Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Didim and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $1,006 in Didim, rent and utilities included – about $850 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Didim
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Didim Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Didim

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,006

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Didim and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,006 per month in Didim vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Didim $1,006
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,541 per month in Didim vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Didim $1,541
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,075 per month in Didim vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Didim $2,075
Chiang Mai $1,999

Didim costs about 8% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.97 ₺398

$2.13 ฿72.0

274.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.80 ₺1,490

$18.62 ฿628

60.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.89 ₺395

$5.60 ฿189

40.89%

Cappuccino

$3.47 ₺173

$1.66 ฿56.1

109.04%

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

$1.27 ₺63.5

$0.65 ฿21.83

95.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ₺18.31

$0.30 ฿10.29

23.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.95 ₺147

$2.32 ฿78.4

27.16%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.65 ₺183

$3.67 ฿124

-0.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.02 ₺51.1

$2.02 ฿68.0

-49.50%

White Bread (500g)

$0.59 ₺29.42

$1.41 ฿47.51

-58.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.82 ₺90.9

$1.39 ฿46.96

30.94%

Eggs

$2.35 ₺117

$2.37 ฿79.9

-0.84%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.04 ₺402

$16.52 ฿557

-51.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.95 ₺197

$2.67 ฿90.1

47.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.23 ₺1,011

$9.02 ฿304

124.28%

Apples (1kg)

$1.56 ₺77.8

$2.40 ฿80.9

-35.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 ₺82.4

$1.04 ฿35.13

58.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.84 ₺41.79

$1.66 ฿56.0

-49.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.02 ₺51.0

$1.56 ฿52.6

-34.62%

Potato (1kg)

$0.44 ₺22.20

$1.24 ฿41.76

-64.52%

Onion (1kg)

$0.42 ₺20.92

$1.09 ฿36.66

-61.47%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.06 ₺53.2

$0.76 ฿25.70

39.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 ₺29.41

$0.51 ฿17.35

15.69%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.16 ₺108

$4.12 ฿139

-47.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.79 ₺589

$17.93 ฿605

-34.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.36 ₺118

$1.62 ฿54.8

45.68%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 ₺146

$2.82 ฿95.2

3.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ₺34.54

$0.93 ฿31.53

-25.81%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.96 ₺998

$52.9 ฿1,785

-62.26%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 ₺63.5

$1.18 ฿39.70

7.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.89 ₺44.58

$0.17 ฿5.79

423.53%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.80 ₺290

$1.81 ฿61.1

220.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 ₺66.3

$1.47 ฿49.69

-9.52%

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

$39.9K ₺2.0M

$21.0K ฿708.9K

89.67%

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

$40.5K ₺2.0M

$26.5K ฿894.6K

52.68%

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

$69.5 ₺3,474

$62.6 ฿2,111

11.08%

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

$10.04 ₺502

$11.60 ฿392

-13.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$13.90 ₺695

$20.30 ฿685

-31.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.9 ₺2,647

$37.88 ฿1,278

39.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$6.18 ₺309

$6.51 ฿220

-5.07%

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

$671 ₺33.6K

$727 ฿24.5K

-7.67%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.2K ₺508.2K

$16.6K ฿559.2K

-38.67%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.46 ₺2,373

$53.5 ฿1,807

-11.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.93 ₺1,796

$24.80 ฿837

44.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ₺4,577

$90.4 ฿3,050

1.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$78.4 ₺3,919

$72.0 ฿2,428

8.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$421 ₺21.0K

$481 ฿16.2K

-12.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$329 ₺16.4K

$310 ฿10.5K

6.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$765 ₺38.2K

$1,058 ฿35.7K

-27.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$567 ₺28.3K

$659 ฿22.2K

-13.91%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,475 ₺73.7K

$2,418 ฿81.6K

-39.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$988 ₺49.4K

$1,609 ฿54.3K

-38.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$702 ₺35.1K

$595 ฿20.1K

17.98%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.44

5.57

626.03%

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

Last update for Didim: November 1, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Didim

$329 32.7%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 5.8% $19

Groceries & Markets

Didim

$218 21.7%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 8.5% $19

Eating Out

Didim

$158 15.7%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 51.4% $81

Clothing & Footwear

Didim

$114 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 5% $5.7

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Didim

$93 9.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 1.1% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Didim

$65 6.5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 22.1% $14

Getting Around

Didim

$28 2.8%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 106% $30

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $421 in Didim versus $481 in Chiang Mai. 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 18% higher in Didim. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Didim versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $218 in Didim vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Didim wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Didim

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

23:03 11:03 PM

03:03 3:03 AM

4 h ahead of Didim

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

93,876

127,240

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.79 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇷 Turkish Lira (₺)

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 49.99 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 55.91 TRY (100 TRY = 1.79 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.73 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Didim Chiang Mai 7,170 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Didim
Chiang Mai

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

Didim vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Didim 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 $1,509 per month in Didim and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Didim, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $421 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $671 per month in Didim and $727 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 8% cheaper in Didim – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $1,006 in Didim and $935 in Chiang Mai. 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 $935 in Chiang Mai to $1,006 in Didim. 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, Didim makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.