Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Akbuk

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,136 in Akbuk, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
55

Cost of Living Index in Akbuk
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Akbuk Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Akbuk

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,136

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Akbuk

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in Akbuk actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,136 in Akbuk, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Akbuk $1,136

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,819 in Akbuk, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Akbuk $1,819

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,501 in Akbuk, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Akbuk $2,501

Chiang Mai is about 18% cheaper than Akbuk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Akbuk are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Akbuk 16% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$9.69 ₺485

-78.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$57.3 ₺2,868

-67.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$8.64 ₺432

-35.19%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$3.47 ₺174

-52.16%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$2.17 ₺109

-70.05%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$0.35 ₺17.64

-14.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$3.90 ₺195

-40.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$6.11 ₺306

-39.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$1.05 ₺52.6

92.38%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$0.96 ₺48.00

46.87%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$2.33 ₺117

-40.34%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$2.24 ₺112

5.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$13.99 ₺700

18.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$6.06 ₺303

-55.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$24.26 ₺1,213

-62.82%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$1.57 ₺78.8

52.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$2.26 ₺113

-53.98%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$1.42 ₺71.1

16.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.36 ₺67.8

14.71%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$0.78 ₺39.11

58.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$0.77 ₺38.69

41.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$0.98 ₺49.07

-22.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$0.70 ₺35.14

-27.14%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$2.84 ₺142

45.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$12.21 ₺611

46.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$2.17 ₺109

-25.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$3.08 ₺154

-8.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

$0.71 ₺35.57

30.99%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

$24.22 ₺1,211

118.37%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$0.88 ₺43.85

34.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.67 ₺33.64

-74.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$7.98 ₺399

-77.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$1.10 ₺54.9

33.64%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$43.6K ₺2.2M

-51.81%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$41.2K ₺2.1M

-35.63%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$76.4 ₺3,821

-18.12%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$10.53 ₺527

10.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$23.58 ₺1,179

-13.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

$53.4 ₺2,669

-29.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$23.86 ₺1,193

-84.49%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$7.12 ₺356

-8.57%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$714 ₺35.7K

1.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$12.7K ₺633.7K

30.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$73.2 ₺3,659

-26.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$35.62 ₺1,782

-30.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$86.6 ₺4,331

4.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$116 ₺5,805

-37.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$424 ₺21.2K

13.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$325 ₺16.2K

-4.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

$756 ₺37.8K

40.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$550 ₺27.5K

19.81%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

$1,298 ₺64.9K

86.31%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

$1,020 ₺51.0K

57.77%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$716 ₺35.8K

-16.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

38.25

-85.44%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Akbuk: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Akbuk

$325 28.6% 4.7% $15

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Akbuk

$275 24.2% 16.2% $38

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Akbuk

$140 12.3% 29.4% $32

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Akbuk

$111 9.7% 17% $16

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Akbuk

$187 16.5% 144% $110

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Akbuk

$31 2.8% 46.6% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Akbuk

$68 6% 32.8% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $424 in Akbuk. 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 20% higher in Akbuk, 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 $19 in Chiang Mai versus $57 in Akbuk. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $275 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇷 Akbuk

🕒 Local time

06:29 6:29 AM

02:29 2:29 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TRY, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 50.02 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.31 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Akbuk 6,580 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Akbuk

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

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

Yes – Akbuk is pricier by about 21%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,704 in Akbuk. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Akbuk, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $424 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Groceries cost about 16% more in Akbuk, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $57 in Akbuk. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,136 in Akbuk. 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,136 in Akbuk. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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, Akbuk makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.