Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Manavgat

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,086 in Manavgat, rent and utilities included – about $1,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Manavgat
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Manavgat Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Manavgat

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,086

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,086 in Manavgat, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Manavgat $1,086

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,714 in Manavgat, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Manavgat $1,714

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,342 in Manavgat, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Manavgat $2,342

Chiang Mai is about 14% cheaper than Manavgat, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Manavgat are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Manavgat 20% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$9.80 ₺490

-78.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$65.0 ₺3,252

-71.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$9.84 ₺492

-43.09%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$3.59 ₺180

-53.76%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$2.02 ₺101

-67.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$0.38 ₺19.25

-21.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$3.95 ₺197

-41.27%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$5.34 ₺267

-31.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$1.04 ₺52.2

94.23%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$1.00 ₺49.79

41.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$2.00 ₺100

-30.50%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$1.99 ₺99.4

19.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$11.04 ₺552

49.64%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$3.51 ₺175

-23.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$19.42 ₺972

-53.55%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$1.12 ₺55.9

114.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$1.62 ₺81.3

-35.80%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$0.63 ₺31.43

163.49%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$0.88 ₺43.99

77.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$0.52 ₺26.18

138.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$0.48 ₺23.81

127.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$0.88 ₺44.13

-13.64%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$0.43 ₺21.54

18.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$2.31 ₺115

78.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$11.66 ₺583

53.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$2.44 ₺122

-33.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$2.96 ₺148

-4.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

$0.82 ₺41.07

13.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

$24.44 ₺1,223

116.41%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$1.69 ₺84.5

-30.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.98 ₺49.02

-82.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$12.04 ₺602

-84.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$1.41 ₺70.3

4.26%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$49.5K ₺2.5M

-57.59%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$42.5K ₺2.1M

-37.56%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$71.4 ₺3,572

-12.39%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$10.33 ₺517

12.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$17.65 ₺883

15.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

$36.45 ₺1,824

3.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$23.73 ₺1,187

-84.41%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$5.05 ₺253

28.91%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$366 ₺18.3K

98.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$9,465 ₺473.5K

75.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$59.1 ₺2,957

-9.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$37.93 ₺1,898

-34.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$83.3 ₺4,168

8.49%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$71.8 ₺3,593

0.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$537 ₺26.9K

-10.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$381 ₺19.0K

-18.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$877 ₺43.9K

20.62%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$587 ₺29.4K

12.23%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

$1,713 ₺85.7K

41.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

$1,018 ₺50.9K

58.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$1,062 ₺53.1K

-44.01%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

36.5

-84.74%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Manavgat: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Manavgat

$381 35.1% 22.8% $71

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Manavgat

$220 20.3% 7% $16

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Manavgat

$114 10.5% 4.8% $5.2

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Manavgat

$99 9.2% 5.2% $4.9

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Manavgat

$191 17.6% 150% $114

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Manavgat

$34 3.2% 41.5% $24

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Manavgat

$47 4.3% 8.5% $4.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $537 in Manavgat. 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 79% higher in Manavgat. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $65 in Manavgat. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $220 in Manavgat – so Manavgat wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇷 Manavgat

🕒 Local time

17:55 5:55 PM

13:55 1:55 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

245,740

💱 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 Manavgat 6,800 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Manavgat

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 Manavgat: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manavgat costs about 16% 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 $1,628 in Manavgat. 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 $537 in Manavgat.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $366 in Manavgat. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 7% cheaper in Manavgat – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,086 in Manavgat. 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 $1,086 in Manavgat. 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, Manavgat makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.