Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Nigde

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,126 in Nigde, rent and utilities included – about $2,300 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
52

Cost of Living Index in Nigde
Learn more

Nigde Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Nigde

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,126

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,126 in Nigde, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Nigde $1,126

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,705 in Nigde, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Nigde $1,705

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,284 in Nigde, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Nigde $2,284

Chiang Mai is about 17% cheaper than Nigde, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Nigde are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Nigde 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$9.91 ₺494

-77.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$41.36 ₺2,061

-54.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$9.39 ₺468

-40.89%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.92 ₺196

-57.40%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$1.73 ₺86.0

-63.01%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.70 ₺35.01

-55.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$5.04 ₺251

-53.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$6.20 ₺309

-40.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.17 ₺58.4

66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.02 ₺51.0

41.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.28 ₺113

-41.67%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.59 ₺129

-11.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$9.94 ₺496

65.49%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$5.32 ₺265

-47.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$20.24 ₺1,009

-54.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.93 ₺96.1

21.76%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$2.27 ₺113

-57.27%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.27 ₺63.5

25.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.63 ₺81.4

-7.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.66 ₺33.10

93.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.57 ₺28.62

92.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$1.00 ₺49.95

-29.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.64 ₺31.70

-23.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.17 ₺108

90.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$12.60 ₺628

39.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.20 ₺110

-26.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.19 ₺159

-12.85%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.74 ₺37.12

17.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.29 ₺64.1

-10.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.84 ₺41.66

-36.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$6.45 ₺322

-62.48%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.38 ₺69.0

5.07%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$47.6K ₺2.4M

-55.78%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$40.3K ₺2.0M

-33.09%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$93.9 ₺4,680

-33.80%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$10.83 ₺540

12.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$17.22 ₺858

16.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$52.4 ₺2,609

-28.73%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$8.14 ₺406

-20.27%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$1,020 ₺50.8K

-27.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$19.9K ₺991.0K

-25.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$52.4 ₺2,612

1.81%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$46.73 ₺2,329

-47.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$106 ₺5,266

-13.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$95.3 ₺4,748

-24.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$406 ₺20.2K

18.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$337 ₺16.8K

-8.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$751 ₺37.4K

33.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$508 ₺25.3K

24.70%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,264 ₺63.0K

87.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$1,133 ₺56.5K

40.26%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

43.57

-87.22%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Nigde: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Nigde

$337 30% 9.2% $28

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Nigde

$252 22.4% 7.7% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Nigde

$135 12% 24.3% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Nigde

$122 10.8% 29.1% $28

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Nigde

$202 17.9% 160% $124

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Nigde

$8.4 * 0.8% 86.2% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Nigde

$69 6.1% 36.5% $18

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 $406 in Nigde. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $41 in Nigde. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $252 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇷 Nigde

🕒 Local time

06:01 6:01 AM

02:01 2:01 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

351,468

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Nigde 6,510 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Nigde

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 Nigde: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nigde costs about 20% 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 $1,689 in Nigde. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nigde, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $406 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $41 in Nigde. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Nigde, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,126 in Nigde. 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 $1,126 in Nigde. 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.