Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Karabuk

For one person, living is cheaper in Karabuk: $656 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 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
32

Cost of Living Index in Karabuk
Learn more

Karabuk Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Karabuk

🇹🇷 Turkey

$656

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $656 in Karabuk, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Karabuk $656

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,031 in Karabuk, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Karabuk $1,031

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,405 in Karabuk, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Karabuk $1,405

Chiang Mai costs about 43% more than Karabuk, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Karabuk are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Karabuk 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$7.85 ₺391

-71.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$23.97 ₺1,194

-20.73%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.96 ₺397

-30.28%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.45 ₺172

-51.59%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.08 ₺53.8

-40.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.31 ₺15.47

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.59 ₺79.1

48.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.75 ₺137

33.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.85 ₺42.23

129.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.31 ₺15.50

364.52%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.59 ₺129

-48.65%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.60 ₺129

-12.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$6.00 ₺299

174.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.08 ₺203

-31.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$9.97 ₺497

-6.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.44 ₺71.6

63.19%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.69 ₺84.3

-42.60%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.76 ₺37.93

110.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.78 ₺39.08

92.31%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.50 ₺24.71

156.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.43 ₺21.25

155.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.38 ₺19.13

86.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.31 ₺15.57

58.06%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.77 ₺88.2

133.90%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$5.01 ₺249

249.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.57 ₺78.1

2.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.06 ₺103

34.95%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.62 ₺31.02

40.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.58 ₺28.81

100.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.86 ₺42.83

-38.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.31 ₺65.5

10.69%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$41.2K ₺2.1M

-48.95%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$38.4K ₺1.9M

-29.88%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$76.9 ₺3,832

-19.15%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$5.14 ₺256

136.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$10.19 ₺508

97.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$17.04 ₺849

118.96%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$6.01 ₺300

-37.27%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$3.98 ₺198

63.07%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$450 ₺22.4K

63.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$6,045 ₺301.3K

144.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$20.44 ₺1,019

161.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$28.20 ₺1,405

-12.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$40.49 ₺2,018

125.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$40.76 ₺2,031

76.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$247 ₺12.3K

95.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$172 ₺8,557

79.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$450 ₺22.4K

123.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$331 ₺16.5K

91.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,632 ₺81.3K

44.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$592 ₺29.5K

168.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,215 ₺60.6K

-51.47%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-86.41%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Karabuk: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Karabuk

$172 26.2% 44.4% $137

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Karabuk

$155 23.5% 34.1% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Karabuk

$58 8.9% 46.2% $50

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Karabuk

$92 14.1% 2.4% $2.2

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Karabuk

$147 22.4% 89.5% $69

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Karabuk

$7.4 * 1.1% 88% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Karabuk

$25 3.8% 50.3% $25

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $247 in Karabuk. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Karabuk are about 2.1 times higher, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $24 in Karabuk. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $155 in Karabuk – so Karabuk wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇷 Karabuk

🕒 Local time

04:21 4:21 AM

00:21 12:21 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

123,309

💱 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 = 37.59 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 = 55.48 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Karabuk 6,690 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Karabuk

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 Karabuk: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 43% more than Karabuk, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $984 in Karabuk. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Karabuk, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $247 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $24 in Karabuk. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Karabuk, where all-in costs run around $656, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Karabuk it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.