Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Polonnaruwa

For one person, living is cheaper in Polonnaruwa: $510 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 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 Polonnaruwa
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Polonnaruwa Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Polonnaruwa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$510

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $510 in Polonnaruwa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Polonnaruwa $510

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $829 in Polonnaruwa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Polonnaruwa $829

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,148 in Polonnaruwa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Polonnaruwa $1,148

Chiang Mai costs about 83% more than Polonnaruwa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Polonnaruwa are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Polonnaruwa 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$3.89 LKR 1,294

-45.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$25.28 LKR 8,410

-26.34%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$7.32 LKR 2,435

-23.50%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.56 LKR 850

-35.16%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$0.69 LKR 228

-5.80%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$0.27 LKR 89.8

11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$2.17 LKR 721

6.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$2.98 LKR 990

23.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$1.58 LKR 526

27.85%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$0.54 LKR 178

161.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$0.81 LKR 269

71.60%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$1.70 LKR 567

39.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$15.24 LKR 5,069

8.40%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$4.93 LKR 1,639

-45.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$7.66 LKR 2,547

17.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$6.48 LKR 2,156

-62.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$0.81 LKR 269

28.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$4.25 LKR 1,414

-60.94%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.27 LKR 423

22.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$1.04 LKR 345

19.23%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$0.77 LKR 255

41.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$1.26 LKR 419

-39.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$0.42 LKR 139

21.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$10.10 LKR 3,358

-59.21%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$13.57 LKR 4,513

32.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$1.87 LKR 622

-13.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$2.98 LKR 990

-5.37%

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 124

218.92%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.31 LKR 102

-45.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$0.86 LKR 285

110.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$1.32 LKR 439

11.36%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$44.4K LKR 14.8M

-52.71%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$45.5K LKR 15.1M

-41.77%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$58.0 LKR 19.3K

7.90%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$4.27 LKR 1,419

171.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$20.36 LKR 6,772

-0.29%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$4.60 LKR 1,532

41.52%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$40.23 LKR 13.4K

1707.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$17.1K LKR 5.7M

-3.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$18.01 LKR 5,989

197.28%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$17.32 LKR 5,761

43.19%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$78.8 LKR 26.2K

14.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$41.05 LKR 13.7K

75.32%

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

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 Polonnaruwa: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Polonnaruwa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Polonnaruwa

$242 47.5% 2.4% $5.7

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Polonnaruwa

$70 13.7% 35.5% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Polonnaruwa

$83 16.2% 12.6% $12

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Polonnaruwa

$104 20.5% 36.3% $28

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Polonnaruwa

$1.9 * 0.4% 96.8% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Polonnaruwa

$9.2 * 1.8% 81.9% $42

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 Polonnaruwa. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $237 vs $242 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇱🇰 Polonnaruwa

🕒 Local time

17:29 5:29 PM

15:59 3:59 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

15,000

💱 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 Polonnaruwa 2,290 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Polonnaruwa

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 Polonnaruwa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 83% more than Polonnaruwa, 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 $765 in Polonnaruwa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $935 in Chiang Mai and $510 in Polonnaruwa. That makes Polonnaruwa about 45% cheaper.

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

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Polonnaruwa, where all-in costs run around $510, than in Chiang Mai at $935. In Polonnaruwa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $510 in Polonnaruwa 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.