Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Side and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Chiang Mai: $936 a month against $1,144 in Side, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

55

Cost of Living Index in Side
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Side Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Side

🇹🇷 Turkey

$1,144

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,144 per month in Side vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Side $1,144
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,790 per month in Side vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Side $1,790
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $2,435 per month in Side vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Side $2,435
Chiang Mai $1,979

Side costs about 22% more than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Side and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Side 16% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.26 ₺511

$2.24 ฿75.7

358.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$29.76 ₺1,483

$19.00 ฿642

56.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.45 ₺471

$5.55 ฿188

70.27%

Cappuccino

$3.44 ₺171

$1.67 ฿56.6

105.99%

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

$2.19 ₺109

$0.64 ฿21.56

242.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 ₺19.48

$0.31 ฿10.32

25.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.01 ₺200

$2.36 ฿79.6

69.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.07 ₺303

$3.66 ฿124

65.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 ₺53.1

$1.95 ฿65.8

-45.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 ₺48.33

$1.44 ฿48.51

-32.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.61 ₺130

$1.33 ฿45.07

96.24%

Eggs

$2.29 ₺114

$2.28 ฿77.1

0.44%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.70 ₺683

$16.45 ฿556

-16.72%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.16 ₺307

$2.78 ฿94.0

121.58%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.79 ₺1,335

$9.31 ฿314

187.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 ₺78.2

$2.35 ฿79.5

-33.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.46 ₺123

$0.97 ฿32.82

153.61%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.39 ₺69.1

$1.60 ฿53.9

-13.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 ₺63.5

$1.50 ฿50.7

-15.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.79 ₺39.51

$1.28 ฿43.15

-38.28%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 ₺35.38

$1.10 ฿37.22

-35.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.74 ₺87.0

$0.71 ฿23.84

145.07%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 ₺37.63

$0.49 ฿16.38

55.10%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.78 ₺139

$4.14 ฿140

-32.85%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.85 ₺690

$17.52 ฿592

-20.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.69 ₺84.1

$1.61 ฿54.5

4.97%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.13 ₺156

$2.78 ฿94.0

12.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 ₺34.55

$0.87 ฿29.33

-20.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.24 ₺61.7

$1.16 ฿39.08

6.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.00 ₺49.64

$0.53 ฿17.82

88.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$6.69 ₺333

$2.42 ฿81.8

176.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.51 ₺75.2

$1.45 ฿48.93

4.14%

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

$42.1K ₺2.1M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

99.89%

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

$38.2K ₺1.9M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

41.97%

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

$76.7 ₺3,824

$62.2 ฿2,100

23.40%

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

$10.57 ₺527

$12.17 ฿411

-13.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.12 ₺1,152

$20.12 ฿680

14.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ₺2,632

$37.31 ฿1,260

41.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$8.06 ₺402

$6.49 ฿219

24.19%

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

$507 ₺25.3K

$736 ฿24.9K

-31.11%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.9K ₺544.1K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-26.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$46.20 ₺2,302

$53.4 ฿1,802

-13.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$58.9 ₺2,937

$24.64 ฿832

139.16%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$157 ₺7,812

$91.5 ฿3,089

71.37%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$117 ₺5,842

$71.9 ฿2,429

62.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$420 ₺20.9K

$482 ฿16.3K

-12.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 ₺15.1K

$309 ฿10.4K

-2.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$761 ₺37.9K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-24.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$573 ₺28.5K

$633 ฿21.4K

-9.60%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,431 ₺71.3K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-39.45%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,018 ₺50.7K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-35.95%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

38.25

5.57

586.71%

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

Last update for Side: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Side

$302 26.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 2.2% $6.6

Groceries & Markets

Side

$289 25.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 18.9% $55

Eating Out

Side

$194 17%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 60.1% $117

Clothing & Footwear

Side

$171 14.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 36.3% $62

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Side

$110 9.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 14.4% $16

Sport & Entertainment

Side

$69 6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 27.1% $19

Getting Around

Side

$9 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 583% $52

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $420 in Side 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Side versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $289 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇷 Side

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

20:44 8:44 PM

00:44 12:44 AM

4 h ahead of Side

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

12,500

127,240

💱 Currency

Turkish Lira TRY ₺

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

100 TRY = 2.01 USD

100 TRY = 1.8 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 49.83 TRY (100 TRY = 2.01 USD). 1 EUR = 55.48 TRY (100 TRY = 1.8 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to TRY in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Side Chiang Mai 6,800 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Side
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

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

Side costs about 22% 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 $1,717 per month in Side 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 Side, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $420 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30 in Side and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 23% more in Side, 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 $1,144 in Side 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 $1,144 in Side. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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.