Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bandarawela

For one person, living is cheaper in Bandarawela: $496 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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 Bandarawela
Learn more

Bandarawela Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Bandarawela

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$496

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $496 in Bandarawela, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Bandarawela $496

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $793 in Bandarawela, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Bandarawela $793

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,091 in Bandarawela, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Bandarawela $1,091

Chiang Mai costs about 89% more than Bandarawela, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Bandarawela are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Bandarawela 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$1.40 LKR 465

60.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$24.56 LKR 8,164

-22.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.77 LKR 2,585

-28.57%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$1.53 LKR 507

9.15%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.63 LKR 208

1.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.27 LKR 90.3

14.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.22 LKR 739

6.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$2.40 LKR 797

52.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$1.64 LKR 547

18.90%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$0.34 LKR 114

323.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$0.62 LKR 205

114.52%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.08 LKR 357

111.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$13.51 LKR 4,492

21.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$3.70 LKR 1,231

-24.86%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.57 LKR 2,516

22.99%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$6.74 LKR 2,240

-65.13%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$0.59 LKR 196

64.41%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$4.51 LKR 1,500

-64.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.28 LKR 426

17.19%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.94 LKR 312

36.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.52 LKR 172

111.54%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.95 LKR 316

-25.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.45 LKR 150

8.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$9.60 LKR 3,192

-56.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$12.90 LKR 4,289

35.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.95 LKR 649

-17.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.91 LKR 968

-4.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.14 LKR 46.52

521.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$1.55 LKR 516

3389.68%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$0.38 LKR 126

205.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.29 LKR 95.7

82.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$0.47 LKR 155

414.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$0.99 LKR 328

46.46%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$43.5K LKR 14.5M

-51.61%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$40.3K LKR 13.4M

-33.09%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$59.9 LKR 19.9K

3.74%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$3.29 LKR 1,094

269.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$5.92 LKR 1,968

239.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$6.21 LKR 2,064

500.81%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$4.51 LKR 1,499

-16.41%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.47 LKR 821

162.75%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$37.24 LKR 12.4K

1876.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$1,204 LKR 400.2K

1126.36%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$18.29 LKR 6,081

191.80%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$16.75 LKR 5,568

47.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$78.3 LKR 26.0K

16.83%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$41.03 LKR 13.6K

75.34%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$91.8 LKR 30.5K

425.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$45.15 LKR 15.0K

584.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$119 LKR 39.7K

742.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$61.5 LKR 20.5K

929.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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 26, 2026

Last update for Bandarawela: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Bandarawela

$45 9.1% 85.4% $264

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Bandarawela

$225 45.3% 4.2% $9.8

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Bandarawela

$69 14% 36.1% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Bandarawela

$69 14% 26.8% $25

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Bandarawela

$72 14.6% 6.8% $5.3

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Bandarawela

$3.9 0.8% 93.6% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Bandarawela

$11 2.3% 77.8% $39

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $92 in Bandarawela. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $25 in Bandarawela. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $225 in Bandarawela – so Bandarawela wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇱🇰 Bandarawela

🕒 Local time

08:31 8:31 AM

07:01 7:01 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

8,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 29, 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

Chiang Mai Bandarawela 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Bandarawela

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 Bandarawela: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $936 in Chiang Mai, $496 in Bandarawela – Bandarawela comes out roughly 47% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in transport.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $744 in Bandarawela. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Bandarawela, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $92 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $37 in Bandarawela. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 4% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $496 in Bandarawela, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Bandarawela – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.