Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Badulla

For one person, living is cheaper in Badulla: $547 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
26

Cost of Living Index in Badulla
Learn more

Badulla Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Badulla

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$547

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Badulla actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $935 in Chiang Mai versus $547 in Badulla.

Chiang Mai $935
Badulla $547

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,467 in Chiang Mai versus $883 in Badulla.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Badulla $883

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,999 in Chiang Mai versus $1,219 in Badulla.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Badulla $1,219

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 71% more expensive than in Badulla, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Badulla 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$3.84 LKR 1,276

-44.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$24.93 LKR 8,291

-25.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$7.54 LKR 2,507

-25.73%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.47 LKR 823

-32.79%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$0.68 LKR 227

-4.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$0.27 LKR 90.6

11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$2.26 LKR 752

2.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$3.02 LKR 1,006

21.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$1.62 LKR 539

24.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$0.57 LKR 190

147.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$0.61 LKR 203

127.87%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$1.65 LKR 548

43.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$15.15 LKR 5,038

9.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$3.70 LKR 1,230

-27.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$7.60 LKR 2,528

18.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$6.61 LKR 2,198

-63.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$0.89 LKR 296

16.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$4.27 LKR 1,421

-61.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.26 LKR 420

23.81%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$1.09 LKR 362

13.76%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$0.79 LKR 261

37.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$1.22 LKR 405

-37.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$0.46 LKR 152

10.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$10.15 LKR 3,375

-59.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$13.31 LKR 4,428

34.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$1.91 LKR 634

-15.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$2.85 LKR 947

-1.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$0.41 LKR 136

187.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.33 LKR 111

-48.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$0.87 LKR 288

108.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$1.37 LKR 454

7.30%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$42.8K LKR 14.2M

-50.92%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$46.1K LKR 15.3M

-42.48%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$56.2 LKR 18.7K

11.24%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$4.32 LKR 1,437

168.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$20.66 LKR 6,873

-1.74%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$4.39 LKR 1,461

48.29%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$40.51 LKR 13.5K

1694.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$17.5K LKR 5.8M

-5.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$18.24 LKR 6,068

193.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$17.37 LKR 5,779

42.77%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

16.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$41.18 LKR 13.7K

74.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$76.3 LKR 25.4K

530.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$44.38 LKR 14.8K

598.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$89.8 LKR 29.9K

633.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

$4,570 LKR 1.5M

-47.10%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

$747 LKR 248.4K

115.41%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$222 LKR 73.7K

168.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

12.5

-55.44%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Badulla: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Badulla

$44 8.1% 85.7% $266

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Badulla

$237 43.3% 0.1% $0.1

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Badulla

$69 12.7% 35.8% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Badulla

$81 14.9% 14% $13

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Badulla

$104 19.1% 36% $28

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Badulla

$2.1 * 0.4% 96.5% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Badulla

$8.8 * 1.6% 82.8% $42

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $481 in Chiang Mai and $76 in Badulla. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Chiang Mai pays about 2.7 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $25 in Badulla for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $237 per month, with Chiang Mai cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇱🇰 Badulla

🕒 Local time

05:58 5:58 AM

04:28 4:28 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

110,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.67 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 November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 374 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.67 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Badulla 2,340 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Badulla

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 Badulla: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Badulla is about 42% cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay in Chiang Mai is about 2.7 times higher, 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: $481 in Chiang Mai versus $76 in Badulla. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Childcare runs $727 in Chiang Mai versus $41 in Badulla. 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, Chiang Mai and Badulla are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.

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