Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bursa

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.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Bursa
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Bursa Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Bursa

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,047

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Bursa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

Chiang Mai $936
Bursa $1,047

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

Chiang Mai $1,457
Bursa $1,654

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

Chiang Mai $1,979
Bursa $2,260

Living in Chiang Mai costs roughly 11% less than in Bursa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$9.79 ₺488

-77.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$30.03 ₺1,496

-36.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.75 ₺386

-28.39%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.65 ₺182

-54.25%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.06 ₺52.7

-39.62%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.38 ₺18.70

-18.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.29 ₺114

3.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.93 ₺146

24.91%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.96 ₺47.91

103.13%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.80 ₺39.98

80.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.26 ₺112

-41.15%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.28 ₺114

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$10.26 ₺511

60.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.90 ₺244

-43.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$18.96 ₺945

-50.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.66 ₺83.0

41.57%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.96 ₺97.7

-50.51%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.04 ₺52.0

53.85%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.30 ₺64.7

15.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.58 ₺28.79

120.69%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.39 ₺19.64

182.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.73 ₺36.47

-2.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.72 ₺35.85

-31.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.07 ₺103

100.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$14.15 ₺705

23.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.08 ₺103

-22.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.25 ₺112

23.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.98 ₺48.93

-11.22%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$36.23 ₺1,805

49.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.03 ₺51.2

12.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.87 ₺43.12

-39.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$6.89 ₺343

-64.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.37 ₺68.2

5.84%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$44.3K ₺2.2M

-52.45%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$38.9K ₺1.9M

-30.80%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$75.9 ₺3,785

-18.13%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$10.92 ₺544

11.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$14.81 ₺738

35.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$61.2 ₺3,048

-39.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$23.04 ₺1,148

-83.64%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.88 ₺293

10.37%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$548 ₺27.3K

34.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$10.9K ₺542.8K

35.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$44.43 ₺2,214

20.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$34.51 ₺1,720

-28.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$78.4 ₺3,907

16.70%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$92.6 ₺4,615

-22.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$401 ₺20.0K

20.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$310 ₺15.5K

-0.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$723 ₺36.1K

39.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$607 ₺30.2K

4.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,191 ₺59.4K

98.34%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,217 ₺60.6K

30.60%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,028 ₺51.2K

-42.65%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

42.67

-86.95%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Bursa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Bursa

$310 29.6% 0.5% $1.5

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Bursa

$236 22.5% 0.7% $1.6

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Bursa

$112 10.7% 3.5% $3.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Bursa

$102 9.7% 7.6% $7.2

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Bursa

$168 16.1% 117% $91

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Bursa

$46 4.4% 25.8% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Bursa

$73 7% 45% $23

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $482 in Chiang Mai and $401 in Bursa. 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: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $30 in Bursa for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $234 vs $236 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇷 Bursa

🕒 Local time

21:03 9:03 PM

17:03 5:03 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

3,238,618

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.46 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Bursa

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 Bursa: 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.

On paper, salaries run 43% lower in Chiang Mai. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $482 in Chiang Mai versus $401 in Bursa. 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 $936 per month in Chiang Mai versus $1,047 in Bursa – 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, Chiang Mai and Bursa 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.