Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iskele and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $2,042 in Iskele, rent and utilities included – about $13,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

98

Cost of Living Index in Iskele
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Iskele Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Iskele

🇨🇾 Cyprus

$2,042

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Iskele 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 Iskele and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,042 per month in Iskele vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Iskele $2,042
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $3,141 per month in Iskele vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Iskele $3,141
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $4,240 per month in Iskele vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Iskele $4,240
Chiang Mai $1,979

Iskele costs about 118% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Iskele sits 50% above the global median, while Chiang Mai is 31% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$22.76 €20.41

$2.24 ฿75.6

916.07%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.7 €69.7

$19.00 ฿641

308.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.45 €8.47

$5.55 ฿187

70.27%

Cappuccino

$3.96 €3.56

$1.67 ฿56.5

137.13%

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

$1.89 €1.70

$0.64 ฿21.54

195.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.21 €1.08

$0.31 ฿10.31

290.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.47 €4.90

$2.36 ฿79.5

131.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.73 €5.14

$3.66 ฿124

56.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.92 €1.72

$1.95 ฿65.7

-1.54%

White Bread (500g)

$2.47 €2.22

$1.44 ฿48.46

71.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.03 €2.72

$1.33 ฿45.03

127.82%

Eggs

$4.59 €4.12

$2.28 ฿77.1

101.32%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.31 €11.94

$16.45 ฿555

-19.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.77 €8.76

$2.78 ฿93.9

251.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.90 €12.47

$9.31 ฿314

49.30%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 €3.15

$2.35 ฿79.4

49.36%

Banana (1kg)

$2.33 €2.09

$0.97 ฿32.79

140.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.97 €2.66

$1.60 ฿53.9

85.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.85 €3.45

$1.50 ฿50.6

156.67%

Potato (1kg)

$2.08 €1.87

$1.28 ฿43.11

62.50%

Onion (1kg)

$1.55 €1.39

$1.10 ฿37.18

40.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 €1.12

$0.71 ฿23.82

76.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 €0.99

$0.49 ฿16.36

126.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.55 €5.87

$4.14 ฿140

58.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.16 €8.22

$17.52 ฿591

-47.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.84 €1.65

$1.61 ฿54.5

14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 €2.60

$2.78 ฿93.9

4.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.28 €2.05

$0.87 ฿29.30

162.07%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$50.3 €45.13

$54.1 ฿1,825

-6.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$10.19 €9.14

$1.16 ฿39.04

778.45%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.21 €1.98

$0.53 ฿17.80

316.98%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$21.96 €19.70

$2.42 ฿81.7

807.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 €1.61

$1.45 ฿48.88

24.14%

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

$31.0K €27.8K

$21.1K ฿710.5K

47.18%

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

$31.6K €28.4K

$26.9K ฿909.0K

17.31%

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

$236 €212

$62.2 ฿2,098

279.27%

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

$20.55 €18.43

$12.17 ฿411

68.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.94 €28.65

$20.12 ฿679

58.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 €61.2

$37.31 ฿1,259

82.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$25.12 €22.53

$3.77 ฿127

566.31%

Cinema Ticket

$13.34 €11.96

$6.49 ฿219

105.55%

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

$677 €608

$736 ฿24.8K

-7.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.3K €9,269

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-30.01%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$98.2 €88.1

$53.4 ฿1,801

84.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$52.0 €46.61

$24.64 ฿831

110.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$109 €98.0

$91.5 ฿3,087

19.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$114 €102

$71.9 ฿2,427

58.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,061 €951

$482 ฿16.3K

119.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$773 €693

$309 ฿10.4K

150.24%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,839 €1,650

$1,006 ฿33.9K

82.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,384 €1,241

$633 ฿21.4K

118.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,912 €2,612

$2,363 ฿79.7K

23.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,196 €1,970

$1,589 ฿53.6K

38.18%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$933 €837

$590 ฿19.9K

58.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.93

5.57

-29.44%

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

Last update for Iskele: October 27, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Iskele

$773 37.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 60% $464

Groceries & Markets

Iskele

$328 16.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 28.7% $94

Eating Out

Iskele

$309 15.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 74.9% $232

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iskele

$288 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 67.2% $194

Clothing & Footwear

Iskele

$168 8.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 35.3% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Iskele

$95 4.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 47% $45

Getting Around

Iskele

$81 4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 23.9% $19

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $1,061 in Iskele versus $482 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 58% higher in Iskele, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $78 in Iskele versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $328 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇨🇾 Iskele

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:21 8:21 PM

01:21 1:21 AM

5 h ahead of Iskele

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

4,490

127,240

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Iskele Chiang Mai 6,590 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Iskele
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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

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

Iskele costs about 118% 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 $3,064 per month in Iskele 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 Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $1,061 in Iskele.

Kindergarten costs $677 per month in Iskele and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 40% more in Iskele, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $2,042 in Iskele and $936 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 $936 in Chiang Mai to $2,042 in Iskele. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

If budget matters most, go with Chiang Mai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Iskele makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.