Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Hatton

For one person, living is cheaper in Hatton: $506 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Hatton
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Hatton Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Hatton

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$506

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $506 in Hatton, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Hatton $506

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $821 in Hatton, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Hatton $821

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,137 in Hatton, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Hatton $1,137

Chiang Mai costs about 83% more than Hatton, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Hatton are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Hatton 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$3.79 LKR 1,256

-39.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$25.21 LKR 8,350

-22.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$7.42 LKR 2,457

-24.39%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.55 LKR 845

-34.90%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.73 LKR 243

-4.11%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.25 LKR 82.0

24.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$2.17 LKR 718

11.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$3.07 LKR 1,018

20.85%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.61 LKR 534

21.12%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$0.57 LKR 189

147.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$0.75 LKR 249

74.67%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.65 LKR 548

32.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$13.58 LKR 4,498

22.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$4.89 LKR 1,619

-43.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$7.56 LKR 2,503

20.50%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$6.68 LKR 2,213

-64.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$0.87 LKR 287

18.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$4.28 LKR 1,419

-61.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$1.27 LKR 420

18.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$1.03 LKR 342

25.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$0.84 LKR 278

32.14%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.95 LKR 315

-24.21%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.46 LKR 152

15.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$10.07 LKR 3,336

-57.20%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$12.67 LKR 4,196

41.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$1.87 LKR 620

-15.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$3.05 LKR 1,011

-6.89%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$0.37 LKR 124

227.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.38 LKR 125

50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

$0.95 LKR 314

147.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$1.32 LKR 437

9.09%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$43.3K LKR 14.3M

-52.15%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$40.9K LKR 13.5M

-34.43%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$58.5 LKR 19.4K

6.57%

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

$12.11 ฿405

$4.38 LKR 1,449

176.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$21.16 LKR 7,007

-5.77%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$4.61 LKR 1,527

41.00%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

$37.15 LKR 12.3K

2033.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

$1,227 LKR 406.4K

1106.75%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$18.26 LKR 6,049

194.30%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$16.69 LKR 5,528

47.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$78.1 LKR 25.9K

16.34%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$42.00 LKR 13.9K

69.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

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 17, 2026

Last update for Hatton: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Hatton

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Hatton

$236 46.7% 0.3% $0.8

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Hatton

$70 13.8% 35.5% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Hatton

$84 16.6% 11% $10

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Hatton

$104 20.6% 32.5% $26

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Hatton

$2.3 * 0.5% 96.3% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Hatton

$9.2 * 1.8% 81.6% $41

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $25.00 in Hatton. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $236 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇱🇰 Hatton

🕒 Local time

17:19 5:19 PM

15:49 3:49 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

16,200

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 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 October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Hatton 2,390 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Hatton

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 Hatton: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 83% more than Hatton, 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $759 in Hatton. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai and $25.00 in Hatton. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 0% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Hatton, where all-in costs run around $506, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Hatton it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Hatton costs $506 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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