Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ragama

For one person, living is cheaper in Ragama: $502 a month against $936 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 Ragama
Learn more

Ragama Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Ragama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$502

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $502 in Ragama, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Ragama $502

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $816 in Ragama, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Ragama $816

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,129 in Ragama, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Ragama $1,129

Chiang Mai costs about 86% more than Ragama, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$3.89 LKR 1,294

-42.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$25.24 LKR 8,390

-24.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.42 LKR 2,467

-25.20%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.45 LKR 815

-31.84%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.73 LKR 243

-12.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.27 LKR 90.2

14.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.26 LKR 750

4.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.01 LKR 1,000

21.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$1.43 LKR 474

36.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.50 LKR 165

188.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$0.68 LKR 227

95.59%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.66 LKR 551

37.35%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$14.02 LKR 4,660

17.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.82 LKR 1,603

-42.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$7.40 LKR 2,460

25.81%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$6.56 LKR 2,180

-64.18%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$0.81 LKR 270

19.75%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$4.32 LKR 1,435

-62.96%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.32 LKR 437

13.64%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.04 LKR 345

23.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.77 LKR 255

42.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.92 LKR 306

-22.83%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.45 LKR 150

8.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$10.17 LKR 3,380

-59.29%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$12.95 LKR 4,304

35.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.91 LKR 636

-15.71%

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

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.38 LKR 126

205.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.35 LKR 115

51.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$0.87 LKR 288

178.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.34 LKR 444

8.21%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$44.0K LKR 14.6M

-52.18%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$39.9K LKR 13.3M

-32.54%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$58.0 LKR 19.3K

7.17%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$4.24 LKR 1,409

187.03%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$20.84 LKR 6,927

-3.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$4.42 LKR 1,471

46.83%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$37.33 LKR 12.4K

1872.01%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$1,217 LKR 404.6K

1113.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$18.43 LKR 6,126

189.58%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$16.62 LKR 5,526

48.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$79.4 LKR 26.4K

15.20%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$42.13 LKR 14.0K

70.76%

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 Ragama: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Ragama

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Ragama

$234 46.5% 0.3% $0.7

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Ragama

$70 14% 35.1% $38

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Ragama

$83 16.5% 12% $11

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Ragama

$104 20.7% 34.2% $27

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Ragama

$2.1 * 0.4% 96.6% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Ragama

$8.9 * 1.8% 82.4% $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 Ragama. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇱🇰 Ragama

🕒 Local time

06:05 6:05 AM

04:35 4:35 AM

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 = 2.96 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 Ragama 2,440 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Ragama

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 Ragama: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 86% more than Ragama, 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 $753 in Ragama. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $936 in Chiang Mai and $502 in Ragama. That makes Ragama about 46% cheaper.

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

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $502 in Ragama, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $502 in Ragama to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.