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

😐 Solo nomad: Istanbul is 34.3% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 65.7% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Istanbul is 46% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 59.2% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Istanbul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.51 ₺453
$1.94 ฿62.8
493.30%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$50.7 ₺1,993
$18.36 ฿594
175.93%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.8 ₺307
$7.78 ฿252
0.26%
Cappuccino
$3.45 ₺136
$1.96 ฿63.3
76.02%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.3 ₺51.3
$0.83 ฿27.01
56.63%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.5 ₺19.76
$0.35 ฿11.44
42.86%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.87 ₺152
$2.1 ฿67.9
84.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$5.15 ₺203
$3.75 ฿121
37.33%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Istanbul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.06 ₺41.67
$1.69 ฿54.8
-37.28%
White Bread (500g)
$0.8 ₺31.57
$1.63 ฿52.6
-50.92%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.28 ₺89.6
$1.2 ฿38.83
90.00%
Eggs
$2.72 ₺107
$1.99 ฿64.5
36.68%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.22 ₺402
$15.97 ฿517
-36.01%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.59 ₺259
$3.14 ฿102
109.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.78 ₺778
$10.94 ฿354
80.80%
Apples (1kg)
$1.52 ₺59.8
$2.68 ฿86.6
-43.28%
Banana (1kg)
$2.27 ₺89.3
$1.17 ฿37.97
94.02%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.34 ₺52.5
$1.63 ฿52.6
-17.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.58 ₺62.1
$1.54 ฿49.78
2.60%
Potato (1kg)
$0.75 ₺29.42
$1.34 ฿43.23
-44.03%
Onion (1kg)
$0.72 ₺28.32
$1.17 ฿37.78
-38.46%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.12 ₺44.24
$0.67 ฿21.52
67.16%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58 ₺22.73
$0.56 ฿18.09
3.57%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.22 ₺87.4
$4.57 ฿148
-51.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.76 ₺463
$18.42 ฿596
-36.16%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.13 ₺83.7
$1.79 ฿57.9
18.99%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.18 ₺125
$3.27 ฿106
-2.75%
🚌 Getting Around
Istanbul
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.67 ₺26.41
$0.96 ฿31.19
-30.21%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$53.2 ₺2,092
$18.98 ฿614
180.24%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.04 ₺40.91
$1.35 ฿43.78
-22.96%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.58 ₺22.99
$1.3 ฿42.14
-55.38%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.92 ₺351
$8.24 ฿267
8.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 ₺45.26
$1.24 ฿39.97
-7.26%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$45.1K ₺1.8M
$21.6K ฿699.5K
108.58%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$44K ₺1.7M
$21.8K ฿706.1K
101.86%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Istanbul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$71.3 ₺2,806
$70.2 ฿2,272
1.58%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$12.14 ₺477
$14.18 ฿459
-14.39%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$14.56 ₺573
$17.88 ฿579
-18.57%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Istanbul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$61.8 ₺2,432
$42.29 ฿1,369
46.18%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.54 ₺729
$6.73 ฿218
175.48%
Cinema Ticket
$7.64 ₺301
$5.7 ฿185
34.04%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Istanbul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$951 ₺37.4K
$308 ฿9,969
208.84%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$18.3K ₺719.3K
$15.1K ฿487.6K
21.34%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Istanbul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$57.3 ₺2,255
$56.3 ฿1,822
1.83%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$46.17 ₺1,816
$26.3 ฿851
75.55%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$112 ₺4,398
$84.7 ฿2,742
31.94%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$105 ₺4,146
$72.2 ฿2,336
46.01%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Istanbul
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$946 ₺37.2K
$434 ฿14.1K
117.67%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$631 ₺24.8K
$243 ฿7,854
159.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,793 ₺70.5K
$807 ฿26.1K
122.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,038 ₺40.8K
$499 ฿16.2K
107.86%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,920 ₺114.9K
$2,195 ฿71K
33.03%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,499 ₺59K
$1,560 ฿50.5K
-3.92%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Istanbul
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$965 ₺38K
$683 ฿22.1K
41.24%
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: November 3, 2025

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 3, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.