Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Mugla

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Mugla: $938 and $920 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Mugla
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Mugla Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Mugla

🇹🇷 Turkey

$920

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $920 in Mugla, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Mugla $920

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,424 in Mugla, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Mugla $1,424

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,928 in Mugla, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Mugla $1,928

Chiang Mai costs about 2% more than Mugla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Mugla are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Mugla 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$6.51 ₺322

-65.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$36.60 ₺1,812

-47.60%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$7.46 ₺369

-25.07%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$4.08 ₺202

-57.84%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.83 ₺90.5

-65.03%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.51 ₺25.44

-35.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$3.09 ₺153

-23.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$3.69 ₺183

5.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$1.02 ₺50.7

100.98%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.01 ₺49.94

38.61%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.93 ₺95.4

-33.68%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$2.51 ₺125

-10.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$9.05 ₺448

87.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$4.26 ₺211

-35.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$19.51 ₺966

-52.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$1.75 ₺86.9

37.14%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.84 ₺91.2

-45.11%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$0.97 ₺47.85

65.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$1.49 ₺73.8

2.01%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.42 ₺20.58

204.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.33 ₺16.56

236.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.75 ₺36.96

-4.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.69 ₺34.38

-24.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$2.30 ₺114

88.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$9.36 ₺464

89.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.10 ₺104

-22.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.14 ₺106

33.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

$1.26 ₺62.4

-32.54%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$1.02 ₺50.5

14.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.78 ₺38.38

-26.92%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$7.87 ₺390

-69.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.41 ₺69.7

2.84%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$42.3K ₺2.1M

-51.55%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$39.7K ₺2.0M

-33.25%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$72.5 ₺3,590

-14.03%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$11.74 ₺581

4.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$15.53 ₺769

28.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$6.91 ₺342

-2.89%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$698 ₺34.6K

14.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$17.8K ₺882.5K

-16.79%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$45.95 ₺2,275

15.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$32.61 ₺1,614

-23.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$90.4 ₺4,477

1.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$78.1 ₺3,864

-5.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$411 ₺20.3K

13.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$307 ₺15.2K

-0.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$796 ₺39.4K

15.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$514 ₺25.5K

7.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

$1,394 ₺69.0K

37.17%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

$824 ₺40.8K

74.61%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$1,527 ₺75.6K

-61.03%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-85.34%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Mugla: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Mugla

$307 33.3% 0.6% $1.9

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Mugla

$223 24.2% 6.3% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Mugla

$111 12.1% 1.5% $1.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Mugla

$100 10.9% 5.5% $5.2

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Mugla

$156 16.9% 97% $77

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Mugla

$9.9 * 1.1% 83.8% $51

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Mugla

$14 * 1.5% 73.1% $38

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $411 in Mugla. 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 157% higher in Mugla, 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $37.00 in Mugla. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $223 in Mugla – so Mugla wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇷 Mugla

🕒 Local time

19:04 7:04 PM

15:04 3:04 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

82,717

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

100 TRY = 2.02 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Mugla 7,070 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Mugla

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 Mugla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 2% more than Mugla, 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,380 in Mugla. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mugla, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $37.00 in Mugla. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 7% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mugla, where all-in costs run around $920, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Mugla it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mugla costs $920 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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 Mugla. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.