Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ratnapura

For one person, living is cheaper in Ratnapura: $477 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Ratnapura
Learn more

Ratnapura Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Ratnapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$477

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $925 per month in Chiang Mai vs $477 in Ratnapura, rent included.

Chiang Mai $925
Ratnapura $477

A couple spends around $1,414 per month in Chiang Mai vs $766 in Ratnapura, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,414
Ratnapura $766

A family of three spends $1,903 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,056 in Ratnapura, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,903
Ratnapura $1,056

Chiang Mai costs about 94% more than Ratnapura, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Ratnapura are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 32% lower, Ratnapura 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.29 ฿76.5

$1.98 LKR 654

15.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.64 ฿656

$9.04 LKR 2,994

117.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.61 ฿188

$5.96 LKR 1,974

-5.87%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.12 LKR 704

-21.70%

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

$0.70 ฿23.40

$0.75 LKR 247

-6.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.24

$0.47 LKR 156

-34.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.41 ฿80.4

$1.94 LKR 644

24.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.71 ฿124

$2.67 LKR 883

38.95%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.3

$1.85 LKR 614

5.41%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.03

$0.78 LKR 259

80.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.62

$0.61 LKR 204

114.75%

Eggs

$2.18 ฿72.9

$1.06 LKR 353

105.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.65 ฿556

$14.90 LKR 4,934

11.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.76 ฿92.2

$6.25 LKR 2,071

-55.84%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.11 ฿304

$15.90 LKR 5,266

-42.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.39 ฿80.0

$4.27 LKR 1,416

-44.03%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 ฿34.26

$0.74 LKR 245

39.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$4.35 LKR 1,441

-62.53%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.0

$0.95 LKR 314

57.89%

Potato (1kg)

$1.29 ฿43.13

$1.00 LKR 332

29.00%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.03

$1.38 LKR 457

-19.57%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.08

$0.46 LKR 151

56.52%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.53 ฿17.59

$0.43 LKR 142

23.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.31 ฿144

$13.09 LKR 4,337

-67.07%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.95 ฿600

$12.86 LKR 4,261

39.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.58 ฿52.9

$2.02 LKR 668

-21.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.84 ฿95.0

$2.79 LKR 925

1.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

$0.34 LKR 114

152.94%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.21 ฿40.29

$0.35 LKR 115

245.71%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿18.99

$0.43 LKR 143

32.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 ฿47.96

$0.91 LKR 302

58.24%

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

$20.7K ฿692.8K

$19.8K LKR 6.6M

4.77%

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

$26.8K ฿895.7K

$19.5K LKR 6.5M

37.29%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

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

$12.11 ฿405

$2.07 LKR 686

485.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.94 ฿666

$7.38 LKR 2,445

170.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

$8.94 LKR 2,963

314.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.50 ฿217

$2.40 LKR 793

170.83%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 ฿1,796

$10.42 LKR 3,452

415.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.62 ฿823

$7.54 LKR 2,497

226.53%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.9 ฿3,036

$83.1 LKR 27.5K

9.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.1 ฿2,378

$25.42 LKR 8,419

179.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

$75.7 LKR 25.1K

501.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

$55.3 LKR 18.3K

438.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

$86.1 LKR 28.5K

543.27%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$591 ฿19.7K

$172 LKR 57.0K

243.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Last update for Ratnapura: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

Ratnapura

$55 11.6% 81.4% $243

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5%

Ratnapura

$259 54.2% 9.9% $23

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7%

Ratnapura

$57 11.9% 47.4% $51

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2%

Ratnapura

$9.5 * 2% 90% $85

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5%

Ratnapura

$79 16.6% 0.6% $0.5

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Ratnapura

$3.9 * 0.8% 93.6% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Ratnapura

$14 2.9% 72.6% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $455 in Chiang Mai versus $75.7 in Ratnapura. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 243% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $20.00 in Chiang Mai versus $9.00 in Ratnapura. Groceries tell a different story – $235 in Chiang Mai vs $259 in Ratnapura – so Chiang Mai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇱🇰 Ratnapura

🕒 Local time

19:45 7:45 PM

18:15 6:15 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

52,100

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Ratnapura 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Ratnapura

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 Ratnapura: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 94% more than Ratnapura, 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 $1,388 per month in Chiang Mai and $716 in Ratnapura. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ratnapura, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $925 in Chiang Mai and $477 in Ratnapura. That's a gap of about 94%.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ratnapura, where all-in costs run around $477, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Ratnapura it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ratnapura costs $477 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ratnapura. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.