Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kandana

For one person, living is cheaper in Kandana: $509 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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 Kandana
Learn more

Kandana Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Kandana

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$509

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $509 in Kandana, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Kandana $509

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $827 in Kandana, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Kandana $827

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,145 in Kandana, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Kandana $1,145

Chiang Mai costs about 84% more than Kandana, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Kandana are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Kandana 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$3.76 LKR 1,252

-43.35%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$25.18 LKR 8,377

-26.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$7.45 LKR 2,477

-24.83%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.43 LKR 808

-31.69%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$0.72 LKR 238

-9.72%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$0.27 LKR 90.6

11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$2.18 LKR 726

6.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$3.08 LKR 1,025

19.16%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$1.58 LKR 526

27.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$0.54 LKR 178

161.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$0.75 LKR 248

85.33%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$1.65 LKR 549

43.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$15.19 LKR 5,051

8.76%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$4.88 LKR 1,622

-45.29%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$7.76 LKR 2,581

16.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$6.73 LKR 2,238

-64.34%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$0.82 LKR 273

26.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$4.11 LKR 1,368

-59.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.28 LKR 426

21.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$1.03 LKR 343

20.39%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$0.82 LKR 271

32.93%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$1.24 LKR 413

-38.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$0.46 LKR 152

10.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$10.16 LKR 3,378

-59.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$13.42 LKR 4,464

33.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$1.87 LKR 623

-13.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$2.97 LKR 988

-5.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$0.38 LKR 126

210.53%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.33 LKR 111

-48.48%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$0.86 LKR 288

110.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$1.37 LKR 457

7.30%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$44.2K LKR 14.7M

-52.44%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$45.5K LKR 15.1M

-41.75%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$57.5 LKR 19.1K

8.89%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$4.30 LKR 1,430

169.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$20.55 LKR 6,835

-1.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$4.45 LKR 1,480

46.29%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$40.32 LKR 13.4K

1703.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$17.2K LKR 5.7M

-3.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$18.24 LKR 6,065

193.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$17.49 LKR 5,817

41.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$79.9 LKR 26.6K

13.13%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$40.94 LKR 13.6K

75.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

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 Kandana: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Kandana

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Kandana

$243 47.7% 2.6% $6.1

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Kandana

$70 13.8% 35% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kandana

$82 16.2% 12.9% $12

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Kandana

$103 20.2% 34% $26

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Kandana

$2.1 * 0.4% 96.5% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Kandana

$8.9 * 1.8% 82.5% $42

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 Kandana. 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

🇱🇰 Kandana

🕒 Local time

16:45 4:45 PM

15:15 3:15 PM

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 = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 374 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Kandana 2,440 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kandana

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 Kandana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 84% more than Kandana, 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 $764 in Kandana. 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 Kandana. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

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

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kandana costs $509 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.