Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kadikoy

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,746 in Kadikoy, rent and utilities included – about $9,700 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
84

Cost of Living Index in Kadikoy
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Kadikoy Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Kadikoy

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,746

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,746 in Kadikoy, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Kadikoy $1,746

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,592 in Kadikoy, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Kadikoy $2,592

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $3,437 in Kadikoy, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Kadikoy $3,437

Chiang Mai is about 46% cheaper than Kadikoy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Chiang Mai sits 31% below the global median, while Kadikoy is 29% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$12.20 ₺610

-82.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$53.7 ₺2,687

-65.33%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$8.85 ₺443

-36.72%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$4.47 ₺224

-62.86%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$1.73 ₺86.6

-62.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$0.58 ₺28.90

-48.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$3.88 ₺194

-40.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$4.58 ₺229

-19.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$0.97 ₺48.36

108.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$0.94 ₺47.00

50.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$2.16 ₺108

-35.65%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$2.02 ₺101

17.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$10.28 ₺514

60.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$4.47 ₺224

-40.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$20.17 ₺1,009

-55.28%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$1.80 ₺89.9

33.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$2.04 ₺102

-49.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$1.21 ₺60.6

37.19%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.46 ₺73.0

6.85%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$0.56 ₺28.17

121.43%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$0.44 ₺21.86

147.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$0.98 ₺49.07

-22.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$0.86 ₺42.81

-40.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$2.34 ₺117

76.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$5.88 ₺294

204.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$1.96 ₺97.8

-17.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$3.39 ₺170

-16.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

$0.80 ₺40.22

16.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

$67.3 ₺3,366

-21.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$1.28 ₺64.1

-7.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.89 ₺44.30

-80.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$10.88 ₺544

-83.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$1.36 ₺68.2

8.09%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$39.9K ₺2.0M

-47.31%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$39.7K ₺2.0M

-33.27%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$90.1 ₺4,507

-30.57%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$11.54 ₺577

0.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$16.00 ₺800

26.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

$50.1 ₺2,506

-24.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$13.74 ₺687

-73.07%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$6.07 ₺304

7.25%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$803 ₺40.2K

-9.44%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$6,438 ₺322.0K

157.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$46.83 ₺2,342

14.33%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$42.24 ₺2,113

-41.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$79.1 ₺3,957

14.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$91.5 ₺4,575

-21.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$1,213 ₺60.7K

-60.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$930 ₺46.5K

-66.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$2,265 ₺113.3K

-53.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$1,520 ₺76.1K

-56.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

$3,289 ₺164.5K

-26.50%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

$2,169 ₺108.5K

-25.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$1,574 ₺78.7K

-62.21%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

39.33

-85.84%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kadikoy: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Kadikoy

$930 53.3% 200% $620

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Kadikoy

$228 13.1% 3.7% $8.7

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Kadikoy

$117 6.7% 7.9% $8.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kadikoy

$118 6.7% 24.5% $23

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Kadikoy

$216 12.4% 182% $139

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Kadikoy

$76 4.4% 29.9% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Kadikoy

$62 3.6% 22.3% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $1,213 in Kadikoy. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kadikoy are about 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $54 in Kadikoy. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $228 in Kadikoy – so Kadikoy wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇷 Kadikoy

🕒 Local time

17:41 5:41 PM

13:41 1:41 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

467,919

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 50.02 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.21 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Kadikoy

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 Kadikoy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kadikoy costs about 87% 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 $2,620 in Kadikoy. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $481 there versus $1,213 in Kadikoy.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $803 in Kadikoy. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Kadikoy – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,746 in Kadikoy. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Chiang Mai costs $935 versus $1,746 in Kadikoy. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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