Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Tulcea and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $986 in Tulcea, rent and utilities included – about $600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Tulcea
Learn more

Tulcea Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Tulcea

🇷🇴 Romania

$986

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $986 per month in Tulcea vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tulcea $986
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,559 per month in Tulcea vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tulcea $1,559
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,132 per month in Tulcea vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Tulcea $2,132
Chiang Mai $1,979

Tulcea costs about 5% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Tulcea and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Tulcea 28% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.70 RON 56.2

$2.24 ฿75.7

422.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$46.31 RON 223

$19.00 ฿642

143.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.87 RON 37.83

$5.55 ฿188

41.80%

Cappuccino

$2.07 RON 9.93

$1.67 ฿56.6

23.95%

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

$2.12 RON 10.17

$0.64 ฿21.56

231.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.06 RON 5.10

$0.31 ฿10.32

241.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.07 RON 9.95

$2.36 ฿79.6

-12.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.04 RON 9.81

$3.66 ฿124

-44.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 RON 7.75

$1.95 ฿65.8

-17.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 RON 4.99

$1.44 ฿48.51

-27.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.44 RON 6.91

$1.33 ฿45.07

8.27%

Eggs

$3.16 RON 15.17

$2.28 ฿77.1

38.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.51 RON 36.11

$16.45 ฿556

-54.35%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.89 RON 33.10

$2.78 ฿94.0

147.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.10 RON 43.73

$9.31 ฿314

-2.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.35 RON 6.48

$2.35 ฿79.5

-42.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.64 RON 7.86

$0.97 ฿32.82

69.07%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.42 RON 6.84

$1.60 ฿53.9

-11.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 RON 9.59

$1.50 ฿50.7

32.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 RON 3.54

$1.28 ฿43.15

-42.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.70 RON 3.36

$1.10 ฿37.22

-36.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 RON 3.24

$0.71 ฿23.84

-5.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.77 RON 3.70

$0.49 ฿16.38

57.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.42 RON 30.87

$4.14 ฿140

55.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.33 RON 30.44

$17.52 ฿592

-63.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 RON 4.83

$1.61 ฿54.5

-37.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.42 RON 6.83

$2.78 ฿94.0

-48.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.07 RON 5.14

$0.87 ฿29.33

22.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.84 RON 85.8

$54.1 ฿1,827

-67.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.64 RON 3.09

$1.16 ฿39.08

-44.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 RON 2.96

$0.53 ฿17.82

16.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.36 RON 30.57

$2.42 ฿81.8

162.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.74 RON 8.36

$1.45 ฿48.93

20.00%

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

$28.1K RON 135.1K

$21.1K ฿711.2K

33.51%

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

$24.9K RON 119.6K

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-7.60%

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

$134 RON 643

$62.2 ฿2,100

115.23%

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

$7.76 RON 37.29

$12.17 ฿411

-36.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$8.60 RON 41.32

$20.12 ฿680

-57.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.52 RON 151

$37.31 ฿1,260

-15.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.60 RON 79.8

$3.77 ฿127

340.32%

Cinema Ticket

$8.32 RON 40.00

$6.49 ฿219

28.20%

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

$319 RON 1,532

$736 ฿24.9K

-56.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,187 RON 15.3K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-78.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.0 RON 250

$53.4 ฿1,802

-2.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.54 RON 152

$24.64 ฿832

28.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.1 RON 438

$91.5 ฿3,089

-0.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$95.8 RON 460

$71.9 ฿2,429

33.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$343 RON 1,650

$482 ฿16.3K

-28.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$274 RON 1,315

$309 ฿10.4K

-11.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$585 RON 2,813

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-41.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$499 RON 2,397

$633 ฿21.4K

-21.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$990 RON 4,759

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-58.09%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$856 RON 4,112

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-46.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$648 RON 3,115

$590 ฿19.9K

9.92%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.85

5.57

22.98%

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

Last update for Tulcea: 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

Tulcea

$274 27.8%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 12.9% $35

Groceries & Markets

Tulcea

$197 20%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 18.7% $37

Eating Out

Tulcea

$169 17.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 54.1% $92

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Tulcea

$150 15.2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 37.1% $56

Clothing & Footwear

Tulcea

$122 12.3%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 10.7% $13

Sport & Entertainment

Tulcea

$48 4.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 4.4% $2.1

Getting Around

Tulcea

$26 2.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 138% $36

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $343 in Tulcea 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 10% higher in Tulcea. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $46 in Tulcea versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $197 in Tulcea vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Tulcea wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇷🇴 Tulcea

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:48 7:48 PM

00:48 12:48 AM

5 h ahead of Tulcea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

73,707

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

Tulcea Chiang Mai 7,000 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Tulcea
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

Tulcea vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tulcea costs about 5% 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 $1,479 per month in Tulcea 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 Tulcea, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $343 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $319 per month in Tulcea 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 16% cheaper in Tulcea – 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 $986 in Tulcea 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 $986 in Tulcea. 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.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Tulcea makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.