighetu Marmatiei $1,843
Chiang Mai $1,979

Sighetu Marmatiei costs about 2% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Sighetu Marmatiei and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Sighetu Marmatiei 30% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.62 RON 41.42

$2.24 ฿75.7

284.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$20.80 RON 100.0

$19.00 ฿642

9.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.31 RON 35.14

$5.55 ฿188

31.71%

Cappuccino

$2.68 RON 12.89

$1.67 ฿56.6

60.48%

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

$1.84 RON 8.86

$0.64 ฿21.56

187.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 RON 8.51

$0.31 ฿10.32

470.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.06 RON 9.89

$2.36 ฿79.6

-12.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.15 RON 15.12

$3.66 ฿124

-13.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 RON 6.92

$1.95 ฿65.8

-26.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 RON 4.87

$1.44 ฿48.51

-29.86%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 RON 5.77

$1.33 ฿45.07

-9.77%

Eggs

$2.83 RON 13.61

$2.28 ฿77.1

24.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.02 RON 38.54

$16.45 ฿556

-51.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.34 RON 30.45

$2.78 ฿94.0

128.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.18 RON 44.10

$9.31 ฿314

-1.40%

Apples (1kg)

$1.12 RON 5.38

$2.35 ฿79.5

-52.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.16

$0.97 ฿32.82

53.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.17

$1.60 ฿53.9

-6.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.36 RON 6.56

$1.50 ฿50.7

-9.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.86 RON 4.16

$1.28 ฿43.15

-32.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.95 RON 4.57

$1.10 ฿37.22

-13.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.69 RON 3.32

$0.71 ฿23.84

-2.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.84 RON 4.01

$0.49 ฿16.38

71.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 RON 26.23

$4.14 ฿140

31.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.77 RON 27.73

$17.52 ฿592

-67.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 RON 4.95

$1.61 ฿54.5

-36.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.76 RON 8.44

$2.78 ฿94.0

-36.69%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.76 RON 3.64

$0.87 ฿29.33

-12.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.76 RON 105

$54.1 ฿1,827

-59.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.72 RON 3.45

$1.16 ฿39.08

-37.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.77 RON 3.69

$0.53 ฿17.82

45.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.41 RON 35.63

$2.42 ฿81.8

206.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.73 RON 8.31

$1.45 ฿48.93

19.31%

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

$29.0K RON 139.3K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

37.62%

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

$25.5K RON 122.5K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-5.41%

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

$138 RON 663

$62.2 ฿2,100

121.75%

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

$6.50 RON 31.22

$12.17 ฿411

-46.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.73 RON 37.13

$20.12 ฿680

-61.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.48 RON 185

$37.31 ฿1,260

3.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.29 RON 97.5

$3.77 ฿127

438.20%

Cinema Ticket

$4.31 RON 20.73

$6.49 ฿219

-33.59%

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

$396 RON 1,904

$736 ฿24.9K

-46.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,844 RON 42.5K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-40.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$59.9 RON 288

$53.4 ฿1,802

12.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$37.56 RON 180

$24.64 ฿832

52.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.8 RON 263

$91.5 ฿3,089

-40.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$63.4 RON 305

$71.9 ฿2,429

-11.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$378 RON 1,818

$482 ฿16.3K

-21.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$290 RON 1,392

$309 ฿10.4K

-6.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$602 RON 2,893

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-40.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$441 RON 2,120

$633 ฿21.4K

-30.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,865 RON 8,961

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-21.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,333 RON 6,404

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-16.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$522 RON 2,510

$590 ฿19.9K

-11.45%

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 Sighetu Marmatiei: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Sighetu Marmatiei

$290 30.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 6.7% $19

Groceries & Markets

Sighetu Marmatiei

$189 19.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 24.2% $46

Eating Out

Sighetu Marmatiei

$154 16.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 49.7% $77

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Sighetu Marmatiei

$152 15.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 37.9% $58

Clothing & Footwear

Sighetu Marmatiei

$97 10.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 11.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Sighetu Marmatiei

$47 4.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 6.8% $3.2

Getting Around

Sighetu Marmatiei

$29 3.1%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 109% $32

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $378 in Sighetu Marmatiei versus $482 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 13% higher in Chiang Mai, 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 $21 in Sighetu Marmatiei versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $189 in Sighetu Marmatiei vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Sighetu Marmatiei wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Sighetu Marmatiei

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

16:01 4:01 PM

21:01 9:01 PM

5 h ahead of Sighetu Marmatiei

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

37,640

127,240

💱 Currency

Romanian Leu RON lei

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 RON = 0.208 USD

1 RON = 0.187 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4.81 RON (1 RON = 0.208 USD). 1 EUR = 5.35 RON (1 RON = 0.187 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Sighetu Marmatiei Chiang Mai 7,370 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Sighetu Marmatiei
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

Sighetu Marmatiei vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Sighetu Marmatiei costs about 2% 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 $1,437 per month in Sighetu Marmatiei 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 Sighetu Marmatiei, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $378 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $396 per month in Sighetu Marmatiei and $736 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 19% cheaper in Sighetu Marmatiei – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $958 in Sighetu Marmatiei and $936 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 $936 in Chiang Mai to $958 in Sighetu Marmatiei. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.