Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kandy

For one person, living is cheaper in Kandy: $513 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Kandy
Learn more

Kandy Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Kandy

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$513

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $513 in Kandy, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Kandy $513

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $728 in Kandy, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Kandy $728

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $943 in Kandy, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Kandy $943

Chiang Mai costs about 82% more than Kandy, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$2.66 LKR 885

-15.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$13.01 LKR 4,324

46.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$6.00 LKR 1,996

-7.50%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.90 LKR 632

-12.11%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.52 LKR 174

23.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.26 LKR 87.1

19.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.86 LKR 620

26.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.80 LKR 931

30.71%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.15 LKR 382

69.57%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.52 LKR 174

176.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$0.77 LKR 255

72.73%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.71 LKR 568

33.33%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$5.14 LKR 1,708

220.04%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.25 LKR 1,412

-34.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$6.87 LKR 2,285

35.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$3.14 LKR 1,043

-25.16%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$0.84 LKR 280

15.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.73 LKR 574

-7.51%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.29 LKR 429

16.28%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.02 LKR 339

25.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.83 LKR 277

32.53%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.43 LKR 144

65.12%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.42 LKR 140

16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$8.02 LKR 2,668

-48.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$11.28 LKR 3,751

55.32%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.93 LKR 643

-16.58%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.08 LKR 691

33.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.16 LKR 53.3

443.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$4.38 LKR 1,457

1134.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.41 LKR 136

182.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.35 LKR 116

51.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$0.47 LKR 156

414.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.15 LKR 383

26.09%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$14.0K LKR 4.6M

50.68%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$36.7K LKR 12.2M

-26.68%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$59.0 LKR 19.6K

5.36%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$3.86 LKR 1,282

215.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$12.72 LKR 4,227

58.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$10.85 LKR 3,606

243.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$6.80 LKR 2,262

-44.56%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$2.74 LKR 909

136.86%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$21.65 LKR 7,199

3300.23%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$304 LKR 101.0K

4761.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$18.28 LKR 6,078

191.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$10.15 LKR 3,375

142.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$67.7 LKR 22.5K

35.15%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$26.56 LKR 8,831

170.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$172 LKR 57.2K

180.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$113 LKR 37.5K

173.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$172 LKR 57.2K

484.43%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$93.6 LKR 31.1K

576.61%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$397 LKR 131.9K

495.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$400 LKR 133.0K

297.09%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$262 LKR 86.9K

125.52%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-53.58%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kandy: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Kandy

$113 22% 63.5% $196

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Kandy

$166 32.3% 29.2% $68

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Kandy

$55 10.8% 49.2% $53

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kandy

$76 14.7% 20% $19

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Kandy

$80 15.6% 3.4% $2.6

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Kandy

$7.2 1.4% 88.3% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Kandy

$16 3.2% 67.5% $34

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $172 in Kandy. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $13 in Kandy. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $166 – making Kandy the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇱🇰 Kandy

🕒 Local time

05:10 5:10 AM

03:40 3:40 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

125,000

💱 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

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Kandy 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kandy

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 Kandy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 82% more than Kandy, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $770 in Kandy. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kandy, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $172 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $22 in Kandy. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kandy costs $513 versus $936 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.

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