Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Bentota

For one person, living is cheaper in Bentota: $777 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
37

Cost of Living Index in Bentota
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Bentota Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Bentota

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$777

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $935 in Chiang Mai versus $777 in Bentota.

Chiang Mai $935
Bentota $777

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,467 in Chiang Mai versus $896 in Bentota.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Bentota $896

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,999 in Chiang Mai versus $1,014 in Bentota.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Bentota $1,014

Living in Chiang Mai is roughly 20% more expensive than in Bentota, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Chiang Mai 31% lower, Bentota 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$3.78 LKR 1,257

-43.65%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$12.00 LKR 3,992

55.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$7.36 LKR 2,447

-23.91%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.47 LKR 822

-32.79%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$0.71 LKR 236

-8.45%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$0.25 LKR 83.1

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$2.19 LKR 728

5.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$3.10 LKR 1,031

18.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$1.57 LKR 523

28.66%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$0.52 LKR 174

171.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$0.80 LKR 267

73.75%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$1.65 LKR 549

43.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$15.18 LKR 5,049

8.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$3.36 LKR 1,119

-20.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$4.47 LKR 1,488

101.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$6.76 LKR 2,247

-64.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$0.76 LKR 254

36.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$4.08 LKR 1,356

-59.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$0.86 LKR 287

81.40%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$1.07 LKR 357

15.89%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$0.82 LKR 274

32.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$1.21 LKR 402

-37.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$0.42 LKR 139

21.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$10.06 LKR 3,347

-59.05%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$13.69 LKR 4,554

30.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$1.90 LKR 631

-14.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$2.87 LKR 956

-1.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

$0.19 LKR 62.4

389.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$0.38 LKR 126

210.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.29 LKR 96.3

-41.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$0.93 LKR 308

94.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$1.39 LKR 461

5.76%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$44.0K LKR 14.7M

-52.29%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$45.0K LKR 15.0M

-41.06%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$57.4 LKR 19.1K

9.08%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$2.32 LKR 770

400.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$8.88 LKR 2,952

128.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$4.59 LKR 1,526

41.83%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$40.65 LKR 13.5K

1688.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$17.4K LKR 5.8M

-4.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$18.34 LKR 6,102

191.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$17.33 LKR 5,763

43.10%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

16.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$41.51 LKR 13.8K

73.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$546 LKR 181.7K

-11.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$302 LKR 100.4K

2.73%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

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 Bentota: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Bentota

$302 38.8% 2.7% $8.2

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Bentota

$223 28.7% 5.8% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Bentota

$70 9% 35.7% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Bentota

$69 8.8% 27.4% $26

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Bentota

$103 13.2% 34.5% $26

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Bentota

$2.6 * 0.3% 95.6% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Bentota

$9.2 * 1.2% 82% $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 $546 in Bentota. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $19 in Chiang Mai vs $12 in Bentota for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $237 vs $223 per month, with Bentota cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇱🇰 Bentota

🕒 Local time

17:11 5:11 PM

15:41 3:41 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

37,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 374 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Bentota

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 Bentota: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Bentota is about 17% cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and clothing. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $1,403 in Chiang Mai and $1,166 in Bentota to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $481 in Chiang Mai versus $546 in Bentota. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 6% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $935 per month in Chiang Mai versus $777 in Bentota – Bentota is about 17% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

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.