Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bursa and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,047 in Bursa, rent and utilities included – about $1,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

51

Cost of Living Index in Bursa
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Bursa Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Bursa

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,047

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,047 in Bursa versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Bursa $1,047
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,654 in Bursa versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Bursa $1,654
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,260 in Bursa versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Bursa $2,260
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Bursa is roughly 12% more expensive than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bursa 23% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.79 ₺488

$2.24 ฿75.7

337.05%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.03 ₺1,496

$19.00 ฿642

58.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.75 ₺386

$5.55 ฿188

39.64%

Cappuccino

$3.65 ₺182

$1.67 ฿56.6

118.56%

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

$1.06 ₺52.7

$0.64 ฿21.56

65.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.38 ₺18.69

$0.31 ฿10.32

22.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.29 ₺114

$2.36 ฿79.6

-2.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 ₺146

$3.66 ฿124

-19.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.96 ₺47.89

$1.95 ฿65.8

-50.77%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 ₺39.96

$1.44 ฿48.51

-44.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.26 ₺112

$1.33 ฿45.07

69.92%

Eggs

$2.28 ₺114

$2.28 ฿77.1

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.26 ₺511

$16.45 ฿556

-37.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.90 ₺244

$2.78 ฿94.0

76.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$18.96 ₺945

$9.31 ฿314

103.65%

Apples (1kg)

$1.66 ₺82.9

$2.35 ฿79.5

-29.36%

Banana (1kg)

$1.96 ₺97.7

$0.97 ฿32.82

102.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.04 ₺52.0

$1.60 ฿53.9

-35.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.30 ₺64.7

$1.50 ฿50.7

-13.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 ₺28.79

$1.28 ฿43.15

-54.69%

Onion (1kg)

$0.39 ₺19.64

$1.10 ฿37.22

-64.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 ₺36.46

$0.71 ฿23.84

2.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.72 ₺35.84

$0.49 ฿16.38

46.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.07 ₺103

$4.14 ฿140

-50.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.15 ₺705

$17.52 ฿592

-19.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.08 ₺103

$1.61 ฿54.5

29.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.25 ₺112

$2.78 ฿94.0

-19.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.98 ₺48.92

$0.87 ฿29.33

12.64%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.23 ₺1,805

$54.1 ฿1,827

-33.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.03 ₺51.2

$1.16 ฿39.08

-11.21%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.87 ₺43.11

$0.53 ฿17.82

64.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.89 ₺343

$2.42 ฿81.8

184.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ₺68.2

$1.45 ฿48.93

-5.52%

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

$44.3K ₺2.2M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

110.32%

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

$38.9K ₺1.9M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

44.51%

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

$75.9 ₺3,784

$62.2 ฿2,100

22.15%

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

$10.92 ₺544

$12.17 ฿411

-10.27%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.81 ₺738

$20.12 ฿680

-26.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$61.2 ₺3,047

$37.31 ฿1,260

63.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.04 ₺1,148

$3.77 ฿127

511.14%

Cinema Ticket

$5.88 ₺293

$6.49 ฿219

-9.40%

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

$548 ₺27.3K

$736 ฿24.9K

-25.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K ₺542.7K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-26.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$44.43 ₺2,213

$53.4 ฿1,802

-16.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.51 ₺1,719

$24.64 ฿832

40.06%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.4 ₺3,906

$91.5 ฿3,089

-14.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.6 ₺4,613

$71.9 ฿2,429

28.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$401 ₺20.0K

$482 ฿16.3K

-16.84%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ₺15.5K

$309 ฿10.4K

0.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$723 ₺36.0K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-28.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$607 ₺30.2K

$633 ฿21.4K

-4.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,191 ₺59.4K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-49.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,217 ₺60.6K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-23.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,028 ₺51.2K

$590 ฿19.9K

74.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

42.67

5.57

666.07%

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

Last update for Bursa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bursa

$310 29.6%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 0.5% $1.5

Groceries & Markets

Bursa

$236 22.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 0.7% $1.6

Eating Out

Bursa

$168 16.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 53.9% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Bursa

$112 10.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 3.4% $3.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bursa

$102 9.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 7.1% $7.2

Sport & Entertainment

Bursa

$73 7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 31.1% $23

Getting Around

Bursa

$46 4.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 34.8% $16

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $401 in Bursa and $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bursa pays 74% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $30 in Bursa vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $236 vs $234 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Bursa

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:59 2:59 PM

18:59 6:59 PM

4 h ahead of Bursa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,238,618

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 = 49.82 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.45 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 = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bursa Chiang Mai 6,990 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Bursa
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

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

Chiang Mai is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, leisure, and clothing. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 74% higher in Bursa, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $401 in Bursa versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

A monthly transit pass in Bursa runs roughly 33% less than in Chiang Mai. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you’re watching your budget.

All in, you’ll spend $1,047 per month in Bursa versus $936 in Chiang Mai – a 12% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Chiang Mai is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Bursa and Chiang Mai are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

It comes down to priorities – Chiang Mai wins on affordability, Bursa on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.