Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kolonnawa

For one person, living is cheaper in Kolonnawa: $488 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Kolonnawa
Learn more

Kolonnawa Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Kolonnawa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$488

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $488 in Kolonnawa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Kolonnawa $488

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $794 in Kolonnawa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Kolonnawa $794

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,100 in Kolonnawa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Kolonnawa $1,100

Chiang Mai costs about 92% more than Kolonnawa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Kolonnawa are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Kolonnawa 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$3.87 LKR 1,285

-42.12%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$25.33 LKR 8,422

-24.99%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.38 LKR 2,453

-24.80%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.45 LKR 816

-31.84%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.71 LKR 236

-9.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.25 LKR 82.6

24.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.16 LKR 718

9.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.06 LKR 1,018

19.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.56 LKR 519

25.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.53 LKR 178

171.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$0.58 LKR 192

129.31%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.66 LKR 551

37.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$10.53 LKR 3,502

56.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.63 LKR 1,539

-39.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.32 LKR 2,433

27.19%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$6.75 LKR 2,243

-65.19%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$0.85 LKR 281

14.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$4.43 LKR 1,472

-63.88%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.32 LKR 439

13.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.04 LKR 347

23.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.77 LKR 255

42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.93 LKR 308

-23.66%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.43 LKR 142

13.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$10.34 LKR 3,436

-59.96%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$10.50 LKR 3,489

66.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.77 LKR 588

-9.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.22 LKR 738

25.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.16 LKR 53.2

443.75%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.40 LKR 134

190.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.35 LKR 116

51.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$0.93 LKR 308

160.22%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.33 LKR 442

9.02%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$43.9K LKR 14.6M

-51.98%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$41.1K LKR 13.7M

-34.47%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$59.6 LKR 19.8K

4.35%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$4.20 LKR 1,397

189.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$20.66 LKR 6,870

-2.61%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.65 LKR 1,546

39.57%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$37.35 LKR 12.4K

1870.95%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$1,188 LKR 394.9K

1143.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$18.07 LKR 6,007

195.35%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$16.73 LKR 5,562

47.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$80.1 LKR 26.6K

14.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$41.69 LKR 13.9K

72.56%

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 Kolonnawa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Kolonnawa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Kolonnawa

$217 44.6% 7.2% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Kolonnawa

$70 14.5% 35.1% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kolonnawa

$84 17.3% 10.6% $10

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Kolonnawa

$103 21.2% 33.1% $26

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Kolonnawa

$2.8 * 0.6% 95.5% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Kolonnawa

$9.3 * 1.9% 81.5% $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 Kolonnawa. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $217 in Kolonnawa – so Kolonnawa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇱🇰 Kolonnawa

🕒 Local time

02:36 2:36 AM

01:06 1:06 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

64,800

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Chiang Mai
Kolonnawa

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 Kolonnawa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 92% more than Kolonnawa, 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 $732 in Kolonnawa. 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 Kolonnawa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kolonnawa, where all-in costs run around $488, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Kolonnawa 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. Kolonnawa costs $488 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.