Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Anuradhapura

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.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Anuradhapura
Learn more

Anuradhapura Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Anuradhapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$506

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Anuradhapura

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

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

Chiang Mai $925
Anuradhapura $506

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

Chiang Mai $1,414
Anuradhapura $820

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

Chiang Mai $1,903
Anuradhapura $1,134

Chiang Mai costs about 83% more than Anuradhapura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$3.75 LKR 1,242

-38.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$24.57 LKR 8,139

-20.07%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$7.52 LKR 2,490

-25.40%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.44 LKR 810

-31.97%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.68 LKR 227

2.94%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.27 LKR 89.9

14.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$2.23 LKR 738

8.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$2.99 LKR 990

24.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.61 LKR 534

21.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$0.57 LKR 189

147.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$0.81 LKR 269

61.73%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.63 LKR 541

33.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$13.86 LKR 4,590

20.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$4.92 LKR 1,630

-43.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$7.26 LKR 2,405

25.48%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$6.67 LKR 2,208

-64.17%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$0.86 LKR 286

19.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$4.46 LKR 1,476

-63.45%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.26 LKR 418

19.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$1.00 LKR 330

29.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.83 LKR 274

33.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.93 LKR 308

-22.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.43 LKR 142

23.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$10.39 LKR 3,441

-58.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$13.07 LKR 4,330

37.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.96 LKR 648

-19.39%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$2.90 LKR 961

-2.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$0.40 LKR 134

202.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.37 LKR 123

54.05%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$0.88 LKR 292

167.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.34 LKR 443

7.46%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$43.5K LKR 14.4M

-52.36%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$40.1K LKR 13.3M

-33.13%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$58.5 LKR 19.4K

6.62%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$4.23 LKR 1,401

186.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$21.09 LKR 6,984

-5.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$4.41 LKR 1,460

47.39%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$38.06 LKR 12.6K

1982.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$1,224 LKR 405.4K

1109.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$18.46 LKR 6,115

191.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$16.65 LKR 5,515

47.87%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$80.4 LKR 26.6K

12.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$41.98 LKR 13.9K

69.46%

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 %)

5.57

12.69

-56.11%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Anuradhapura: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Anuradhapura

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Anuradhapura

$237 46.9% 0.8% $2

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Anuradhapura

$71 14% 34.5% $37

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Anuradhapura

$84 16.6% 11.2% $11

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Anuradhapura

$103 20.3% 30.8% $24

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Anuradhapura

$2.3 * 0.5% 96.3% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Anuradhapura

$8.8 * 1.7% 82.4% $41

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

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇱🇰 Anuradhapura

🕒 Local time

17:22 5:22 PM

15:52 3:52 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

63,200

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 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 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

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).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Anuradhapura

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

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

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

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

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai and $25.00 in Anuradhapura. 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.