Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Sakarya

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Sakarya: $936 and $951 a month, rent and utilities included.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Sakarya
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Sakarya Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Sakarya

🇹🇷 Turkey

$951

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $951 in Sakarya, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Sakarya $951

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,452 in Sakarya, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Sakarya $1,452

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,952 in Sakarya, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Sakarya $1,952

Chiang Mai and Sakarya have comparable living costs – the differences are in the details.

Both Chiang Mai and Sakarya are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Sakarya 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$7.05 ₺351

-68.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$29.71 ₺1,481

-36.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$6.83 ₺340

-18.74%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$3.51 ₺175

-52.42%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.96 ₺47.60

-33.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.36 ₺18.16

-13.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.79 ₺89.2

31.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.44 ₺121

50.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.93 ₺46.47

109.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$1.02 ₺50.9

41.18%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$2.15 ₺107

-38.14%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.04 ₺102

11.76%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$7.82 ₺390

110.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.77 ₺138

0.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$17.67 ₺880

-47.31%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.85 ₺92.0

27.03%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.84 ₺91.7

-47.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.77 ₺38.42

107.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.25 ₺62.5

20.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.52 ₺26.11

146.15%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.30 ₺15.09

266.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.77 ₺38.51

-7.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.71 ₺35.43

-30.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.06 ₺103

100.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$14.33 ₺714

22.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.94 ₺96.5

-17.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.44 ₺172

-19.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.46 ₺23.01

89.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$60.9 ₺3,036

-11.21%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.07 ₺53.6

8.41%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.12 ₺55.6

-52.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$4.09 ₺204

-40.83%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.33 ₺66.2

9.02%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$42.8K ₺2.1M

-50.84%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$39.4K ₺2.0M

-31.67%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$43.27 ₺2,156

43.68%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$10.13 ₺505

20.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$14.03 ₺699

43.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$39.42 ₺1,965

-5.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.15 ₺306

5.53%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$898 ₺44.8K

-18.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$14.7K ₺731.9K

0.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$37.57 ₺1,872

42.05%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$41.55 ₺2,071

-40.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$83.8 ₺4,173

9.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$70.6 ₺3,516

1.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$400 ₺19.9K

20.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$304 ₺15.2K

1.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$783 ₺39.0K

28.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$486 ₺24.2K

30.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,222 ₺60.9K

93.35%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$673 ₺33.5K

136.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$885 ₺44.1K

-33.39%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

39.8

-86.01%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Sakarya: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Sakarya

$304 32% 1.4% $4.4

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Sakarya

$215 22.6% 8.1% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Sakarya

$105 11% 3.3% $3.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Sakarya

$67 7.1% 28.6% $27

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Sakarya

$138 14.5% 78% $61

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Sakarya

$69 7.3% 13.1% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Sakarya

$52 5.4% 2.9% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $400 in Sakarya. 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 50% higher in Sakarya. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $30 in Sakarya. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $215 in Sakarya – so Sakarya wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇷 Sakarya

🕒 Local time

09:51 9:51 AM

05:51 5:51 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,094,481

💱 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 29, 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 29, 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Sakarya 6,870 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Sakarya

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 Sakarya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,427 in Sakarya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Sakarya, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $400 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $30 in Sakarya. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 11% less in Chiang Mai. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $951 in Sakarya. 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 $951 in Sakarya. 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, Sakarya makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.