Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Targu Frumos and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,001 in Targu Frumos, rent and utilities included – about $780 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Targu Frumos
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Targu Frumos Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Targu Frumos

🇷🇴 Romania

$1,001

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,001 per month in Targu Frumos vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Targu Frumos $1,001
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,527 per month in Targu Frumos vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Targu Frumos $1,527
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,053 per month in Targu Frumos vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Targu Frumos $2,053
Chiang Mai $1,979

Targu Frumos costs about 7% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Targu Frumos and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Targu Frumos 26% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.73 RON 51.6

$2.24 ฿75.7

379.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.38 RON 199

$19.00 ฿642

117.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.43 RON 35.70

$5.55 ฿188

33.87%

Cappuccino

$2.42 RON 11.61

$1.67 ฿56.6

44.91%

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

$2.10 RON 10.09

$0.64 ฿21.56

228.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 RON 9.01

$0.31 ฿10.32

503.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.05 RON 9.87

$2.36 ฿79.6

-13.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 RON 15.43

$3.66 ฿124

-12.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 RON 5.65

$1.95 ฿65.8

-39.49%

White Bread (500g)

$0.71 RON 3.39

$1.44 ฿48.51

-50.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 RON 8.26

$1.33 ฿45.07

29.32%

Eggs

$3.37 RON 16.20

$2.28 ฿77.1

47.81%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.75 RON 37.25

$16.45 ฿556

-52.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.95 RON 28.62

$2.78 ฿94.0

114.03%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.22 RON 39.53

$9.31 ฿314

-11.71%

Apples (1kg)

$1.30 RON 6.25

$2.35 ฿79.5

-44.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 RON 7.62

$0.97 ฿32.82

63.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.59 RON 7.62

$1.60 ฿53.9

-0.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.77 RON 8.51

$1.50 ฿50.7

18.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 RON 4.55

$1.28 ฿43.15

-25.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 RON 4.85

$1.10 ฿37.22

-8.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 RON 3.85

$0.71 ฿23.84

12.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.69 RON 3.31

$0.49 ฿16.38

40.82%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.88 RON 28.26

$4.14 ฿140

42.03%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.17 RON 24.85

$17.52 ฿592

-70.49%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.93 RON 4.49

$1.61 ฿54.5

-42.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.22 RON 5.87

$2.78 ฿94.0

-56.12%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 RON 3.45

$0.87 ฿29.33

-17.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$21.53 RON 104

$54.1 ฿1,827

-60.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 RON 2.92

$1.16 ฿39.08

-47.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.64 RON 3.08

$0.53 ฿17.82

20.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.93 RON 33.28

$2.42 ฿81.8

186.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 RON 8.67

$1.45 ฿48.93

24.14%

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

$28.1K RON 135.1K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

33.49%

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

$25.1K RON 120.6K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-6.89%

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

$148 RON 713

$62.2 ฿2,100

138.75%

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

$7.74 RON 37.20

$12.17 ฿411

-36.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.74 RON 37.22

$20.12 ฿680

-61.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.80 RON 182

$37.31 ฿1,260

1.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$20.56 RON 98.8

$3.77 ฿127

445.36%

Cinema Ticket

$6.18 RON 29.71

$6.49 ฿219

-4.78%

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

$589 RON 2,833

$736 ฿24.9K

-19.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,907 RON 23.6K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-66.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$97.0 RON 466

$53.4 ฿1,802

81.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.37 RON 156

$24.64 ฿832

31.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$61.4 RON 295

$91.5 ฿3,089

-32.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.1 RON 404

$71.9 ฿2,429

16.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$387 RON 1,860

$482 ฿16.3K

-19.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$283 RON 1,362

$309 ฿10.4K

-8.25%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$589 RON 2,831

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-41.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$450 RON 2,163

$633 ฿21.4K

-28.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,817 RON 8,734

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-23.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,363 RON 6,551

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-14.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.2

5.57

29.26%

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

Last update for Targu Frumos: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Targu Frumos

$283 28.3%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 9% $25

Groceries & Markets

Targu Frumos

$182 18.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 28.9% $52

Eating Out

Targu Frumos

$170 17%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 54.3% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Targu Frumos

$164 16.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 42.4% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Targu Frumos

$124 12.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 12.2% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Targu Frumos

$50 5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 0.2% $0.1

Getting Around

Targu Frumos

$28 2.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 117% $33

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $387 in Targu Frumos 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $41 in Targu Frumos versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $182 in Targu Frumos vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Targu Frumos wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Targu Frumos

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

01:14 1:14 AM

06:14 6:14 AM

5 h ahead of Targu Frumos

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,875

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 = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to RON in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Targu Frumos Chiang Mai 7,140 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Targu Frumos
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

Targu Frumos vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Targu Frumos costs about 7% 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 $1,502 per month in Targu Frumos 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 Targu Frumos, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $387 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $589 per month in Targu Frumos 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 22% cheaper in Targu Frumos – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,001 in Targu Frumos 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 $1,001 in Targu Frumos. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.