Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Usak

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,010 in Usak, rent and utilities included – about $890 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
49

Cost of Living Index in Usak
Learn more

Usak Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Usak

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,010

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,010 in Usak, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Usak $1,010

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,607 in Usak, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Usak $1,607

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $2,204 in Usak, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Usak $2,204

Chiang Mai is about 7% cheaper than Usak, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Chiang Mai and Usak are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Usak 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$10.05 ₺501

-77.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$42.93 ₺2,139

-55.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$8.94 ₺445

-37.92%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$4.25 ₺212

-60.71%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$1.91 ₺95.3

-66.49%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.40 ₺19.76

-22.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$3.01 ₺150

-21.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$4.78 ₺238

-23.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.02 ₺50.8

91.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$1.01 ₺50.1

42.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.94 ₺96.9

-31.44%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$2.46 ₺123

-7.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$9.42 ₺470

74.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$4.74 ₺236

-41.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$19.89 ₺991

-53.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$1.73 ₺86.4

35.84%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$1.88 ₺93.6

-48.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.01 ₺50.4

58.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.42 ₺70.6

5.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$0.60 ₺29.77

113.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$0.57 ₺28.22

92.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$0.89 ₺44.44

-20.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.71 ₺35.57

-30.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.25 ₺112

84.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$9.98 ₺498

75.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.10 ₺105

-23.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.84 ₺141

-2.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$0.73 ₺36.60

19.18%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$0.99 ₺49.51

17.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$0.74 ₺36.91

-28.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$8.18 ₺408

-70.42%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.36 ₺67.6

6.62%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$44.5K ₺2.2M

-52.63%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$39.8K ₺2.0M

-32.37%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$71.5 ₺3,563

-13.04%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$11.58 ₺577

5.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$15.28 ₺761

31.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$53.2 ₺2,652

-29.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.26 ₺362

-10.61%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$707 ₺35.2K

4.08%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$18.4K ₺915.2K

-19.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$44.98 ₺2,241

18.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$32.42 ₺1,615

-24.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$93.3 ₺4,649

-1.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$77.5 ₺3,861

-7.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$419 ₺20.9K

15.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$301 ₺15.0K

2.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$762 ₺38.0K

32.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$558 ₺27.8K

13.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,397 ₺69.6K

69.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,038 ₺51.7K

53.16%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$864 ₺43.1K

-31.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-86.08%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Usak: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Usak

$301 29.8% 2.7% $8.4

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Usak

$232 23% 1.1% $2.6

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Usak

$112 11.1% 2.8% $3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Usak

$98 9.7% 4.1% $3.9

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Usak

$192 19% 148% $115

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Usak

$7.6 * 0.8% 87.5% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Usak

$68 6.7% 34.7% $17

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 $419 in Usak. 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 47% higher in Usak. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $43 in Usak. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $232 in Usak – so Usak wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇹🇷 Usak

🕒 Local time

00:12 12:12 AM

20:12 8:12 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

377,001

💱 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 = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 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 = 55.61 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Usak 6,970 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Usak

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 Usak: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Usak costs about 8% 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 $1,515 in Usak. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Usak, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $419 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,010 in Usak. That makes Chiang Mai about 7% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $43 in Usak. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $1,010 in Usak. 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 $1,010 in Usak. 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, Usak makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.