Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Nuwara Eliya Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Nuwara Eliya

😐 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 23.3% more expensive than Nuwara Eliya without rent, and 68.4% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 2.6% cheaper than Nuwara Eliya without rent, and 51.2% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.01 ฿64.4

$3.91 LKR 1,234

-48.59%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.23 ฿583

$25.35 LKR 7,999

-28.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.65 ฿244

$8.50 LKR 2,682

-10.00%

Cappuccino

$1.92 ฿61.3

$2.64 LKR 832

-27.27%

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

$0.84 ฿26.90

$0.69 LKR 219

21.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 ฿11.39

$0.41 LKR 129

-12.20%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.19 ฿70.0

$2.35 LKR 742

-6.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.79 ฿121

$3.36 LKR 1,061

12.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 ฿52.4

$1.78 LKR 561

-7.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.62 ฿51.8

$0.52 LKR 164

211.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 ฿36.88

$0.82 LKR 259

40.24%

Eggs

$1.94 ฿62.0

$2.22 LKR 700

-12.61%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.94 ฿510

$14.21 LKR 4,483

12.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.10 ฿99.2

$4.74 LKR 1,496

-34.60%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.07 ฿354

$8.20 LKR 2,588

35.00%

Apples (1kg)

$2.71 ฿86.5

$7.40 LKR 2,334

-63.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.18 ฿37.69

$1.12 LKR 352

5.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.71 ฿54.5

$5.74 LKR 1,812

-70.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 ฿51.3

$1.25 LKR 393

28.80%

Potato (1kg)

$1.39 ฿44.53

$1.12 LKR 353

24.11%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 ฿36.70

$1.42 LKR 448

-19.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿22.76

$1.20 LKR 379

-40.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿17.60

$0.59 LKR 187

-6.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.57 ฿146

$9.98 LKR 3,149

-54.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.87 ฿603

$12.44 LKR 3,925

51.69%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.82 ฿58.2

$2.07 LKR 652

-12.08%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 ฿103

$2.85 LKR 901

12.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ฿28.16

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.89 ฿604

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.41 ฿45.17

$0.38 LKR 121

271.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.30 ฿41.59

$0.36 LKR 112

261.11%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.20 ฿262

$0.61 LKR 192

1244.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.23 ฿39.18

$1.20 LKR 378

2.50%

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

$21.2K ฿677.0K

$26.7K LKR 8.4M

-20.74%

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

$22.3K ฿713.3K

$34.7K LKR 10.9M

-35.66%

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

$69.9 ฿2,234

$59.7 LKR 18.8K

17.02%

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

$14.07 ฿450

$4.23 LKR 1,335

232.62%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.70 ฿566

$14.91 LKR 4,705

18.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.41 ฿1,324

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.69 ฿214

Cinema Ticket

$5.74 ฿184

$3.33 LKR 1,050

72.37%

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

$299 ฿9,566

$37.40 LKR 11.8K

700.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.0K ฿479.8K

$434 LKR 136.9K

3359.82%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.8 ฿1,753

$27.57 LKR 8,698

98.84%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$26.35 ฿842

$19.44 LKR 6,133

35.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.7 ฿2,706

$68.7 LKR 21.7K

23.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$69.7 ฿2,229

$38.02 LKR 12.0K

83.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$427 ฿13.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 ฿7,697

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 ฿25.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$498 ฿15.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,022 ฿64.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,524 ฿48.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$639 ฿20.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.45

-69.60%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: April 13, 2026

Last update for Nuwara Eliya: April 13, 2026

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 other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

Minsk

🇧🇾 Belarus

Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon)

🇻🇳 Vietnam

Jakarta

🇮🇩 Indonesia

Curitiba

🇧🇷 Brazil

Bishkek

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

Brasilia

🇧🇷 Brazil

Belo Horizonte

🇧🇷 Brazil