Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Colombo Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Colombo

😐 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 13.2% more expensive than Colombo without rent, and 18.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 5.5% more expensive than Colombo without rent, and 15.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.97 ฿62.0

$3.98 LKR 1,233

-50.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.68 ฿587

$25.16 LKR 7,787

-25.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.92 ฿249

$8.58 LKR 2,657

-7.69%

Cappuccino

$2.02 ฿63.6

$2.77 LKR 856

-27.08%

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

$0.84 ฿26.44

$0.72 LKR 223

16.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ฿11.06

$0.38 LKR 117

-7.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 ฿69.9

$2.40 LKR 743

-7.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.59 ฿113

$3.41 LKR 1,054

5.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.67 ฿52.3

$1.76 LKR 543

-5.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ฿51.1

$0.56 LKR 172

189.29%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.20 ฿37.82

$0.87 LKR 268

37.93%

Eggs

$1.93 ฿60.8

$2.22 LKR 687

-13.06%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.00 ฿503

$14.35 LKR 4,443

11.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.16 ฿99.2

$4.62 LKR 1,431

-31.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.93 ฿343

$7.88 LKR 2,439

38.71%

Apples (1kg)

$2.67 ฿83.8

$7.50 LKR 2,322

-64.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 ฿36.98

$1.12 LKR 345

5.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.64 ฿51.5

$5.75 LKR 1,779

-71.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 ฿49.82

$1.24 LKR 384

28.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 ฿41.63

$1.16 LKR 360

13.79%

Onion (1kg)

$1.19 ฿37.48

$1.43 LKR 442

-16.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿22.19

$1.15 LKR 356

-38.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ฿17.74

$0.61 LKR 188

-8.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.64 ฿146

$9.97 LKR 3,084

-53.46%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.96 ฿596

$13.61 LKR 4,211

39.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿55.6

$2.01 LKR 623

-11.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.20 ฿101

$2.95 LKR 913

8.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.90 ฿28.31

$0.19 LKR 58.5

373.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.24 ฿605

$4.98 LKR 1,541

286.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ฿42.77

$0.38 LKR 118

257.89%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 ฿42.35

$0.33 LKR 101

309.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.15 ฿256

$0.61 LKR 187

1236.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.22 ฿38.42

$1.25 LKR 387

-2.40%

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

$21.4K ฿671.6K

$26.6K LKR 8.2M

-19.54%

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

$21.7K ฿683.6K

$34.5K LKR 10.7M

-37.04%

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

$70.3 ฿2,210

$61.0 LKR 18.9K

15.26%

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

$13.91 ฿437

$4.32 LKR 1,336

221.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$18.00 ฿566

$15.23 LKR 4,714

18.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.78 ฿1,313

$14.40 LKR 4,457

190.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.80 ฿214

$7.40 LKR 2,291

-8.11%

Cinema Ticket

$5.72 ฿180

$3.28 LKR 1,014

74.39%

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

$308 ฿9,690

$36.88 LKR 11.4K

735.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿465.6K

$446 LKR 138.2K

3218.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.9 ฿1,755

$27.58 LKR 8,536

102.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.71 ฿839

$19.46 LKR 6,024

37.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 ฿2,657

$69.9 LKR 21.6K

21.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.8 ฿2,226

$38.01 LKR 11.8K

86.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$431 ฿13.5K

$370 LKR 114.6K

16.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 ฿7,437

$178 LKR 55.2K

32.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 ฿25.5K

$966 LKR 298.8K

-16.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$501 ฿15.7K

$361 LKR 111.7K

38.76%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,202 ฿69.2K

$3,841 LKR 1.2M

-42.66%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,600 ฿50.3K

$1,254 LKR 388.0K

27.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$684 ฿21.5K

$234 LKR 72.5K

192.05%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.45

-69.60%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: January 13, 2026

Last update for Colombo: January 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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