Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Beruwala and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Beruwala: $503 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Beruwala
Learn more

Beruwala Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Beruwala

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$503

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $503 in Beruwala versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Beruwala $503
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $816 in Beruwala versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Beruwala $816
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,129 in Beruwala versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Beruwala $1,129
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Beruwala costs roughly 46% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Beruwala 63% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 LKR 1,258

$2.24 ฿75.7

69.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.24 LKR 8,393

$19.00 ฿642

32.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.46 LKR 2,480

$5.55 ฿188

34.41%

Cappuccino

$2.48 LKR 824

$1.67 ฿56.6

48.50%

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

$0.67 LKR 222

$0.64 ฿21.56

4.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.9

$0.31 ฿10.32

-19.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.15 LKR 715

$2.36 ฿79.6

-8.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.10 LKR 1,031

$3.66 ฿124

-15.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 LKR 518

$1.95 ฿65.8

-20.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.54 LKR 179

$1.44 ฿48.51

-62.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 269

$1.33 ฿45.07

-39.10%

Eggs

$1.69 LKR 563

$2.28 ฿77.1

-25.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.54 LKR 4,502

$16.45 ฿556

-17.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.89 LKR 1,627

$2.78 ฿94.0

75.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.34 LKR 2,442

$9.31 ฿314

-21.16%

Apples (1kg)

$6.50 LKR 2,161

$2.35 ฿79.5

176.60%

Banana (1kg)

$0.85 LKR 283

$0.97 ฿32.82

-12.37%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.26 LKR 1,417

$1.60 ฿53.9

166.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.33 LKR 441

$1.50 ฿50.7

-11.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 LKR 348

$1.28 ฿43.15

-17.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 LKR 273

$1.10 ฿37.22

-25.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 LKR 298

$0.71 ฿23.84

26.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 151

$0.49 ฿16.38

-8.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.45 LKR 3,476

$4.14 ฿140

152.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.75 LKR 4,239

$17.52 ฿592

-27.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 LKR 653

$1.61 ฿54.5

22.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 LKR 1,017

$2.78 ฿94.0

10.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 LKR 124

$1.16 ฿39.08

-68.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 115

$0.53 ฿17.82

-33.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.89 LKR 296

$2.42 ฿81.8

-63.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 LKR 459

$1.45 ฿48.93

-4.83%

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

$44.0K LKR 14.6M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

108.80%

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

$40.3K LKR 13.4M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

49.42%

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

$58.5 LKR 19.4K

$62.2 ฿2,100

-5.92%

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

$4.32 LKR 1,436

$12.17 ฿411

-64.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.10 LKR 7,016

$20.12 ฿680

4.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$4.60 LKR 1,529

$6.49 ฿219

-29.12%

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

$38.09 LKR 12.7K

$736 ฿24.9K

-94.83%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,195 LKR 397.2K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-91.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.21 LKR 6,052

$53.4 ฿1,802

-65.88%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.39 LKR 5,449

$24.64 ฿832

-33.48%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 LKR 25.8K

$91.5 ฿3,089

-15.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.53 LKR 14.1K

$71.9 ฿2,429

-40.88%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$152 LKR 50.7K

$590 ฿19.9K

-74.16%

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 Beruwala: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Beruwala

$235 46.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 0.1% $0.3

Eating Out

Beruwala

$103 20.5%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 24.7% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Beruwala

$84 16.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 12.6% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Beruwala

$70 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 55.9% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Beruwala

$9.2 * 1.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 447% $41

Getting Around

Beruwala

$2.1 * 0.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 2822% $59

Accommodation & Living

Beruwala

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

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

Cost Breakdown

Chiang Mai pays about 3.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $25 in Beruwala vs $19 in Chiang Mai for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $235 vs $234 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Beruwala

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:52 2:52 AM

04:22 4:22 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Beruwala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

35,300

127,240

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 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 LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Beruwala Chiang Mai 2,470 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Beruwala
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

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

Beruwala is about 46% cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 74% lower in Beruwala. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Dining out is cheaper in Chiang Mai – a meal for two runs $19 versus $25 in Beruwala. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Childcare runs $38 in Beruwala versus $736 in Chiang Mai. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Beruwala and Chiang Mai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

It comes down to priorities – Beruwala wins on affordability, Chiang Mai on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.