Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Wattala

For one person, living is cheaper in Wattala: $574 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
28

Cost of Living Index in Wattala
Learn more

Wattala Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Wattala

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$574

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $574 in Wattala, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Wattala $574

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $951 in Wattala, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Wattala $951

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,328 in Wattala, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Wattala $1,328

Chiang Mai costs about 63% more than Wattala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Wattala are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Wattala 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$3.83 LKR 1,274

-44.39%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$24.35 LKR 8,098

-23.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$7.64 LKR 2,540

-26.70%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.48 LKR 824

-33.06%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$0.68 LKR 227

-4.41%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$0.27 LKR 89.9

11.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$2.14 LKR 712

8.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$3.04 LKR 1,011

20.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$1.59 LKR 528

27.04%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$0.54 LKR 178

161.11%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$0.77 LKR 256

80.52%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$1.64 LKR 545

44.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$14.00 LKR 4,655

18.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$4.75 LKR 1,582

-43.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$7.34 LKR 2,440

22.89%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$6.41 LKR 2,133

-62.56%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$0.80 LKR 265

30.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$4.37 LKR 1,452

-62.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.27 LKR 422

22.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$1.05 LKR 348

18.10%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$0.77 LKR 256

41.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$0.95 LKR 315

-20.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$0.43 LKR 143

18.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$10.26 LKR 3,411

-59.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$12.73 LKR 4,236

40.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$1.89 LKR 630

-14.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$2.90 LKR 965

-2.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

$0.20 LKR 66.4

365.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$0.41 LKR 136

187.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.34 LKR 113

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$0.89 LKR 295

103.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$1.13 LKR 376

30.09%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$43.2K LKR 14.4M

-51.40%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$40.4K LKR 13.4M

-34.42%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$58.9 LKR 19.6K

6.14%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$4.18 LKR 1,391

177.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$20.89 LKR 6,949

-2.82%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

$13.62 LKR 4,530

178.12%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

$4.57 LKR 1,519

-19.04%

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$2.93 LKR 975

122.18%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$37.76 LKR 12.6K

1825.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$1,202 LKR 399.7K

1279.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$18.04 LKR 5,999

196.78%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$16.50 LKR 5,490

50.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$77.3 LKR 25.7K

16.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$42.08 LKR 14.0K

71.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$104 LKR 34.6K

362.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$61.1 LKR 20.3K

407.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$241 LKR 80.2K

338.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$178 LKR 59.1K

270.51%

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

12.69

-56.11%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Wattala: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Wattala

$61 10.6% 80.3% $249

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Wattala

$234 40.7% 1.3% $3

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Wattala

$69 12.1% 36.1% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Wattala

$84 14.6% 11.1% $10

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Wattala

$104 18.1% 35.7% $27

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Wattala

$2.9 * 0.5% 95% $56

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Wattala

$19 3.4% 61.7% $31

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $104 in Wattala. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $24 in Wattala. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $234 in Wattala – so Wattala wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇱🇰 Wattala

🕒 Local time

15:58 3:58 PM

14:28 2:28 PM

1 h 30 min behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

30,200

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Wattala 2,450 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Wattala

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 Wattala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 63% more than Wattala, 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 $861 in Wattala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Wattala, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $104 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $935 in Chiang Mai and $574 in Wattala. That makes Wattala about 39% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $24 in Wattala. 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 $935 in Chiang Mai and $574 in Wattala, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Wattala – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.