Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kocaeli

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,233 in Kocaeli, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Kocaeli
Learn more

Kocaeli Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Kocaeli

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,233

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,233 in Kocaeli, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Kocaeli $1,233

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,746 in Kocaeli, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Kocaeli $1,746

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,260 in Kocaeli, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Kocaeli $2,260

Chiang Mai is about 24% cheaper than Kocaeli, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Kocaeli are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Kocaeli 9% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$8.17 ₺407

-72.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$30.06 ₺1,497

-36.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.63 ₺380

-27.26%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.53 ₺176

-52.69%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.12 ₺56.0

-42.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.29 ₺14.21

6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.58 ₺128

-8.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.84 ₺141

28.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.92 ₺45.77

111.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.88 ₺43.91

63.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.53 ₺126

-47.43%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.67 ₺133

-14.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$9.58 ₺478

71.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.93 ₺196

-29.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$19.99 ₺996

-53.43%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.70 ₺84.9

38.24%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.95 ₺97.4

-50.26%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.02 ₺50.6

56.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.20 ₺59.8

25.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.50 ₺24.66

156.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.43 ₺21.31

155.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.74 ₺37.11

-4.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.65 ₺32.34

-24.62%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.15 ₺107

92.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$8.27 ₺412

111.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.16 ₺108

-25.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.23 ₺111

24.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.68 ₺33.78

27.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$72.8 ₺3,629

-25.74%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.03 ₺51.1

12.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.33 ₺66.5

9.02%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$41.3K ₺2.1M

-48.99%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$38.5K ₺1.9M

-29.98%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$77.2 ₺3,844

-19.42%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$11.50 ₺573

5.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$12.74 ₺635

57.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$53.3 ₺2,656

-30.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$4.11 ₺205

-8.27%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$5.06 ₺252

28.26%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$450 ₺22.4K

63.57%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$6,102 ₺304.0K

141.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$48.22 ₺2,402

10.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$53.6 ₺2,669

-54.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$118 ₺5,890

-22.62%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$99.6 ₺4,963

-27.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$778 ₺38.7K

-37.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$471 ₺23.5K

-34.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$1,212 ₺60.4K

-16.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$564 ₺28.1K

12.32%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,011 ₺50.3K

133.85%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$810 ₺40.4K

96.08%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$1,182 ₺58.9K

-50.09%

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 Kocaeli: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Kocaeli

$471 38.2% 52.4% $162

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Kocaeli

$222 18% 5.1% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Kocaeli

$144 11.7% 32.4% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kocaeli

$101 8.2% 7.3% $6.9

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Kocaeli

$155 12.6% 99.5% $77

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Kocaeli

$77 * 6.2% 24.8% $15

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Kocaeli

$63 5.1% 26.2% $13

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 $778 in Kocaeli. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Kocaeli are about 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 Kocaeli. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $222 in Kocaeli – so Kocaeli wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇷 Kocaeli

🕒 Local time

01:06 1:06 AM

21:06 9:06 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

2,079,072

💱 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 = 49.82 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 Kocaeli 6,910 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kocaeli

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 Kocaeli: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kocaeli costs about 32% 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 $1,850 in Kocaeli. 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 $482 there versus $778 in Kocaeli.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $450 in Kocaeli. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Kocaeli – 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 $1,233 in Kocaeli. 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 $936 in Chiang Mai to $1,233 in Kocaeli. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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