Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Trabzon

For one person, living is cheaper in Trabzon: $684 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,000 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Trabzon
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Trabzon Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Trabzon

🇹🇷 Turkey

$684

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $684 in Trabzon, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Trabzon $684

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,271 in Trabzon, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Trabzon $1,271

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,858 in Trabzon, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Trabzon $1,858

Chiang Mai costs about 37% more than Trabzon, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Trabzon are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Trabzon 49% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$7.97 ₺395

-71.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$30.76 ₺1,523

-37.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$10.84 ₺536

-48.43%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$4.08 ₺202

-57.84%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$1.56 ₺77.1

-58.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.20 ₺10.13

65.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$1.85 ₺91.7

27.57%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$2.05 ₺102

90.24%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$0.97 ₺48.07

111.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$1.19 ₺59.1

17.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$2.43 ₺120

-47.33%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$2.46 ₺122

-8.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$8.18 ₺405

107.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$2.78 ₺138

-1.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$17.30 ₺857

-45.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$2.04 ₺101

17.65%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.59 ₺78.8

-36.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$0.84 ₺41.48

91.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$1.07 ₺53.2

42.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.43 ₺21.12

197.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.34 ₺16.82

226.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.80 ₺39.45

-10.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.63 ₺31.21

-17.46%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$2.17 ₺107

99.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$9.20 ₺455

92.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.60 ₺79.1

1.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.29 ₺113

24.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$1.98 ₺97.9

-40.91%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$0.62 ₺30.60

-8.06%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$6.64 ₺329

-64.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.29 ₺64.0

12.40%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$40.6K ₺2.0M

-49.53%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$38.8K ₺1.9M

-31.68%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$90.9 ₺4,498

-31.39%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$12.38 ₺613

-0.89%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$12.66 ₺627

57.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$51.2 ₺2,537

-26.01%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$5.21 ₺258

28.79%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$250 ₺12.4K

218.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$81.9 ₺4,054

-34.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$61.7 ₺3,056

-59.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$91.2 ₺4,515

0.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$59.7 ₺2,955

23.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$439 ₺21.7K

108.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$349 ₺17.3K

58.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

$1,215 ₺60.1K

-51.00%

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 13, 2026

Last update for Trabzon: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Trabzon

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Trabzon

$204 29.8% 14.4% $34

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Trabzon

$133 19.4% 21% $23

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Trabzon

$116 16.9% 22.5% $21

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Trabzon

$166 24.2% 110% $87

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Trabzon

$5.1 * 0.7% 91.7% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Trabzon

$62 9% 20.1% $10

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 104% higher in Trabzon, 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 $31.00 in Trabzon. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $204 in Trabzon – so Trabzon wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇷 Trabzon

🕒 Local time

13:09 1:09 PM

09:09 9:09 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

816,684

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Trabzon 6,090 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Trabzon

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 Trabzon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 37% more than Trabzon, 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 $1,027 in Trabzon. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $31.00 in Trabzon. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Trabzon, where all-in costs run around $684, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Trabzon 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. Trabzon costs $684 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 Trabzon. 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.