Comparación del coste de vida entre Chiang Mai y Kataragama Comparación del coste de vida entre Chiang Mai y Kataragama

Monthly Cost of Living

A single person spends $852 per month in Chiang Mai vs $518 in Kataragama, rent included.

A couple spends around $1,354 per month in Chiang Mai vs $856 in Kataragama, rent included.

A family of three spends $1,857 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,194 in Kataragama, rent included.

Chiang Mai costs about 65% more than Kataragama, driven mainly by Sport & Entertainment.

Both Chiang Mai and Kataragama are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 36% lower, Kataragama 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.96 ฿64.0

$3.97 LKR 1,266

-50.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.81 ฿615

$25.22 LKR 8,043

-25.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.92 ฿259

$8.58 LKR 2,735

-7.69%

Cappuccino

$1.91 ฿62.6

$2.64 LKR 841

-27.65%

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

$0.84 ฿27.41

$0.69 LKR 219

21.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.35 ฿11.51

$0.37 LKR 119

-5.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 ฿72.1

$2.38 LKR 758

-7.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.80 ฿124

$3.45 LKR 1,100

10.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ฿53.5

$1.69 LKR 539

-2.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ฿53.1

$0.52 LKR 165

211.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 ฿38.62

$0.83 LKR 264

42.17%

Eggs

$2.01 ฿65.8

$2.15 LKR 685

-6.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.89 ฿520

$14.04 LKR 4,477

13.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.01 ฿98.5

$4.55 LKR 1,452

-33.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.77 ฿352

$8.06 LKR 2,571

33.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.61 ฿85.5

$7.64 LKR 2,436

-65.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 ฿39.88

$1.06 LKR 339

15.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.70 ฿55.7

$5.74 LKR 1,832

-70.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 ฿51.5

$1.21 LKR 387

30.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.32 ฿43.14

$1.11 LKR 353

18.92%

Onion (1kg)

$1.17 ฿38.23

$1.36 LKR 434

-13.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.67 ฿21.98

$1.19 LKR 380

-43.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.56 ฿18.32

$0.56 LKR 178

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.53 ฿148

$10.24 LKR 3,266

-55.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.20 ฿595

$12.61 LKR 4,023

44.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.83 ฿60.0

$2.06 LKR 657

-11.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.23 ฿106

$2.84 LKR 907

13.73%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 ฿29.00

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$19.38 ฿634

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.35 ฿44.20

$0.42 LKR 133

221.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.35 ฿44.05

$0.33 LKR 105

309.09%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.25 ฿270

$0.57 LKR 181

1347.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 ฿41.64

$1.21 LKR 387

4.96%

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

$21.2K ฿691.8K

$26.8K LKR 8.5M

-21.01%

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

$22.5K ฿735.3K

$34.8K LKR 11.1M

-35.39%

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

$70.2 ฿2,294

$61.0 LKR 19.4K

15.09%

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

$13.77 ฿450

$4.44 LKR 1,414

210.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.60 ฿575

$14.86 LKR 4,738

18.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.57 ฿1,360

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.60 ฿216

Cinema Ticket

$5.78 ฿189

$3.31 LKR 1,057

74.62%

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

$306 ฿10.0K

$36.74 LKR 11.7K

733.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿484.8K

$444 LKR 141.7K

3235.64%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.4 ฿1,778

$27.64 LKR 8,813

96.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.14 ฿855

$19.74 LKR 6,295

32.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.5 ฿2,764

$68.6 LKR 21.9K

23.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.4 ฿2,270

$38.91 LKR 12.4K

78.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$424 ฿13.9K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$238 ฿7,788

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$825 ฿27.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$515 ฿16.8K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,049 ฿67.0K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,523 ฿49.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$635 ฿20.8K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.45

-69.60%

Los datos de CityCost se basan en IA y aportaciones de usuarios. Puede haber pequeñas variaciones.

Última actualización para Chiang Mai: April 27, 2026

Última actualización para Kataragama: April 26, 2026

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $25.00 in Kataragama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $243 vs $255 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Comparación de velocidades medias de internet por ciudad (actualizado April 2026)

El gráfico resalta el umbral de precisión para velocidades de internet móvil y fija, actualizado trimestralmente.

Índice del coste de vida para nómadas digitales

Chiang Mai vs Kataragama: Coste de vida - preguntas frecuentes

Chiang Mai costs about 65% more than Kataragama, with the gap driven mainly by Sport & Entertainment. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,278 per month in Chiang Mai and $776 in Kataragama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $25.00 in Kataragama. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 5% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

$800 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $852 in Chiang Mai and $518 in Kataragama, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kataragama costs $518 versus $852 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 Kataragama. 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.