Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Samsun

For one person, living costs are similar in Chiang Mai and in Samsun: $936 and $940 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 Samsun
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Samsun Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Samsun

🇹🇷 Turkey

$940

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $940 in Samsun, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Samsun $940

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,631 in Samsun, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Samsun $1,631

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,321 in Samsun, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Samsun $2,321

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$10.06 ₺502

-77.73%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$59.3 ₺2,961

-67.96%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$10.45 ₺522

-46.89%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$3.97 ₺198

-57.93%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.84 ₺41.91

-23.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.29 ₺14.38

6.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.86 ₺92.7

26.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.03 ₺101

80.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.17 ₺58.5

66.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.46

$1.94 ₺96.8

-25.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.03

$2.73 ₺136

-51.28%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$2.44 ₺122

-6.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$8.20 ₺409

100.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$5.53 ₺276

-49.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$26.33 ₺1,315

-64.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.40 ₺120

-2.08%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.79

$2.34 ₺117

-58.55%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.46 ₺72.9

9.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.04 ₺51.9

44.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.11

$0.44 ₺21.91

190.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.18

$0.34 ₺16.82

223.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.82 ₺40.84

-13.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.68 ₺33.76

-27.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.16 ₺108

91.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$8.79 ₺439

99.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.61 ₺80.4

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.28 ₺114

21.93%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

$0.60 ₺30.20

45.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$11.88 ₺593

355.30%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.04

$2.03 ₺101

-42.86%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.63 ₺31.28

-15.87%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$6.33 ₺316

-61.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.88

$1.29 ₺64.2

12.40%

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

$21.1K ฿710.5K

$41.2K ₺2.1M

-48.90%

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

$26.9K ฿909.0K

$39.0K ₺1.9M

-30.85%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$87.1 ₺4,351

-28.66%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$12.43 ₺621

-2.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$12.50 ₺624

60.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$30.67 ₺1,532

21.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$5.89 ₺294

-35.99%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.05 ₺202

60.25%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$256 ₺12.8K

187.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.2K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$23.82 ₺1,189

124.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$30.41 ₺1,518

-18.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$69.7 ₺3,479

31.29%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,427

$60.4 ₺3,018

19.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$354 ₺17.7K

36.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$246 ₺12.3K

25.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$738 ₺36.9K

36.23%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$612 ₺30.6K

3.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$973 ₺48.6K

142.83%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$664 ₺33.2K

139.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$934 ₺46.7K

-36.89%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-88.63%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Samsun: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Samsun

$246 26.2% 20.3% $63

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Samsun

$264 28% 12.5% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Samsun

$83 8.8% 23.6% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Samsun

$112 11.9% 18.7% $18

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Samsun

$177 18.9% 128% $100

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Samsun

$19 2.1% 68.3% $42

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Samsun

$39 4.1% 22.9% $12

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $354 in Samsun. 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 58% higher in Samsun. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $59 in Samsun. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $264 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇷 Samsun

🕒 Local time

08:06 8:06 AM

04:06 4:06 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,295,927

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.79 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 49.93 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 55.75 TRY (100 TRY = 1.79 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Samsun 6,380 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Samsun

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 Samsun: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,410 in Samsun. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Samsun, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $354 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $59 in Samsun. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 78% less in Samsun. 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 $940 in Samsun. 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 $940 in Samsun. 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, Samsun makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.