Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Targu Jiu and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in Targu Jiu and in Chiang Mai: $966 and $936 a month, rent and utilities included.

47

Cost of Living Index in Targu Jiu
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Targu Jiu Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Targu Jiu

🇷🇴 Romania

$966

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $966 per month in Targu Jiu vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Targu Jiu $966
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,502 per month in Targu Jiu vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Targu Jiu $1,502
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,038 per month in Targu Jiu vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Targu Jiu $2,038
Chiang Mai $1,979

Targu Jiu costs about 3% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Targu Jiu and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Targu Jiu 29% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$14.60 RON 70.2

$2.24 ฿75.7

551.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$57.6 RON 277

$19.00 ฿642

203.37%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.24 RON 34.81

$5.55 ฿188

30.45%

Cappuccino

$3.56 RON 17.11

$1.67 ฿56.6

113.17%

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

$1.02 RON 4.93

$0.64 ฿21.56

59.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.21 RON 10.65

$0.31 ฿10.32

612.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.67 RON 17.66

$2.36 ฿79.6

55.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.23 RON 20.33

$3.66 ฿124

15.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 RON 8.03

$1.95 ฿65.8

-14.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.28 RON 6.17

$1.44 ฿48.51

-11.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.77 RON 8.50

$1.33 ฿45.07

33.08%

Eggs

$2.75 RON 13.21

$2.28 ฿77.1

20.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.41 RON 35.64

$16.45 ฿556

-54.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.91 RON 13.99

$2.78 ฿94.0

4.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.95 RON 33.41

$9.31 ฿314

-25.35%

Apples (1kg)

$0.91 RON 4.38

$2.35 ฿79.5

-61.28%

Banana (1kg)

$1.49 RON 7.17

$0.97 ฿32.82

53.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.17 RON 5.60

$1.60 ฿53.9

-26.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 RON 5.84

$1.50 ฿50.7

-18.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.83 RON 3.97

$1.28 ฿43.15

-35.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 RON 3.54

$1.10 ฿37.22

-32.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.61 RON 2.92

$0.71 ฿23.84

-14.08%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 RON 2.40

$0.49 ฿16.38

2.04%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.21 RON 25.03

$4.14 ฿140

25.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$3.00 RON 14.43

$17.52 ฿592

-82.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 RON 3.93

$1.61 ฿54.5

-49.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 RON 5.16

$2.78 ฿94.0

-61.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.65 RON 3.12

$1.16 ฿39.08

-43.97%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.61 RON 2.93

$0.53 ฿17.82

15.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.39 RON 30.70

$2.42 ฿81.8

164.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.93 RON 9.30

$1.45 ฿48.93

33.10%

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

$28.8K RON 138.4K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

36.70%

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

$25.9K RON 124.3K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-4.02%

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

$196 RON 944

$62.2 ฿2,100

215.76%

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

$6.01 RON 28.88

$12.17 ฿411

-50.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$9.32 RON 44.80

$20.12 ฿680

-53.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.49 RON 151

$37.31 ฿1,260

-15.60%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$8.34 RON 40.09

$6.49 ฿219

28.51%

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

$676 RON 3,248

$736 ฿24.9K

-8.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.3K RON 68.8K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-3.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.38 RON 237

$53.4 ฿1,802

-7.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.42 RON 122

$24.64 ฿832

3.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.7 RON 248

$91.5 ฿3,089

-43.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.2 RON 405

$71.9 ฿2,429

17.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$353 RON 1,698

$482 ฿16.3K

-26.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$233 RON 1,119

$309 ฿10.4K

-24.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 RON 2,296

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-52.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$403 RON 1,938

$633 ฿21.4K

-36.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,555 RON 12.3K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

8.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$518 RON 2,491

$590 ฿19.9K

-12.14%

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 Targu Jiu: 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 Jiu

$233 24.1%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 32.7% $76

Eating Out

Targu Jiu

$221 22.9%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 64.9% $143

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Targu Jiu

$212 21.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 55.4% $117

Groceries & Markets

Targu Jiu

$154 16%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 52.1% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Targu Jiu

$95 9.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 14.6% $14

Sport & Entertainment

Targu Jiu

$48 5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 4.4% $2.1

Getting Around

Targu Jiu

$3.7 * 0.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 1558% $58

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $353 in Targu Jiu 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 14% 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 $58 in Targu Jiu versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $154 in Targu Jiu vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Targu Jiu wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Targu Jiu

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:50 8:50 PM

01:50 1:50 AM

5 h ahead of Targu Jiu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

82,504

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Targu Jiu Chiang Mai 7,430 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Targu Jiu costs about 3% 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 $1,449 per month in Targu Jiu 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 Jiu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $353 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $58 in Targu Jiu and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 34% cheaper in Targu Jiu – 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 $966 in Targu Jiu 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 $966 in Targu Jiu. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.