Cost of Living · TR vs TH
🇹🇷 Istanbul vs 🇹🇭 Chiang Mai: what everyday life costs
Monthly essentials: $745 in Türkiye vs $706 in Thailand — 5.31% cheaper.
Biggest differences
Much cheaper in Thailand
- 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center: -6.16%
- 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center: -6.16%
- 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center: -6.16%
Closest to Türkiye prices
- ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L: -1.54%
- 👟 Running shoes (brand): -1.79%
- 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand): -1.81%
The full basket (32 items)
| Item | Türkiye | Thailand | Diff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| 🏙️ Rent: 1-bedroom, city center | $457 | $428 (14,089 THB) | -6.16% |
| 🏡 Rent: 1-bedroom, outside center | $365 | $343 (11,271 THB) | -6.16% |
| 🏢 Rent: 3-bedroom, city center | $835 | $783 (25,763 THB) | -6.16% |
| Food out | |||
| 🍜 Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $6.26 | $5.96 (196 THB) | -4.79% |
| 🍽️ Dinner for two, mid-range | $26.10 | $24.83 (816 THB) | -4.87% |
| 🍔 Fast-food combo meal | $4.21 | $4.03 (133 THB) | -4.28% |
| Groceries | |||
| 🥛 Milk, 1L | $0.51 | $0.49 (16 THB) | -3.92% |
| 🍞 Bread, fresh loaf 500g | $1.48 | $1.43 (47 THB) | -3.38% |
| 🥚 Eggs, dozen | $1.58 | $1.52 (50 THB) | -3.8% |
| 🍗 Chicken breast, 1kg | $4.64 | $4.47 (147 THB) | -3.66% |
| 🍚 White rice, 1kg | $1.86 | $1.79 (59 THB) | -3.76% |
| 🍎 Apples, 1kg | $2.23 | $2.15 (71 THB) | -3.59% |
| 🧀 Local cheese, 1kg | $5.57 | $5.37 (177 THB) | -3.59% |
| 💧 Water, 1.5L bottle | $0.93 | $0.89 (29 THB) | -4.3% |
| Drinks | |||
| 🍺 Domestic beer, pint (draught) | $2.09 | $1.99 (65 THB) | -4.78% |
| 🍻 Imported beer, 330ml bottle | $5.45 | $5.35 (176 THB) | -1.83% |
| ☕ Cappuccino | $1.74 | $1.66 (55 THB) | -4.6% |
| 🥤 Coke/Pepsi, 330ml | $1.07 | $1.03 (34 THB) | -3.74% |
| Transport | |||
| 🚇 Public transport, monthly pass | $24.90 | $23.79 (782 THB) | -4.46% |
| 🎫 Public transport, one-way | $1.05 | $1.01 (33 THB) | -3.81% |
| 🚕 Taxi start (normal tariff) | $1.39 | $1.32 (43 THB) | -5.04% |
| 🛣️ Taxi, per km | $0.63 | $0.60 (20 THB) | -4.76% |
| ⛽ Petrol/gasoline, 1L | $0.65 | $0.64 (21 THB) | -1.54% |
| Utilities & comms | |||
| 💡 Basic utilities, 85m² apartment | $76.60 | $73.20 (2,407 THB) | -4.44% |
| 🌐 Internet, 60Mbps+ unlimited | $26.81 | $25.62 (842 THB) | -4.44% |
| 📱 Mobile plan, 10GB+ data | $17.24 | $16.47 (542 THB) | -4.47% |
| Lifestyle | |||
| 🏋️ Gym membership, month | $17.40 | $16.55 (544 THB) | -4.89% |
| 🎬 Cinema seat | $4.87 | $4.63 (152 THB) | -4.93% |
| 💈 Men's haircut | $10.44 | $9.93 (327 THB) | -4.89% |
| 👖 Jeans (mid-range brand) | $37.47 | $36.79 (1,210 THB) | -1.81% |
| 👟 Running shoes (brand) | $61.31 | $60.21 (1,980 THB) | -1.79% |
| 💻 Coworking hot desk, month | $86.99 | $82.75 (2,721 THB) | -4.87% |
Estimated from World Bank — Consumption price levels with per-item elasticity — model figures, not quotes. Compare any pair in the interactive tool.
Related
Frequently asked questions
- How much cheaper is Thailand than Türkiye?
- A single person's monthly essentials run about $706 in Thailand versus $745 in Türkiye — 5.31% less. Rents differ the most; world-priced goods like petrol and electronics the least.
- What does a beer cost in Thailand?
- A domestic draught pint is roughly $1.99 in Thailand (≈ 65.44 THB), versus about $2.09 in Türkiye.
- How much is rent in Thailand compared to Türkiye?
- A 1-bedroom city-center apartment is estimated at $428/month in Thailand versus $457/month in Türkiye (-6.16%). Housing is the most locally-priced item in the basket.
- How are these prices estimated?
- Curated US baseline prices scaled by each country's purchasing-power price level with per-item elasticities (housing 1.4, services 1.1, groceries 0.8, world-priced goods 0.4) — model estimates for orientation, not quotes.