Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Didim

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,006 in Didim, rent and utilities included – about $850 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
48

Cost of Living Index in Didim
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Didim Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Didim

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,006

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,006 in Didim, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Didim $1,006

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,541 in Didim, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Didim $1,541

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,075 in Didim, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Didim $2,075

Chiang Mai is about 7% cheaper than Didim, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Didim are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Didim 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$7.97 ₺398

-73.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$29.80 ₺1,490

-37.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$7.89 ₺395

-29.02%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$3.47 ₺173

-52.16%

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

$0.65 ฿21.83

$1.27 ₺63.5

-48.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.37 ₺18.31

-18.92%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.4

$2.95 ₺147

-21.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$3.65 ₺183

0.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$1.02 ₺51.1

98.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.51

$0.59 ₺29.42

138.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.96

$1.82 ₺90.9

-23.63%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$2.35 ₺117

0.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$8.04 ₺402

105.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$3.95 ₺197

-32.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$20.23 ₺1,011

-55.41%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$1.56 ₺77.8

53.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.13

$1.65 ₺82.4

-36.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$0.84 ₺41.79

97.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$1.02 ₺51.0

52.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.76

$0.44 ₺22.20

181.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.66

$0.42 ₺20.92

159.52%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$1.06 ₺53.2

-28.30%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.35

$0.59 ₺29.41

-13.56%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$2.16 ₺108

90.74%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$11.79 ₺589

52.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$2.36 ₺118

-31.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$2.92 ₺146

-3.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.53

$0.69 ₺34.54

34.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,785

$19.96 ₺998

164.98%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.70

$1.27 ₺63.5

-7.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.79

$0.89 ₺44.58

-80.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$5.80 ₺290

-68.79%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.69

$1.33 ₺66.3

10.53%

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

$21.0K ฿708.9K

$39.9K ₺2.0M

-47.28%

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

$26.5K ฿894.6K

$40.5K ₺2.0M

-34.50%

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

$62.6 ฿2,111

$69.5 ₺3,474

-9.97%

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

$11.60 ฿392

$10.04 ₺502

15.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$13.90 ₺695

46.04%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

$52.9 ₺2,647

-28.45%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$6.18 ₺309

5.34%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$671 ₺33.6K

8.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.2K

$10.2K ₺508.2K

63.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,807

$47.46 ₺2,373

12.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿837

$35.93 ₺1,796

-30.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,050

$91.5 ₺4,577

-1.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$78.4 ₺3,919

-8.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$421 ₺21.0K

14.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

$329 ₺16.4K

-5.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

$765 ₺38.2K

38.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

$567 ₺28.3K

16.16%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.6K

$1,475 ₺73.7K

63.94%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

$988 ₺49.4K

62.83%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

$702 ₺35.1K

-15.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

40.44

-86.23%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Didim: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Didim

$329 32.7% 6.1% $19

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Didim

$218 21.7% 7.8% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Didim

$114 11.3% 5.2% $5.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Didim

$93 9.3% 1.1% $1

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Didim

$158 15.7% 106% $81

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Didim

$28 2.8% 51.5% $30

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Didim

$65 6.5% 28.3% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $421 in Didim. 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 18% higher in Didim. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $30 in Didim. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $218 in Didim – so Didim wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇷 Didim

🕒 Local time

03:15 3:15 AM

23:15 11:15 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

93,876

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.79 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 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 49.99 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 55.91 TRY (100 TRY = 1.79 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Didim 7,170 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Didim

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 Didim: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Didim costs about 8% 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,509 in Didim. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Didim, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $421 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $671 in Didim. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in Didim – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,006 in Didim. 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 $1,006 in Didim. 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, Didim makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.