Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Anuradhapura and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Anuradhapura: $506 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Anuradhapura
Learn more

Anuradhapura Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Anuradhapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$506

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $506 per month in Anuradhapura vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Anuradhapura $506
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $820 per month in Anuradhapura vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Anuradhapura $820
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $1,134 per month in Anuradhapura vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Anuradhapura $1,134
Chiang Mai $1,903

Anuradhapura is about 45% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Anuradhapura and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Anuradhapura 63% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.75 LKR 1,242

$2.29 ฿76.5

63.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.57 LKR 8,139

$19.64 ฿656

25.10%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.52 LKR 2,490

$5.61 ฿188

34.05%

Cappuccino

$2.44 LKR 810

$1.66 ฿55.6

46.99%

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

$0.68 LKR 227

$0.70 ฿23.40

-2.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.9

$0.31 ฿10.24

-12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.23 LKR 738

$2.41 ฿80.4

-7.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.99 LKR 990

$3.71 ฿124

-19.41%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 LKR 534

$1.95 ฿65.3

-17.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 LKR 189

$1.41 ฿47.03

-59.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 269

$1.31 ฿43.62

-38.17%

Eggs

$1.63 LKR 541

$2.18 ฿72.9

-25.23%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.86 LKR 4,590

$16.65 ฿556

-16.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.92 LKR 1,630

$2.76 ฿92.2

78.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.26 LKR 2,405

$9.11 ฿304

-20.31%

Apples (1kg)

$6.67 LKR 2,208

$2.39 ฿80.0

179.08%

Banana (1kg)

$0.86 LKR 286

$1.03 ฿34.26

-16.50%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.46 LKR 1,476

$1.63 ฿54.4

173.62%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 LKR 418

$1.50 ฿50.0

-16.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 LKR 330

$1.29 ฿43.13

-22.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 LKR 274

$1.11 ฿37.03

-25.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.93 LKR 308

$0.72 ฿24.08

29.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 LKR 142

$0.53 ฿17.59

-18.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.39 LKR 3,441

$4.31 ฿144

141.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.07 LKR 4,330

$17.95 ฿600

-27.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.96 LKR 648

$1.58 ฿52.9

24.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.90 LKR 961

$2.84 ฿95.0

2.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.40 LKR 134

$1.21 ฿40.29

-66.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 LKR 123

$0.57 ฿18.99

-35.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 LKR 292

$2.35 ฿78.6

-62.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 LKR 443

$1.44 ฿47.96

-6.94%

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

$43.5K LKR 14.4M

$20.7K ฿692.8K

109.90%

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

$40.1K LKR 13.3M

$26.8K ฿895.7K

49.55%

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

$58.5 LKR 19.4K

$62.3 ฿2,083

-6.21%

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

$4.23 LKR 1,401

$12.11 ฿405

-65.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.09 LKR 6,984

$19.94 ฿666

5.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$4.41 LKR 1,460

$6.50 ฿217

-32.15%

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

$38.06 LKR 12.6K

$793 ฿26.5K

-95.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,224 LKR 405.4K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-91.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.46 LKR 6,115

$53.7 ฿1,796

-65.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.65 LKR 5,515

$24.62 ฿823

-32.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.4 LKR 26.6K

$90.9 ฿3,036

-11.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.98 LKR 13.9K

$71.1 ฿2,378

-40.99%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

5.57

127.83%

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

Last update for Anuradhapura: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Anuradhapura

$237 46.9%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 0.8% $2

Eating Out

Anuradhapura

$103 20.3%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 23.6% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Anuradhapura

$84 16.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 12.7% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Anuradhapura

$71 14%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 52.6% $37

Sport & Entertainment

Anuradhapura

$8.8 * 1.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 468% $41

Getting Around

Anuradhapura

$2.3 * 0.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 2589% $59

Accommodation & Living

Anuradhapura

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Anuradhapura versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Anuradhapura

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:20 2:20 PM

15:50 3:50 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Anuradhapura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

63,200

127,240

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Anuradhapura Chiang Mai 2,320 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Anuradhapura
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

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

Monthly costs with rent: $506 in Anuradhapura, $925 in Chiang Mai – roughly 83% apart. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $759 per month in Anuradhapura and $1,388 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Anuradhapura and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 1% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Anuradhapura, where all-in costs run around $506, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Anuradhapura it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $506 in Anuradhapura to $925 in Chiang Mai. 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.

If budget matters most, go with Anuradhapura. 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.