Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Horana

For one person, living is cheaper in Horana: $456 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 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
22

Cost of Living Index in Horana
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Horana Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Horana

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$456

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $456 in Horana, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Horana $456

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $735 in Horana, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Horana $735

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,014 in Horana, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Horana $1,014

Chiang Mai costs about 105% more than Horana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Horana are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Horana 67% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$1.84 LKR 611

21.74%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$24.86 LKR 8,265

-23.57%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.47 LKR 2,484

-25.70%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.52 LKR 838

-33.73%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.59 LKR 195

8.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.22 LKR 73.3

40.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.25 LKR 747

4.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.07 LKR 1,021

19.22%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.55 LKR 516

25.81%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.43 LKR 143

234.88%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$0.61 LKR 204

118.03%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.69 LKR 562

34.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$13.86 LKR 4,608

18.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.99 LKR 1,327

-30.33%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.44 LKR 2,472

25.13%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.37 LKR 787

-0.84%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$0.34 LKR 115

185.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$4.26 LKR 1,418

-62.44%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.34 LKR 445

11.94%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.65 LKR 216

96.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.69 LKR 230

59.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.95 LKR 316

-25.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.46 LKR 153

6.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$10.20 LKR 3,389

-59.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$12.91 LKR 4,292

35.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.88 LKR 625

-14.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.03 LKR 1,008

-8.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.38 LKR 125

205.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.37 LKR 124

43.24%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$0.94 LKR 313

157.45%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.32 LKR 437

9.85%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$43.2K LKR 14.3M

-51.21%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$39.9K LKR 13.3M

-32.44%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$58.2 LKR 19.4K

6.77%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$3.02 LKR 1,004

302.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$20.80 LKR 6,914

-3.27%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.55 LKR 1,511

42.64%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$38.12 LKR 12.7K

1831.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$1,188 LKR 395.0K

1142.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$17.79 LKR 5,915

200.00%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$16.33 LKR 5,430

50.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$79.7 LKR 26.5K

14.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$41.70 LKR 13.9K

72.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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 Horana: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Horana

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Horana

$205 44.9% 12.7% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Horana

$70 15.4% 35.6% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Horana

$82 18% 13.1% $12

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Horana

$88 19.3% 13.4% $10

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Horana

$2.2 * 0.5% 96.3% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Horana

$9.1 * 2% 81.9% $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 $19 in Chiang Mai versus $25 in Horana. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $205 in Horana – so Horana wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇱🇰 Horana

🕒 Local time

02:04 2:04 AM

00:34 12:34 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

15,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Horana

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 Horana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 105% more than Horana, 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 $684 in Horana. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

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

Groceries cost about 15% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $456 in Horana to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.