Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Esenyurt

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,253 in Esenyurt, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
60

Cost of Living Index in Esenyurt
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Esenyurt Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Esenyurt

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,253

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,253 in Esenyurt, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Esenyurt $1,253

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,652 in Esenyurt, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Esenyurt $1,652

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,050 in Esenyurt, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Esenyurt $2,050

Chiang Mai is about 25% cheaper than Esenyurt, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Esenyurt are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Esenyurt 8% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$7.52 ₺374

-70.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$29.81 ₺1,485

-36.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.15 ₺356

-22.38%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.94 ₺196

-57.61%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.98 ₺48.66

-34.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.37 ₺18.27

-16.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.77 ₺88.2

33.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.46 ₺123

48.78%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.93 ₺46.41

109.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.89 ₺44.44

61.80%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.13 ₺106

-37.56%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.32 ₺116

-1.72%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$9.07 ₺452

81.37%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.77 ₺138

0.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$18.04 ₺899

-48.39%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.88 ₺93.6

25.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.97 ₺98.1

-50.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.82 ₺40.63

95.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.64 ₺81.5

-8.54%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.55 ₺27.36

132.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.30 ₺15.05

266.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.78 ₺38.71

-8.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.60 ₺29.79

-18.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.07 ₺103

100.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$13.13 ₺654

33.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.38 ₺118

-32.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.39 ₺169

-17.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.50 ₺24.81

74.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$41.97 ₺2,091

28.88%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.02 ₺50.8

13.73%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.83 ₺41.50

-36.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$11.14 ₺555

-78.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.40 ₺70.0

3.57%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$49.2K ₺2.5M

-57.21%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$42.3K ₺2.1M

-36.31%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$87.7 ₺4,370

-29.12%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$10.13 ₺505

20.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$14.22 ₺708

41.49%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$46.56 ₺2,319

-19.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$12.20 ₺608

-69.10%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.91 ₺394

-17.95%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$1,000 ₺49.8K

-26.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$20.4K ₺1.0M

-27.50%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$38.86 ₺1,936

37.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$40.06 ₺1,996

-38.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$93.7 ₺4,668

-2.36%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$70.1 ₺3,491

2.67%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$498 ₺24.8K

-3.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$551 ₺27.4K

-43.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$752 ₺37.4K

33.83%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$500 ₺24.9K

26.62%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,485 ₺74.0K

59.15%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,022 ₺50.9K

55.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,280 ₺63.8K

-53.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

40.69

-86.31%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Esenyurt: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Esenyurt

$551 43.9% 78.2% $242

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Esenyurt

$221 17.7% 5.6% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Esenyurt

$109 8.7% 0.5% $0.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Esenyurt

$112 9% 18.6% $18

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Esenyurt

$148 11.8% 90.8% $70

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Esenyurt

$49 3.9% 19.9% $12

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Esenyurt

$62 5% 24.1% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $498 in Esenyurt. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Esenyurt are about 2.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $30 in Esenyurt. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $221 in Esenyurt – so Esenyurt wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇷 Esenyurt

🕒 Local time

23:57 11:57 PM

19:57 7:57 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

978,007

💱 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 = 49.82 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.45 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Esenyurt 7,020 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Esenyurt

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 Esenyurt: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Esenyurt costs about 34% 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 $1,879 in Esenyurt. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $482 in Chiang Mai and $498 in Esenyurt. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,000 in Esenyurt. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 6% cheaper in Esenyurt – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,253 in Esenyurt. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

Families tend to lean toward Chiang Mai – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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