Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Targu Mures and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in Targu Mures and in Chiang Mai: $938 and $925 a month, rent and utilities included.

46

Cost of Living Index in Targu Mures
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Targu Mures Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Targu Mures

🇷🇴 Romania

$938

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Targu Mures vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Targu Mures $938
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $1,461 per month in Targu Mures vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Targu Mures $1,461
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $1,984 per month in Targu Mures vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Targu Mures $1,984
Chiang Mai $1,903

Targu Mures costs about 1% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Targu Mures and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Targu Mures 31% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.12 RON 43.15

$2.29 ฿76.5

298.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.19 RON 200

$19.64 ฿656

114.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.00 RON 37.83

$5.61 ฿188

42.60%

Cappuccino

$2.17 RON 10.27

$1.66 ฿55.6

30.72%

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

$1.44 RON 6.83

$0.70 ฿23.40

105.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.23 RON 5.83

$0.31 ฿10.24

296.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.91 RON 9.04

$2.41 ฿80.4

-20.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.26 RON 10.68

$3.71 ฿124

-39.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.34 RON 6.34

$1.95 ฿65.3

-31.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 RON 5.07

$1.41 ฿47.03

-24.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.45 RON 6.87

$1.31 ฿43.62

10.69%

Eggs

$2.88 RON 13.65

$2.18 ฿72.9

32.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.00 RON 37.84

$16.65 ฿556

-51.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.81 RON 27.47

$2.76 ฿92.2

110.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.08 RON 47.68

$9.11 ฿304

10.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.00 RON 4.72

$2.39 ฿80.0

-58.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.33 RON 6.29

$1.03 ฿34.26

29.13%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.39 RON 6.59

$1.63 ฿54.4

-14.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.90 RON 9.00

$1.50 ฿50.0

26.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.77 RON 3.64

$1.29 ฿43.13

-40.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.55 RON 2.61

$1.11 ฿37.03

-50.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 RON 3.79

$0.72 ฿24.08

11.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 RON 3.64

$0.53 ฿17.59

45.28%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.84 RON 27.61

$4.31 ฿144

35.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.39 RON 34.98

$17.95 ฿600

-58.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 RON 5.06

$1.58 ฿52.9

-32.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 RON 7.32

$2.84 ฿95.0

-45.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.66 RON 3.11

$0.86 ฿28.86

-23.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.06 RON 119

$53.3 ฿1,780

-52.97%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 RON 4.14

$1.21 ฿40.29

-27.27%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.85 RON 4.04

$0.57 ฿18.99

49.12%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.47 RON 35.32

$2.35 ฿78.6

217.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 RON 8.55

$1.44 ฿47.96

25.69%

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

$28.1K RON 133.0K

$20.7K ฿692.8K

35.59%

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

$25.3K RON 119.8K

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-5.53%

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

$101 RON 477

$62.3 ฿2,083

61.69%

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

$9.37 RON 44.35

$12.11 ฿405

-22.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.19 RON 38.75

$19.94 ฿666

-58.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.30 RON 200

$37.07 ฿1,239

14.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.38 RON 87.0

$3.78 ฿126

386.24%

Cinema Ticket

$6.27 RON 29.67

$6.50 ฿217

-3.54%

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

$1,330 RON 6,291

$793 ฿26.5K

67.74%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.3 RON 248

$53.7 ฿1,796

-2.62%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.80 RON 141

$24.62 ฿823

21.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$76.7 RON 363

$90.9 ฿3,036

-15.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$77.4 RON 366

$71.1 ฿2,378

8.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$415 RON 1,964

$455 ฿15.2K

-8.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$286 RON 1,355

$298 ฿9,954

-3.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$650 RON 3,077

$908 ฿30.4K

-28.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$472 RON 2,232

$554 ฿18.5K

-14.80%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,238 RON 10.6K

$1,931 ฿64.5K

15.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,487 RON 7,035

$1,445 ฿48.3K

2.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$991 RON 4,687

$591 ฿19.7K

67.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

7.47

5.57

34.11%

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

Last update for Targu Mures: October 20, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Targu Mures

$286 30.5%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 4% $11

Groceries & Markets

Targu Mures

$192 20.5%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 22.7% $44

Eating Out

Targu Mures

$148 15.8%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 46.8% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Targu Mures

$118 12.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 20.3% $24

Clothing & Footwear

Targu Mures

$106 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 1.7% $1.9

Sport & Entertainment

Targu Mures

$55 5.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 8.7% $4.8

Getting Around

Targu Mures

$33 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 85.1% $28

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $415 in Targu Mures 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 68% higher in Targu Mures, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $42.00 in Targu Mures versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $192 in Targu Mures vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Targu Mures wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Targu Mures

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:44 3:44 AM

07:44 7:44 AM

4 h ahead of Targu Mures

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

134,290

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Targu Mures Chiang Mai 7,330 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

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

Targu Mures costs about 1% 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 $1,408 per month in Targu Mures 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $1,330 per month in Targu Mures and $793 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 23% cheaper in Targu Mures – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Chiang Mai, where all-in costs run around $925, than in Targu Mures at $938. In Chiang Mai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Targu Mures it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $925 versus $938 in Targu Mures. 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 Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Targu Mures makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.