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

😐 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 11.4% more expensive than Colombo without rent, and 18.8% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 4.7% more expensive than Colombo without rent, and 12.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.03 ฿64.3

$3.98 LKR 1,235

-48.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.59 ฿590

$25.32 LKR 7,864

-26.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 ฿237

$8.48 LKR 2,634

-11.79%

Cappuccino

$2.00 ฿63.3

$2.73 LKR 847

-26.74%

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

$0.85 ฿26.87

$0.74 LKR 229

14.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ฿11.15

$0.37 LKR 115

-5.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 ฿70.2

$2.41 LKR 748

-8.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.76 ฿119

$3.31 LKR 1,028

13.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 ฿54.5

$1.70 LKR 528

1.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.63 ฿51.8

$0.56 LKR 175

191.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.16 ฿36.75

$0.83 LKR 257

39.76%

Eggs

$1.98 ฿62.8

$2.20 LKR 682

-10.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.93 ฿505

$14.25 LKR 4,426

11.79%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.17 ฿100

$4.70 LKR 1,461

-32.55%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿346

$7.87 LKR 2,443

38.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.65 ฿83.9

$7.49 LKR 2,327

-64.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 ฿38.79

$1.11 LKR 345

9.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 ฿53.8

$5.85 LKR 1,818

-70.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.59 ฿50.4

$1.22 LKR 377

30.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 ฿42.00

$1.10 LKR 341

20.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ฿37.07

$1.43 LKR 445

-18.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.68 ฿21.50

$1.14 LKR 355

-40.35%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ฿17.68

$0.60 LKR 188

-6.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.51 ฿143

$10.23 LKR 3,177

-55.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$19.07 ฿605

$12.67 LKR 3,935

50.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿56.2

$2.09 LKR 649

-15.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.18 ฿101

$2.94 LKR 913

8.16%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.96 ฿30.54

$0.19 LKR 59.3

405.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.90 ฿599

$4.94 LKR 1,533

282.59%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.36 ฿43.07

$0.41 LKR 128

231.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 ฿42.89

$0.35 LKR 110

285.71%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.03 ฿255

$0.57 LKR 177

1308.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 ฿39.43

$1.25 LKR 388

-0.80%

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

$21.2K ฿671.3K

$26.6K LKR 8.3M

-20.51%

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

$21.8K ฿690.1K

$35.4K LKR 11.0M

-38.57%

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

$71.2 ฿2,260

$59.5 LKR 18.5K

19.81%

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

$14.09 ฿447

$4.46 LKR 1,385

215.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.47 ฿554

$15.16 LKR 4,709

15.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.07 ฿1,335

$14.28 LKR 4,434

194.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.88 ฿218

$7.05 LKR 2,190

-2.41%

Cinema Ticket

$5.94 ฿188

$3.38 LKR 1,049

75.74%

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

$307 ฿9,750

$36.49 LKR 11.3K

742.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿469.3K

$444 LKR 138.0K

3229.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.7 ฿1,766

$27.90 LKR 8,666

99.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.79 ฿850

$19.17 LKR 5,955

39.75%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.2 ฿2,640

$68.8 LKR 21.4K

20.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$70.1 ฿2,224

$38.47 LKR 11.9K

82.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$427 ฿13.6K

$372 LKR 115.6K

14.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$237 ฿7,521

$177 LKR 54.9K

34.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$802 ฿25.4K

$969 LKR 301.0K

-17.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$503 ฿16.0K

$360 LKR 111.8K

39.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,061 ฿65.4K

$3,705 LKR 1.2M

-44.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,533 ฿48.6K

$1,248 LKR 387.7K

22.78%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$654 ฿20.7K

$241 LKR 74.7K

171.69%

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: March 1, 2026

Last update for Colombo: March 2, 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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