Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Colombo

For one person, living is cheaper in Colombo: $804 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 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
39

Cost of Living Index in Colombo
Learn more

Colombo Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Colombo

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $804 in Colombo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Colombo $804

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,240 in Colombo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Colombo $1,240

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,675 in Colombo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Colombo $1,675

Chiang Mai costs about 16% more than Colombo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Colombo are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Colombo 41% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$3.74 LKR 1,243

-40.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$24.72 LKR 8,219

-23.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.60 LKR 2,529

-26.97%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.45 LKR 814

-31.84%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.68 LKR 227

-5.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.27 LKR 89.9

14.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.22 LKR 739

6.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.07 LKR 1,020

19.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.57 LKR 521

24.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$0.54 LKR 178

166.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$0.80 LKR 266

66.25%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.71 LKR 568

33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$13.92 LKR 4,628

18.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$4.78 LKR 1,591

-41.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.46 LKR 2,481

24.80%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$6.40 LKR 2,127

-63.28%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$0.85 LKR 284

14.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$4.26 LKR 1,416

-62.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.33 LKR 443

12.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$1.00 LKR 334

28.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$0.81 LKR 270

35.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.93 LKR 308

-23.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.45 LKR 151

8.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$10.33 LKR 3,436

-59.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$12.87 LKR 4,280

36.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.93 LKR 642

-16.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.00 LKR 999

-7.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.18 LKR 59.4

383.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$5.96 LKR 1,983

807.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$0.40 LKR 134

190.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$0.35 LKR 116

51.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$0.94 LKR 312

157.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.32 LKR 438

9.85%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$43.4K LKR 14.4M

-51.49%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$39.7K LKR 13.2M

-32.11%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$58.9 LKR 19.6K

5.64%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$4.20 LKR 1,397

189.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$20.61 LKR 6,855

-2.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$19.88 LKR 6,613

87.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$5.81 LKR 1,933

-35.11%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.42 LKR 1,469

46.83%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$38.13 LKR 12.7K

1830.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$1,214 LKR 403.6K

1116.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$17.77 LKR 5,909

200.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$16.62 LKR 5,527

48.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$77.8 LKR 25.9K

17.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$42.22 LKR 14.0K

70.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$586 LKR 194.8K

-17.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$275 LKR 91.5K

12.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,677 LKR 557.7K

-40.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$490 LKR 163.0K

29.21%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$3,636 LKR 1.2M

-35.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,158 LKR 385.1K

37.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$259 LKR 86.0K

128.02%

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 Colombo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Colombo

$275 34.2% 11% $34

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Colombo

$235 29.2% 0.3% $0.7

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Colombo

$69 8.6% 36.1% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Colombo

$84 10.4% 11.4% $11

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Colombo

$103 12.8% 33% $26

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Colombo

$8.8 1.1% 85.6% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Colombo

$29 3.6% 42.9% $22

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $586 in Colombo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $25 in Colombo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇱🇰 Colombo

🕒 Local time

12:01 12:01 PM

10:31 10:31 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

753,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Colombo 2,450 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Colombo

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 Colombo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 16% more than Colombo, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,206 in Colombo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Chiang Mai, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $482 there versus $586 in Colombo.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $25 in Colombo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Public transport costs about 89% less in Colombo. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $804 in Colombo. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Colombo costs $804 versus $936 in Chiang Mai. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Colombo. If higher salaries or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.