Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ratnapura Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ratnapura

😐 Solo nomad: Chiang Mai is 22.9% more expensive than Ratnapura without rent, and 68.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Chiang Mai is 19.6% more expensive than Ratnapura without rent, and 51.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Chiang Mai
Ratnapura
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.01 ฿64.4
$2.22 LKR 702
-9.46%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$18.23 ฿583
$9.90 LKR 3,122
84.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.65 ฿244
$6.81 LKR 2,148
12.33%
Cappuccino
$1.92 ฿61.3
$2.31 LKR 728
-16.88%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 ฿26.90
$0.82 LKR 259
2.44%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 ฿11.39
$0.52 LKR 164
-30.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.19 ฿70.0
$2.12 LKR 668
3.30%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.79 ฿121
$2.96 LKR 934
28.04%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Chiang Mai
Ratnapura
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.64 ฿52.4
$1.98 LKR 625
-17.17%
White Bread (500g)
$1.62 ฿51.8
$0.81 LKR 254
100.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.15 ฿36.88
$0.72 LKR 229
59.72%
Eggs
$1.94 ฿62.0
$1.24 LKR 390
56.45%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$15.94 ฿510
$16.13 LKR 5,088
-1.18%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.10 ฿99.2
$7.22 LKR 2,277
-57.06%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.07 ฿354
$17.70 LKR 5,583
-37.46%
Apples (1kg)
$2.71 ฿86.5
$4.62 LKR 1,456
-41.34%
Banana (1kg)
$1.18 ฿37.69
$0.77 LKR 244
53.25%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.71 ฿54.5
$4.74 LKR 1,496
-63.92%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.61 ฿51.3
$1.09 LKR 344
47.71%
Potato (1kg)
$1.39 ฿44.53
$1.11 LKR 349
25.23%
Onion (1kg)
$1.15 ฿36.70
$1.52 LKR 481
-24.34%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.71 ฿22.76
$0.52 LKR 164
36.54%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 ฿17.60
$0.48 LKR 153
14.58%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.57 ฿146
$14.80 LKR 4,670
-69.12%
Wine (Bottle)
$18.87 ฿603
$13.43 LKR 4,237
40.51%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.82 ฿58.2
$2.27 LKR 716
-19.82%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.21 ฿103
$3.17 LKR 999
1.26%
🚌 Getting Around
Chiang Mai
Ratnapura
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.88 ฿28.16
$0.42 LKR 132
109.52%
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
$0.52 LKR 165
150.00%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.20 ฿262
$0.32 LKR 101
2462.50%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.23 ฿39.18
$1.06 LKR 335
16.04%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.2K ฿677.0K
$21.4K LKR 6.8M
-1.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.3K ฿713.3K
$22.0K LKR 6.9M
1.31%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Chiang Mai
Ratnapura
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$69.9 ฿2,234
-
-
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.07 ฿450
$2.21 LKR 696
536.65%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.70 ฿566
$8.27 LKR 2,609
114.03%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Chiang Mai
Ratnapura
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$41.41 ฿1,324
$10.00 LKR 3,154
314.10%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$6.69 ฿214
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$5.74 ฿184
$2.65 LKR 837
116.60%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Chiang Mai
Ratnapura
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$299 ฿9,566
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$15.0K ฿479.8K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Chiang Mai
Ratnapura
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$54.8 ฿1,753
$11.84 LKR 3,734
363.01%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.35 ฿842
$8.43 LKR 2,659
212.57%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$84.7 ฿2,706
$94.1 LKR 29.7K
-9.99%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$69.7 ฿2,229
$28.31 LKR 8,930
146.34%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Chiang Mai
Ratnapura
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$427 ฿13.6K
$83.0 LKR 26.2K
414.49%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$241 ฿7,697
$59.5 LKR 18.8K
304.40%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$811 ฿25.9K
-
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$498 ฿15.9K
$93.9 LKR 29.6K
430.61%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,022 ฿64.7K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,524 ฿48.7K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Chiang Mai
Ratnapura
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$639 ฿20.4K
$179 LKR 56.6K
256.26%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
5
0
-

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: April 13, 2026

Last update for Ratnapura: April 11, 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

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