Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Maltepe and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $935 a month against $971 in Maltepe, rent and utilities included – about $430 less a year. The total is higher in Maltepe despite lower rent and utilities.

49

Cost of Living Index in Maltepe
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Maltepe Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Maltepe

🇹🇷 Turkey

$971

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $971 per month in Maltepe vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Maltepe $971
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $1,525 per month in Maltepe vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Maltepe $1,525
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $2,080 per month in Maltepe vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Maltepe $2,080
Chiang Mai $1,999

Maltepe costs about 4% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Maltepe and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Maltepe 28% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.54 ₺427

$2.13 ฿71.7

300.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.89 ₺1,645

$18.62 ฿625

76.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.18 ₺409

$5.60 ฿188

46.07%

Cappuccino

$3.76 ₺188

$1.66 ฿55.9

126.51%

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

$1.04 ₺52.2

$0.65 ฿21.73

60.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.37 ₺18.65

$0.30 ฿10.24

23.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 ₺121

$2.32 ฿78.0

4.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 ₺152

$3.67 ฿123

-17.17%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.04 ₺52.0

$2.02 ฿67.7

-48.51%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 ₺42.85

$1.41 ฿47.29

-39.01%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.19 ₺110

$1.39 ฿46.75

57.55%

Eggs

$2.34 ₺117

$2.37 ฿79.5

-1.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.28 ₺514

$16.52 ฿555

-37.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.93 ₺247

$2.67 ฿89.7

84.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.84 ₺993

$9.02 ฿303

119.96%

Apples (1kg)

$1.79 ₺89.7

$2.40 ฿80.6

-25.42%

Banana (1kg)

$1.93 ₺96.7

$1.04 ฿34.98

85.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.03 ₺51.5

$1.66 ฿55.7

-37.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 ₺65.8

$1.56 ฿52.4

-15.38%

Potato (1kg)

$0.61 ₺30.67

$1.24 ฿41.57

-50.81%

Onion (1kg)

$0.41 ₺20.73

$1.09 ฿36.50

-62.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.79 ₺39.43

$0.76 ฿25.59

3.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.60 ₺30.07

$0.51 ฿17.27

17.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.03 ₺101

$4.12 ฿138

-50.73%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.89 ₺645

$17.93 ฿602

-28.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 ₺103

$1.62 ฿54.5

27.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.31 ₺115

$2.82 ฿94.8

-18.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.62 ₺31.03

$0.93 ฿31.39

-33.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.27 ₺63.4

$1.18 ฿39.52

7.63%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 ₺45.65

$0.17 ฿5.76

435.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.62 ₺431

$1.81 ฿60.9

376.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.42 ₺70.9

$1.47 ฿49.47

-3.40%

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

$48.6K ₺2.4M

$21.0K ฿705.8K

131.37%

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

$40.6K ₺2.0M

$26.5K ฿890.7K

53.27%

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

$74.1 ₺3,706

$62.6 ฿2,101

18.43%

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

$11.05 ₺553

$11.60 ฿390

-4.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.85 ₺743

$20.30 ฿682

-26.85%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$45.79 ₺2,290

$37.88 ฿1,272

20.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$5.86 ₺293

$6.51 ฿219

-9.98%

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

$596 ₺29.8K

$727 ฿24.4K

-17.99%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.6K ₺582.4K

$16.6K ฿556.7K

-29.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$47.70 ₺2,386

$53.5 ฿1,798

-10.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$41.92 ₺2,097

$24.80 ฿833

69.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$81.6 ₺4,080

$90.4 ฿3,036

-9.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$92.7 ₺4,637

$72.0 ฿2,418

28.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$434 ₺21.7K

$481 ฿16.2K

-9.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$287 ₺14.4K

$310 ฿10.4K

-7.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$875 ₺43.7K

$1,058 ฿35.5K

-17.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$539 ₺26.9K

$659 ฿22.1K

-18.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,371 ₺68.6K

$2,418 ฿81.2K

-43.29%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$971 ₺48.6K

$1,609 ฿54.0K

-39.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

40.42

5.57

625.67%

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

Last update for Maltepe: November 3, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Maltepe

$287 29.6%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1% 8% $23

Groceries & Markets

Maltepe

$237 24.4%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 0.2% $0.5

Eating Out

Maltepe

$162 16.7%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 52.7% $85

Clothing & Footwear

Maltepe

$119 12.2%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 8.8% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Maltepe

$100 10.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 5.5% $5.5

Sport & Entertainment

Maltepe

$58 5.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 11.5% $6.6

Getting Around

Maltepe

$8.3 * 0.9%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 606% $50

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $434 in Maltepe 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Maltepe versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Maltepe vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Maltepe wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Maltepe

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:11 1:11 PM

17:11 5:11 PM

4 h ahead of Maltepe

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

523,137

127,240

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2 USD

100 TRY = 1.78 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 50.02 TRY (100 TRY = 2 USD). 1 EUR = 56.21 TRY (100 TRY = 1.78 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Maltepe Chiang Mai 6,980 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Maltepe
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

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

Maltepe costs about 4% 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 $1,456 per month in Maltepe 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 Maltepe, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $434 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $971 in Maltepe and $935 in Chiang Mai. That makes Chiang Mai about 4% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $33 in Maltepe and $19 in Chiang Mai. 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 $971 in Maltepe 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 $971 in Maltepe. 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.