Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ankara and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,393 in Ankara, rent and utilities included – about $5,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

67

Cost of Living Index in Ankara
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Ankara Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ankara

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,393

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,393 per month in Ankara vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ankara $1,393
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $2,079 per month in Ankara vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ankara $2,079
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,765 per month in Ankara vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ankara $2,765
Chiang Mai $1,979

Ankara costs about 49% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Ankara sits 2% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.90 ₺493

$2.24 ฿75.7

341.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.89 ₺2,137

$19.00 ฿642

125.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.31 ₺464

$5.55 ฿188

67.75%

Cappuccino

$4.15 ₺207

$1.67 ฿56.6

148.50%

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

$1.66 ₺82.6

$0.64 ฿21.56

159.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.76 ₺37.94

$0.31 ฿10.32

145.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.15 ₺257

$2.36 ฿79.6

118.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.85 ₺292

$3.66 ฿124

59.84%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.20 ₺59.9

$1.95 ฿65.8

-38.46%

White Bread (500g)

$0.99 ₺49.46

$1.44 ฿48.51

-31.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.15 ₺107

$1.33 ฿45.07

61.65%

Eggs

$2.69 ₺134

$2.28 ฿77.1

17.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.22 ₺510

$16.45 ฿556

-37.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.45 ₺272

$2.78 ฿94.0

96.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.32 ₺1,013

$9.31 ฿314

118.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.91 ₺95.0

$2.35 ฿79.5

-18.72%

Banana (1kg)

$2.28 ₺113

$0.97 ฿32.82

135.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.27 ₺63.2

$1.60 ฿53.9

-20.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.64 ₺81.7

$1.50 ฿50.7

9.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.67 ₺33.28

$1.28 ฿43.15

-47.66%

Onion (1kg)

$0.57 ₺28.55

$1.10 ฿37.22

-48.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.03 ₺51.3

$0.71 ฿23.84

45.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.64 ₺31.69

$0.49 ฿16.38

30.61%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.19 ₺109

$4.14 ฿140

-47.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.46 ₺621

$17.52 ฿592

-28.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.24 ₺112

$1.61 ฿54.5

39.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.11 ₺155

$2.78 ฿94.0

11.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.82 ₺40.87

$0.87 ฿29.33

-5.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.86 ₺591

$54.1 ฿1,827

-78.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.28 ₺63.8

$1.16 ฿39.08

10.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.81 ₺40.61

$0.53 ฿17.82

52.83%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.46 ₺322

$2.42 ฿81.8

166.94%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.40 ₺69.7

$1.45 ฿48.93

-3.45%

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

$47.9K ₺2.4M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

127.60%

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

$40.3K ₺2.0M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

49.74%

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

$93.1 ₺4,639

$62.2 ฿2,100

49.73%

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

$10.72 ₺534

$12.17 ฿411

-11.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.87 ₺891

$20.12 ฿680

-11.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.2 ₺3,597

$37.31 ฿1,260

93.43%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.34 ₺765

$3.77 ฿127

306.90%

Cinema Ticket

$8.04 ₺401

$6.49 ฿219

23.88%

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

$1,032 ₺51.4K

$736 ฿24.9K

40.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$19.2K ₺955.7K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

29.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ₺2,659

$53.4 ฿1,802

-0.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$48.30 ₺2,407

$24.64 ฿832

96.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$104 ₺5,196

$91.5 ฿3,089

13.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$96.0 ₺4,786

$71.9 ฿2,429

33.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$765 ₺38.1K

$482 ฿16.3K

58.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$569 ₺28.4K

$309 ฿10.4K

84.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,127 ₺56.2K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

12.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$893 ₺44.5K

$633 ฿21.4K

40.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,678 ₺83.6K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-29.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 ₺57.7K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-27.12%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,053 ₺52.5K

$590 ฿19.9K

78.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

43.57

5.57

682.23%

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

Last update for Ankara: 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

Ankara

$569 40.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 45.7% $260

Groceries & Markets

Ankara

$254 18.2%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 7.7% $20

Eating Out

Ankara

$204 14.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 62% $126

Clothing & Footwear

Ankara

$136 9.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 20% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ankara

$122 8.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 22.4% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Ankara

$88 6.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 43% $38

Getting Around

Ankara

$21 1.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 199% $41

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $765 in Ankara 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 79% higher in Ankara. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $43 in Ankara versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $254 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Ankara

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

01:13 1:13 AM

05:13 5:13 AM

4 h ahead of Ankara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,864,049 Capital

127,240

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.48 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 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 TRY in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Ankara Chiang Mai 6,670 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Ankara
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

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

Ankara costs about 49% 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 $2,090 per month in Ankara 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $765 in Ankara.

Kindergarten costs $1,032 per month in Ankara and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Ankara, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,393 in Ankara and $936 in Chiang Mai. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $936 versus $1,393 in Ankara. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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

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