Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kurunegala

For one person, living is cheaper in Kurunegala: $498 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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 Kurunegala
Learn more

Kurunegala Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Kurunegala

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$498

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $498 in Kurunegala, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Kurunegala $498

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $807 in Kurunegala, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Kurunegala $807

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,116 in Kurunegala, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Kurunegala $1,116

Chiang Mai costs about 88% more than Kurunegala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Kurunegala are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Kurunegala 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$1.83 LKR 610

16.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$24.67 LKR 8,207

-24.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$7.47 LKR 2,484

-25.03%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.56 LKR 853

-35.16%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$0.67 LKR 223

-2.99%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$0.27 LKR 89.9

11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$2.18 LKR 724

6.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$3.00 LKR 997

22.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$1.58 LKR 526

27.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$0.56 LKR 187

151.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$0.75 LKR 248

85.33%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$1.66 LKR 551

42.77%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$15.58 LKR 5,181

6.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$5.09 LKR 1,694

-47.54%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$7.78 LKR 2,588

15.94%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$6.54 LKR 2,177

-63.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$0.87 LKR 291

19.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$4.15 LKR 1,379

-60.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.34 LKR 445

16.42%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$1.08 LKR 358

14.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$0.83 LKR 277

31.33%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$1.20 LKR 400

-36.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$0.46 LKR 152

10.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$10.12 LKR 3,367

-59.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$13.58 LKR 4,517

32.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$1.98 LKR 657

-18.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$2.86 LKR 950

-1.40%

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

$0.37 LKR 125

218.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.30 LKR 101

-43.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$0.94 LKR 314

92.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$0.95 LKR 315

54.74%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$43.1K LKR 14.3M

-51.28%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$44.8K LKR 14.9M

-40.83%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$58.1 LKR 19.3K

7.71%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$4.31 LKR 1,434

169.14%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$20.95 LKR 6,969

-3.10%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$4.49 LKR 1,492

44.99%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$39.43 LKR 13.1K

1743.80%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$16.9K LKR 5.6M

-2.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$18.04 LKR 6,001

196.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$17.71 LKR 5,890

40.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

16.42%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$40.86 LKR 13.6K

76.14%

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

$152 LKR 50.7K

290.39%

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 Kurunegala: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Kurunegala

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Kurunegala

$246 49.4% 3.8% $9.1

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Kurunegala

$69 13.9% 35.9% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kurunegala

$83 16.7% 11.8% $11

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Kurunegala

$88 17.8% 15.6% $12

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Kurunegala

$1.9 * 0.4% 96.8% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Kurunegala

$9 * 1.8% 82.4% $42

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 3.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $25 in Kurunegala. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $246 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇱🇰 Kurunegala

🕒 Local time

16:45 4:45 PM

15:15 3:15 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

30,300

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Kurunegala 2,370 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kurunegala

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 Kurunegala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 88% more than Kurunegala, 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 $747 in Kurunegala. 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 Kurunegala. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $498 in Kurunegala to $935 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Kurunegala. 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.