Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Vavuniya

For one person, living is cheaper in Vavuniya: $511 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 Vavuniya
Learn more

Vavuniya Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Vavuniya

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$511

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $511 in Vavuniya, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Vavuniya $511

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $805 in Vavuniya, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Vavuniya $805

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,099 in Vavuniya, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Vavuniya $1,099

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.8

$3.87 LKR 1,286

-44.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿626

$14.87 LKR 4,945

25.22%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$7.54 LKR 2,509

-25.73%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.53 LKR 841

-34.39%

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

$0.65 ฿21.75

$0.40 LKR 132

62.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.25

$0.25 LKR 82.5

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.1

$2.18 LKR 725

6.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$2.97 LKR 987

23.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.8

$1.64 LKR 546

23.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.34

$0.57 LKR 189

147.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.79

$0.77 LKR 255

80.52%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.6

$1.63 LKR 543

45.40%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$15.50 LKR 5,156

6.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.8

$5.14 LKR 1,710

-48.05%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$7.39 LKR 2,460

22.06%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$6.66 LKR 2,214

-63.96%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.01

$0.88 LKR 293

18.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.8

$4.27 LKR 1,421

-61.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.31 LKR 436

19.08%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.61

$1.08 LKR 358

14.81%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.53

$0.76 LKR 254

43.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.61

$1.24 LKR 413

-38.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.29

$0.43 LKR 143

18.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$10.16 LKR 3,378

-59.45%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿603

$13.31 LKR 4,427

34.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.6

$1.93 LKR 643

-16.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.9

$2.85 LKR 949

-1.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.56

$0.41 LKR 135

187.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.31 LKR 103

-45.16%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$0.88 LKR 294

105.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.51

$1.31 LKR 436

12.21%

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

$21.0K ฿706.4K

$43.3K LKR 14.4M

-51.52%

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

$26.5K ฿891.4K

$45.6K LKR 15.2M

-41.89%

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

$62.6 ฿2,103

$56.4 LKR 18.8K

10.96%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$4.10 LKR 1,364

182.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿683

$20.92 LKR 6,957

-2.96%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$4.56 LKR 1,516

42.76%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$39.87 LKR 13.3K

1723.45%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿557.2K

$17.5K LKR 5.8M

-5.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,800

$18.42 LKR 6,127

190.66%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿834

$17.75 LKR 5,904

39.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,039

$77.5 LKR 25.8K

16.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,420

$41.50 LKR 13.8K

73.42%

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 ฿35.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

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 Vavuniya: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Vavuniya

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Vavuniya

$245 48% 3.6% $8.5

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Vavuniya

$70 13.7% 35.5% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Vavuniya

$81 15.9% 13.8% $13

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Vavuniya

$103 20.2% 34.9% $27

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Vavuniya

$2 * 0.4% 96.7% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Vavuniya

$9.1 * 1.8% 82.1% $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 $15 in Vavuniya. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $245 in Vavuniya – so Chiang Mai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇱🇰 Vavuniya

🕒 Local time

12:41 12:41 PM

11:11 11:11 AM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

99,600

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.67 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 = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 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 = 2.67 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Vavuniya 2,280 km ≈ 3 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Vavuniya

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 Vavuniya: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 83% more than Vavuniya, 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 $766 in Vavuniya. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $15 in Vavuniya. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 3% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $935 in Chiang Mai and $511 in Vavuniya, 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 $511 in Vavuniya 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.