Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Marmaris

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,263 in Marmaris, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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 Marmaris
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Marmaris Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Marmaris

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,263

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,263 in Marmaris, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Marmaris $1,263

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,906 in Marmaris, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Marmaris $1,906

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,548 in Marmaris, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Marmaris $2,548

Chiang Mai is about 26% cheaper than Marmaris, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Marmaris are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Marmaris 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.6

$9.97 ₺500

-78.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿624

$42.47 ₺2,130

-56.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$9.03 ₺453

-37.98%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.8

$3.52 ₺176

-52.84%

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

$0.65 ฿21.69

$1.94 ₺97.2

-66.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.22

$0.58 ₺29.09

-48.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.9

$3.60 ₺181

-35.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$5.09 ₺255

-27.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.6

$1.03 ₺51.5

96.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.21

$1.00 ₺50.1

41.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.67

$1.98 ₺99.4

-29.80%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.4

$2.47 ₺124

-4.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿554

$8.89 ₺446

85.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.5

$4.70 ₺236

-43.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$19.53 ₺979

-53.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.4

$1.67 ₺83.7

43.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.91

$1.85 ₺92.8

-43.78%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.6

$0.96 ₺47.97

72.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.3

$1.38 ₺69.4

13.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.50

$0.64 ₺32.06

93.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.44

$0.37 ₺18.31

194.59%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.54

$0.86 ₺43.07

-11.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.24

$0.69 ₺34.62

-26.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$2.05 ₺103

100.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿601

$10.06 ₺504

78.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.4

$2.12 ₺107

-23.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.6

$2.90 ₺146

-2.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.33

$0.99 ₺49.57

-6.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,773

$29.41 ₺1,475

79.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.45

$0.79 ₺39.42

49.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.75

$0.98 ₺49.03

-82.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.8

$4.75 ₺238

-61.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.38

$1.43 ₺71.8

2.80%

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

$21.0K ฿704.5K

$46.7K ₺2.3M

-55.02%

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

$26.5K ฿889.1K

$40.2K ₺2.0M

-33.97%

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

$62.6 ฿2,098

$71.5 ₺3,584

-12.45%

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

$11.60 ฿389

$10.18 ₺511

13.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿681

$9.91 ₺497

104.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,270

$55.0 ₺2,756

-31.06%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$18.36 ₺921

-79.85%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$7.49 ₺376

-13.08%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$706 ₺35.4K

2.92%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿555.7K

$18.1K ₺909.2K

-8.58%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,795

$47.22 ₺2,368

13.38%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿832

$32.51 ₺1,631

-23.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,031

$96.6 ₺4,846

-6.45%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,413

$83.2 ₺4,174

-13.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$441 ₺22.1K

9.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$530 ₺26.6K

-41.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$1,104 ₺55.4K

-4.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$836 ₺42.0K

-21.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.1K

$1,982 ₺99.4K

21.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.9K

$1,472 ₺73.8K

9.33%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$935 ₺46.9K

-36.36%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

40.44

-86.23%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Marmaris: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Marmaris

$530 42% 71.2% $221

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Marmaris

$228 18% 3.7% $8.7

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Marmaris

$117 9.3% 7.8% $8.5

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Marmaris

$92 7.3% 3.1% $2.9

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Marmaris

$187 14.8% 145% $111

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Marmaris

$39 3.1% 33.4% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Marmaris

$70 5.5% 37.4% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $441 in Marmaris. 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 57% higher in Marmaris. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $42 in Marmaris. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $228 in Marmaris – so Marmaris wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇷 Marmaris

🕒 Local time

19:20 7:20 PM

15:20 3:20 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

187,284

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 TRY = 1.99 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.53 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 50.15 TRY (100 TRY = 1.99 USD). 1 EUR = 56.33 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Marmaris 7,080 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Marmaris

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 Marmaris: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Marmaris costs about 35% 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 $1,895 in Marmaris. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $481 in Chiang Mai and $441 in Marmaris. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $706 in Marmaris. 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 Marmaris – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $935 in Chiang Mai and $1,263 in Marmaris. 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 $1,263 in Marmaris. 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, Marmaris makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.