Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mugla and Chiang Mai

For one person, living costs are similar in Mugla and in Chiang Mai: $920 and $938 a month, rent and utilities included.

Mugla
🇹🇷 Turkey
$920
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$938
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $920 per month in Mugla vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Mugla $920
  • Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,424 per month in Mugla vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Mugla $1,424
  • Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,928 per month in Mugla vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Mugla $1,928
  • Chiang Mai $1,914

Mugla is about 2% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mugla and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Mugla 32% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Mugla
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$6.51 ₺322
$2.26 ฿75.4
188.05%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$36.60 ₺1,812
$19.18 ฿641
90.82%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.46 ₺369
$5.59 ฿187
33.45%
Cappuccino
$4.08 ₺202
$1.72 ฿57.6
137.21%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.83 ₺90.5
$0.64 ฿21.54
185.94%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.51 ₺25.44
$0.33 ฿11.18
54.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.09 ₺153
$2.36 ฿78.7
30.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.69 ₺183
$3.90 ฿130
-5.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Mugla
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.02 ₺50.7
$2.05 ฿68.6
-50.24%
White Bread (500g)
$1.01 ₺49.94
$1.40 ฿46.70
-27.86%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.93 ₺95.4
$1.28 ฿42.89
50.78%
Eggs
$2.51 ₺125
$2.25 ฿75.3
11.56%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$9.05 ₺448
$16.94 ฿566
-46.58%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.26 ₺211
$2.74 ฿91.6
55.47%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$19.51 ₺966
$9.36 ฿313
108.44%
Apples (1kg)
$1.75 ₺86.9
$2.40 ฿80.3
-27.08%
Banana (1kg)
$1.84 ₺91.2
$1.01 ฿33.92
82.18%
Oranges (1kg)
$0.97 ₺47.85
$1.61 ฿53.9
-39.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.49 ₺73.8
$1.52 ฿50.7
-1.97%
Potato (1kg)
$0.42 ₺20.58
$1.28 ฿42.90
-67.19%
Onion (1kg)
$0.33 ₺16.56
$1.11 ฿37.22
-70.27%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.75 ₺36.96
$0.72 ฿24.09
4.17%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.69 ₺34.38
$0.52 ฿17.54
32.69%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.30 ₺114
$4.33 ฿145
-46.88%
Wine (Bottle)
$9.36 ₺464
$17.73 ฿593
-47.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.10 ₺104
$1.63 ฿54.4
28.83%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.14 ₺106
$2.85 ฿95.3
-24.91%
🚌 Getting Around
Mugla
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.26 ₺62.4
$0.85 ฿28.31
48.24%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$53.9 ฿1,801
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.02 ₺50.5
$1.17 ฿39.18
-12.82%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.78 ₺38.38
$0.57 ฿19.00
36.84%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$7.87 ₺390
$2.37 ฿79.2
232.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.41 ₺69.7
$1.45 ฿48.32
-2.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$42.3K ₺2.1M
$20.5K ฿684.3K
106.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$39.7K ₺2.0M
$26.5K ฿886.1K
49.82%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mugla
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$72.5 ₺3,590
$62.3 ฿2,083
16.32%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$11.74 ₺581
$12.27 ฿410
-4.32%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$15.53 ₺769
$19.97 ฿668
-22.23%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Mugla
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$37.91 ฿1,267
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$3.76 ฿126
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.91 ₺342
$6.71 ฿224
2.98%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Mugla
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$698 ₺34.6K
$797 ฿26.6K
-12.41%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$17.8K ₺882.5K
$14.8K ฿495.7K
20.18%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Mugla
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$45.95 ₺2,275
$53.3 ฿1,780
-13.71%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$32.61 ₺1,614
$25.05 ฿837
30.18%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$90.4 ₺4,477
$91.6 ฿3,062
-1.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$78.1 ₺3,864
$73.5 ฿2,455
6.25%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Mugla
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$411 ₺20.3K
$464 ฿15.5K
-11.54%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$307 ₺15.2K
$305 ฿10.2K
0.61%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$796 ₺39.4K
$915 ฿30.6K
-13.08%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$514 ₺25.5K
$552 ฿18.5K
-6.94%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,394 ₺69.0K
$1,912 ฿63.9K
-27.10%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$824 ₺40.8K
$1,438 ฿48.1K
-42.73%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Mugla
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,527 ₺75.6K
$595 ฿19.9K
156.63%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
38
5.57
582.23%

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

Last update for Mugla: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Mugla
$307
Chiang Mai
$305 0.6% $1.9
Groceries & Markets
Mugla
$223
Chiang Mai
$238 6.7% $15
Eating Out
Mugla
$156
Chiang Mai
$79 49.2% $77
Clothing & Footwear
Mugla
$111
Chiang Mai
$110 1.5% $1.7
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Mugla
$100
Chiang Mai
$95 5.2% $5.2
Sport & Entertainment
Mugla
$14 *
Chiang Mai
$51 272% $38
Getting Around
Mugla
$9.9 *
Chiang Mai
$61 517% $51

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $411 in Mugla versus $464 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 157% higher in Mugla, which reinforces the cost advantage – you earn more and spend less. Purchasing power leans clearly in its favor.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Mugla versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $223 in Mugla vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Mugla wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇹🇷 Mugla
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
14:49 2:49 PM
18:49 6:49 PM
4 h ahead of Mugla
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
82,717
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to TRY – Turkish Lira Converter

Turkish Lira exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 49.51 TRY (100 TRY = 2.02 USD). 1 EUR = 55.66 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Mugla Chiang Mai 7,070 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Mugla
  • 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
Mugla vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Mugla or Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai costs about 2% more than Mugla, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Mugla and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,380 per month in Mugla and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Mugla or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Mugla, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.
How do dining costs compare in Mugla and in Chiang Mai?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $37.00 in Mugla and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Mugla or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 7% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.
Can you live on $1,000/month in Mugla or in Chiang Mai?
A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Mugla, where all-in costs run around $920, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Mugla it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Mugla or Chiang Mai?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mugla costs $920 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Mugla compared to Chiang Mai?
Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.
Should I move to Mugla or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Mugla. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.

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