Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Matara

For one person, living is cheaper in Matara: $576 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Matara
Learn more

Matara Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Matara

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$576

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $576 in Matara, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Matara $576

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $839 in Matara, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Matara $839

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,102 in Matara, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Matara $1,102

Chiang Mai costs about 62% more than Matara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Matara are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Matara 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$3.73 LKR 1,241

-39.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$24.54 LKR 8,159

-22.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.53 LKR 2,503

-26.29%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.44 LKR 810

-31.56%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.67 LKR 222

-4.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.25 LKR 83.1

24.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.23 LKR 741

5.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.06 LKR 1,017

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 177

171.70%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$0.76 LKR 253

75.00%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.53 LKR 509

49.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$13.58 LKR 4,514

21.13%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.84 LKR 1,609

-42.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.26 LKR 2,415

28.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$6.71 LKR 2,230

-64.98%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$0.43 LKR 142

125.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$4.46 LKR 1,481

-64.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$0.91 LKR 302

64.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.92 LKR 306

39.13%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.58 LKR 193

89.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.89 LKR 295

-20.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.46 LKR 151

6.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$9.85 LKR 3,276

-57.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$12.94 LKR 4,303

35.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.79 LKR 596

-10.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.00 LKR 997

-7.33%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.31 LKR 104

180.65%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.40 LKR 133

190.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.35 LKR 115

51.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$0.95 LKR 317

154.74%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.38 LKR 458

5.07%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$44.2K LKR 14.7M

-52.40%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$41.3K LKR 13.7M

-34.83%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$46.17 LKR 15.4K

34.65%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$4.22 LKR 1,403

188.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$20.99 LKR 6,977

-4.14%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.60 LKR 1,530

41.09%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$38.17 LKR 12.7K

1828.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$1,204 LKR 400.4K

1125.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$18.04 LKR 5,997

195.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$16.90 LKR 5,618

45.80%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$78.9 LKR 26.2K

15.94%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$41.70 LKR 13.9K

72.52%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$179 LKR 59.6K

169.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$90.1 LKR 30.0K

242.90%

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

$105 LKR 34.8K

463.69%

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 Matara: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Matara

$90 15.7% 70.8% $219

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Matara

$229 39.8% 2.2% $5.3

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Matara

$70 12.2% 35.6% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Matara

$71 12.4% 24.4% $23

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Matara

$103 17.8% 32.3% $25

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Matara

$3.4 * 0.6% 94.5% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Matara

$9.2 * 1.6% 81.7% $41

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $179 in Matara. 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 5.6 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 Matara. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $229 in Matara – so Matara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇱🇰 Matara

🕒 Local time

04:51 4:51 AM

03:21 3:21 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

100,000

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Matara 2,460 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Matara

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 Matara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 62% more than Matara, 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 $864 in Matara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Matara, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $179 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $576 in Matara. That makes Matara about 38% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $25 in Matara. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Families tend to lean toward Matara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Matara. 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.