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Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Istanbul and Chiang Mai

😐 Solo nomad: Istanbul is 39.7% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 65.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Istanbul is 51.1% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 62.7% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Istanbul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.62 ₺503
$1.97 ฿62.0
489.85%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$51.2 ₺2,216
$18.68 ฿587
174.20%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.71 ₺333
$7.92 ฿249
-2.65%
Cappuccino
$3.58 ₺155
$2.02 ฿63.7
77.23%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.31 ₺56.8
$0.84 ฿26.45
55.95%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 ₺21.40
$0.35 ฿11.07
40.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.70 ₺160
$2.22 ฿69.9
66.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.21 ₺225
$3.59 ฿113
45.13%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.10 ₺47.79
$1.67 ฿52.4
-34.13%
White Bread (500g)
$0.81 ₺34.98
$1.62 ฿51.1
-50.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.21 ₺95.6
$1.20 ฿37.83
84.17%
Eggs
$2.70 ₺117
$1.93 ฿60.8
39.90%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.21 ₺442
$16.00 ฿503
-36.19%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.67 ₺289
$3.16 ฿99.2
111.08%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.83 ₺858
$10.93 ฿344
81.43%
Apples (1kg)
$1.47 ₺63.4
$2.67 ฿83.8
-44.94%
Banana (1kg)
$2.24 ₺96.9
$1.18 ฿36.99
89.83%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.33 ₺57.6
$1.64 ฿51.5
-18.90%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.59 ₺68.9
$1.59 ฿49.83
-
Potato (1kg)
$0.75 ₺32.45
$1.32 ฿41.64
-43.18%
Onion (1kg)
$0.72 ₺31.18
$1.19 ฿37.49
-39.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.17 ₺50.5
$0.71 ฿22.20
64.79%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.59 ₺25.51
$0.56 ฿17.75
5.36%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.20 ₺95.0
$4.64 ฿146
-52.59%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.46 ₺496
$18.96 ฿596
-39.56%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.12 ₺91.7
$1.77 ฿55.7
19.77%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.16 ₺137
$3.20 ฿101
-1.25%
🚌 Getting Around
Istanbul
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.68 ₺29.38
$0.90 ฿28.32
-24.44%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$53.9 ₺2,332
$19.24 ฿605
180.20%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.05 ₺45.42
$1.36 ฿42.78
-22.79%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.64 ₺27.48
$1.35 ฿42.37
-52.59%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.93 ₺386
$8.15 ฿256
9.57%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.20 ₺51.8
$1.22 ฿38.43
-1.64%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$45.6K ₺2.0M
$21.4K ฿671.8K
113.20%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$44.1K ₺1.9M
$21.7K ฿683.8K
102.68%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$71.5 ₺3,093
$70.3 ฿2,210
1.71%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.27 ₺531
$13.91 ฿437
-11.79%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$14.86 ₺643
$18.00 ฿566
-17.44%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$61.5 ₺2,659
$41.78 ฿1,314
47.13%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.69 ₺809
$6.80 ฿214
174.85%
Cinema Ticket
$7.58 ₺328
$5.72 ฿180
32.52%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Istanbul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$947 ₺41.0K
$308 ฿9,693
207.11%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.4K ₺794.2K
$14.8K ฿465.7K
23.93%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$56.7 ₺2,452
$55.9 ฿1,756
1.47%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$45.94 ₺1,988
$26.71 ฿840
72.00%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$115 ₺4,979
$84.5 ฿2,658
36.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$105 ₺4,562
$70.8 ฿2,227
48.89%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$949 ₺41.1K
$431 ฿13.5K
120.39%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$620 ₺26.8K
$237 ฿7,439
161.87%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,774 ₺76.7K
$811 ฿25.5K
118.80%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,051 ₺45.5K
$501 ฿15.7K
109.85%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$3,043 ₺131.6K
$2,202 ฿69.2K
38.16%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,575 ₺68.1K
$1,600 ฿50.3K
-1.59%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Istanbul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,143 ₺49.4K
$684 ฿21.5K
66.97%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
48.43
5
868.60%

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

Last update for Istanbul: January 13, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: January 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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