Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cha-am and Colombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Colombo: $804 a month against $871 in Cha-am, rent and utilities included – about $800 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

42

Cost of Living Index in Cha-am
Learn more

Cha-am Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
Learn more

Colombo Living Index

Jump to prices

Cha-am

🇹🇭 Thailand

$871

/mo nomad

Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cha-am and in Colombo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Cha-am and in Colombo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $871 in Cha-am versus $804 in Colombo.

Cha-am $871
Colombo $804

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,405 in Cha-am versus $1,240 in Colombo.

Cha-am $1,405
Colombo $1,240

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,940 in Cha-am versus $1,675 in Colombo.

Cha-am $1,940
Colombo $1,675

Living in Cha-am is roughly 8% more expensive than in Colombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Cha-am 36% lower, Colombo 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.98 ฿101

$3.74 LKR 1,242

-20.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.18 ฿749

$24.72 LKR 8,214

-10.28%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.35 ฿248

$7.60 LKR 2,527

-3.29%

Cappuccino

$2.01 ฿68.0

$2.45 LKR 814

-17.96%

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

$0.69 ฿23.34

$0.68 LKR 226

1.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ฿11.69

$0.27 LKR 89.8

29.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 ฿82.4

$2.22 LKR 739

9.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.93 ฿99.0

$3.07 LKR 1,019

-4.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.6

$1.57 LKR 520

10.83%

White Bread (500g)

$1.47 ฿49.76

$0.54 LKR 178

172.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.94

$0.80 LKR 266

66.25%

Eggs

$1.87 ฿63.2

$1.71 LKR 567

9.36%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.37 ฿418

$13.92 LKR 4,625

-11.14%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.53 ฿85.3

$4.78 LKR 1,590

-47.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.97 ฿337

$7.46 LKR 2,480

33.65%

Apples (1kg)

$3.37 ฿114

$6.40 LKR 2,126

-47.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.21 ฿41.01

$0.85 LKR 283

42.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.90 ฿64.0

$4.26 LKR 1,416

-55.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.81 ฿61.2

$1.33 LKR 443

36.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.74 ฿58.8

$1.00 LKR 334

74.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.08 ฿36.62

$0.81 LKR 270

33.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 ฿40.53

$0.93 LKR 308

29.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 ฿14.81

$0.45 LKR 151

-2.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿144

$10.33 LKR 3,434

-58.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿606

$12.87 LKR 4,277

39.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.93 LKR 642

-13.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 ฿96.6

$3.00 LKR 999

-4.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.91 ฿30.62

$0.18 LKR 59.3

405.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.60 ฿763

$5.96 LKR 1,982

279.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.34 ฿45.29

$0.40 LKR 134

235.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.08 ฿36.49

$0.35 LKR 116

208.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.61 ฿122

$0.94 LKR 312

284.04%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 ฿46.41

$1.32 LKR 438

3.79%

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

$16.3K ฿551.6K

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

-62.38%

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

$26.5K ฿893.4K

$39.7K LKR 13.2M

-33.34%

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

$80.9 ฿2,732

$58.9 LKR 19.6K

37.49%

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

$11.74 ฿397

$4.20 LKR 1,396

179.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.19 ฿783

$20.61 LKR 6,851

12.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.97 ฿810

$19.88 LKR 6,609

20.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.88 ฿199

$5.81 LKR 1,932

1.20%

Cinema Ticket

$6.70 ฿226

$4.42 LKR 1,468

51.58%

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

$615 ฿20.8K

$38.13 LKR 12.7K

1513.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$10.6K ฿358.8K

$1,214 LKR 403.4K

775.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.0 ฿1,722

$17.77 LKR 5,905

186.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.67 ฿968

$16.62 LKR 5,523

72.50%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$72.2 ฿2,438

$77.8 LKR 25.8K

-7.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$53.1 ฿1,791

$42.22 LKR 14.0K

25.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$368 ฿12.4K

$586 LKR 194.7K

-37.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$267 ฿9,020

$275 LKR 91.4K

-2.90%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$752 ฿25.4K

$1,677 LKR 557.4K

-55.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$651 ฿22.0K

$490 LKR 162.9K

32.74%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,636 LKR 1.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,158 LKR 384.9K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$362 ฿12.2K

$259 LKR 86.0K

39.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.96

12.69

-53.03%

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

Last update for Cha-am: October 27, 2026

Last update for Colombo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Cha-am

$267 30.7%

Colombo

$275 34.2% 3% $8

Groceries & Markets

Cha-am

$233 26.7%

Colombo

$235 29.2% 1% $2.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cha-am

$116 13.3%

Colombo

$84 10.4% 27.8% $32

Eating Out

Cha-am

$92 10.6%

Colombo

$103 12.8% 11.8% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Cha-am

$92 10.6%

Colombo

$69 8.6% 24.7% $23

Sport & Entertainment

Cha-am

$37 4.3%

Colombo

$29 3.6% 23.2% $8.7

Getting Around

Cha-am

$33 3.8%

Colombo

$8.8 1.1% 73.2% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $368 in Cha-am and $586 in Colombo. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cha-am pays 40% more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $22 in Cha-am vs $25 in Colombo for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $233 vs $235 per month, with Cha-am cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Cha-am

🇱🇰 Colombo

🕒 Local time

16:12 4:12 PM

14:42 2:42 PM

1 h 30 min behind Cha-am

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

31,354

753,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LKR, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cha-am Colombo 2,300 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Cha-am
Colombo

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

Cha-am vs Colombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cha-am and Colombo differ by about 8% in total monthly costs ($871 vs $804 including rent). Colombo is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 40% higher in Cha-am, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $368 in Cha-am versus $586 in Colombo. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $615 in Cha-am versus $38 in Colombo. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Cha-am – a meal for two runs $22 versus $25 in Colombo. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Both cities are expensive relative to $800. Colombo is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Colombo wins on affordability, Cha-am on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.