Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kalutara

For one person, living is cheaper in Kalutara: $612 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Kalutara
Learn more

Kalutara Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Kalutara

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$612

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $612 in Kalutara, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Kalutara $612

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $896 in Kalutara, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Kalutara $896

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,179 in Kalutara, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Kalutara $1,179

Chiang Mai costs about 53% more than Kalutara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Kalutara are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Kalutara 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$3.86 LKR 1,285

-44.82%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿623

$24.82 LKR 8,252

-24.98%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿187

$7.38 LKR 2,453

-24.12%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.43 LKR 807

-31.69%

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

$0.65 ฿21.63

$0.68 LKR 228

-4.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.20

$0.25 LKR 82.5

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.7

$2.26 LKR 752

2.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$2.98 LKR 991

23.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.4

$1.62 LKR 537

24.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.08

$0.54 LKR 179

161.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.54

$0.75 LKR 249

85.33%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.2

$1.68 LKR 560

41.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿552

$15.02 LKR 4,994

9.99%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.3

$4.98 LKR 1,655

-46.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$7.47 LKR 2,485

20.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.2

$6.67 LKR 2,216

-64.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.82

$0.87 LKR 290

19.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.5

$4.10 LKR 1,363

-59.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.1

$1.33 LKR 441

17.29%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.39

$1.08 LKR 358

14.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.34

$0.84 LKR 279

29.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.47

$1.21 LKR 402

-37.19%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.19

$0.46 LKR 152

10.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$10.41 LKR 3,460

-60.42%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿600

$13.48 LKR 4,483

33.01%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$1.95 LKR 649

-16.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.4

$2.95 LKR 980

-4.41%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.25

$0.13 LKR 44.22

615.38%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,769

$9.00 LKR 2,993

487.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.35

$0.37 LKR 123

218.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.73

$0.18 LKR 58.6

-5.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.6

$0.94 LKR 313

92.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.25

$1.38 LKR 459

6.52%

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

$21.0K ฿702.6K

$44.4K LKR 14.8M

-52.65%

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

$26.5K ฿886.7K

$44.8K LKR 14.9M

-40.83%

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

$62.6 ฿2,092

$56.8 LKR 18.9K

10.16%

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

$11.60 ฿388

$4.19 LKR 1,393

176.85%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿679

$21.12 LKR 7,023

-3.88%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,267

$9.19 LKR 3,056

312.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$4.61 LKR 1,533

41.21%

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$40.52 LKR 13.5K

1694.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿554.2K

$17.1K LKR 5.7M

-2.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,790

$17.99 LKR 5,980

197.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿829

$17.26 LKR 5,740

43.68%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,023

$77.9 LKR 25.9K

16.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,407

$40.87 LKR 13.6K

76.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$85.5 LKR 28.4K

262.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

12.5

-55.44%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Kalutara: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Kalutara

$86 14% 72.4% $224

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Kalutara

$243 39.7% 2.7% $6.5

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Kalutara

$69 11.3% 36% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kalutara

$82 13.4% 13.1% $12

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Kalutara

$103 16.9% 34.7% $27

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Kalutara

$11 1.8% 81.6% $48

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Kalutara

$18 3% 63.8% $32

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $25 in Kalutara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $243 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇱🇰 Kalutara

🕒 Local time

00:43 12:43 AM

23:13 11:13 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

39,600

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 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 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.56 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 373 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Kalutara 2,470 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kalutara

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 Kalutara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 53% more than Kalutara, 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 $919 in Kalutara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Kindergarten costs $727 per month in Chiang Mai and $41 in Kalutara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kalutara, where all-in costs run around $612, than in Chiang Mai at $935. In Kalutara 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. Kalutara costs $612 versus $935 in Chiang Mai. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.