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

😐 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 12% more expensive than Colombo without rent, and 22.9% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 6.8% more expensive than Colombo without rent, and 11.8% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.01 ฿64.5

$3.93 LKR 1,242

-48.85%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.23 ฿584

$24.89 LKR 7,861

-26.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.65 ฿245

$8.60 LKR 2,717

-11.05%

Cappuccino

$1.92 ฿61.5

$2.63 LKR 831

-27.00%

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

$0.84 ฿26.97

$0.69 LKR 219

21.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ฿11.42

$0.40 LKR 127

-10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 ฿70.2

$2.27 LKR 718

-3.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 ฿121

$3.38 LKR 1,067

12.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ฿52.5

$1.77 LKR 560

-7.34%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ฿52.0

$0.57 LKR 179

184.21%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 ฿36.98

$0.83 LKR 262

38.55%

Eggs

$1.94 ฿62.2

$2.12 LKR 669

-8.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.94 ฿511

$13.85 LKR 4,375

15.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.10 ฿99.5

$4.64 LKR 1,464

-33.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.07 ฿355

$7.98 LKR 2,519

38.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 ฿86.8

$7.39 LKR 2,333

-63.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 ฿37.80

$1.12 LKR 354

5.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 ฿54.7

$5.65 LKR 1,785

-69.73%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ฿51.5

$1.21 LKR 381

33.06%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 ฿44.66

$1.15 LKR 362

20.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ฿36.81

$1.41 LKR 444

-18.44%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿22.83

$1.18 LKR 374

-39.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿17.65

$0.61 LKR 191

-9.84%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.57 ฿146

$10.19 LKR 3,217

-55.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.87 ฿605

$12.87 LKR 4,065

46.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿58.4

$2.08 LKR 656

-12.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 ฿103

$2.93 LKR 926

9.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ฿28.24

$0.19 LKR 58.7

363.16%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.89 ฿606

$4.93 LKR 1,557

283.16%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.41 ฿45.30

$0.38 LKR 121

271.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 ฿41.71

$0.35 LKR 112

271.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 ฿263

$0.61 LKR 194

1244.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ฿39.29

$1.22 LKR 385

0.82%

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

$21.2K ฿678.9K

$26.8K LKR 8.5M

-21.13%

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

$22.3K ฿715.3K

$34.6K LKR 10.9M

-35.56%

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

$69.9 ฿2,240

$60.1 LKR 19.0K

16.33%

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

$14.07 ฿451

$4.36 LKR 1,377

222.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.70 ฿567

$15.10 LKR 4,768

17.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.41 ฿1,328

$14.30 LKR 4,518

189.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.69 ฿215

$7.38 LKR 2,332

-9.35%

Cinema Ticket

$5.74 ฿184

$3.34 LKR 1,054

71.86%

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

$299 ฿9,593

$36.76 LKR 11.6K

713.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K ฿481.2K

$445 LKR 140.7K

3269.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ฿1,758

$27.84 LKR 8,792

96.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.35 ฿845

$19.75 LKR 6,238

33.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.7 ฿2,714

$68.3 LKR 21.6K

23.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.7 ฿2,236

$38.76 LKR 12.2K

79.93%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$427 ฿13.7K

$378 LKR 119.4K

12.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 ฿7,718

$175 LKR 55.3K

37.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 ฿26.0K

$969 LKR 305.9K

-16.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$498 ฿16.0K

$366 LKR 115.6K

36.13%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,022 ฿64.8K

$3,718 LKR 1.2M

-45.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,524 ฿48.9K

$1,230 LKR 388.4K

23.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$639 ฿20.5K

$242 LKR 76.4K

164.08%

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: April 13, 2026

Last update for Colombo: April 13, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

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