Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia: $487 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
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Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$487

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia and in Chiang Mai

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $487 per month in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia $487
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $790 per month in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia $790
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $1,093 per month in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia $1,093
Chiang Mai $1,903

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia is about 47% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia 64% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.49 LKR 494

$2.29 ฿76.5

-34.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.02 LKR 8,286

$19.64 ฿656

27.39%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.49 LKR 2,481

$5.61 ฿188

33.51%

Cappuccino

$2.54 LKR 840

$1.66 ฿55.6

53.01%

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

$0.73 LKR 240

$0.70 ฿23.40

4.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 90.3

$0.31 ฿10.24

-12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.22 LKR 736

$2.41 ฿80.4

-7.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 993

$3.71 ฿124

-19.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.62 LKR 537

$1.95 ฿65.3

-16.92%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 174

$1.41 ฿47.03

-62.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 267

$1.31 ฿43.62

-38.17%

Eggs

$1.65 LKR 546

$2.18 ฿72.9

-24.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.93 LKR 4,614

$16.65 ฿556

-16.34%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.85 LKR 1,606

$2.76 ฿92.2

75.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.54 LKR 2,496

$9.11 ฿304

-17.23%

Apples (1kg)

$6.42 LKR 2,125

$2.39 ฿80.0

168.62%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 LKR 288

$1.03 ฿34.26

-15.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.37 LKR 1,448

$1.63 ฿54.4

168.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 LKR 426

$1.50 ฿50.0

-14.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 LKR 332

$1.29 ฿43.13

-22.48%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 LKR 259

$1.11 ฿37.03

-29.73%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 LKR 291

$0.72 ฿24.08

22.22%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 149

$0.53 ฿17.59

-15.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.38 LKR 3,439

$4.31 ฿144

140.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.03 LKR 4,317

$17.95 ฿600

-27.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.89 LKR 626

$1.58 ฿52.9

19.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 994

$2.84 ฿95.0

5.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 125

$1.21 ฿40.29

-68.60%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 115

$0.57 ฿18.99

-38.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.90 LKR 297

$2.35 ฿78.6

-61.70%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 LKR 457

$1.44 ฿47.96

-4.17%

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

$43.0K LKR 14.2M

$20.7K ฿692.8K

107.29%

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

$40.5K LKR 13.4M

$26.8K ฿895.7K

51.05%

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

$58.3 LKR 19.3K

$62.3 ฿2,083

-6.43%

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

$4.28 LKR 1,418

$12.11 ฿405

-64.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.80 LKR 6,888

$19.94 ฿666

4.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$4.59 LKR 1,519

$6.50 ฿217

-29.38%

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

$38.36 LKR 12.7K

$793 ฿26.5K

-95.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,206 LKR 399.5K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-91.85%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.46 LKR 6,116

$53.7 ฿1,796

-65.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.53 LKR 5,474

$24.62 ฿823

-32.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.6 LKR 26.0K

$90.9 ฿3,036

-13.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.38 LKR 14.0K

$71.1 ฿2,378

-40.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$455 ฿15.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$298 ฿9,954

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$460 LKR 152.2K

$908 ฿30.4K

-49.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$554 ฿18.5K

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)

$215 LKR 71.4K

$591 ฿19.7K

-63.54%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.69

5.57

127.83%

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

Last update for Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia: October 18, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$236 48.5%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 0.3% $0.7

Eating Out

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$86 17.7%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 8.5% $7.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$83 17.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 13.2% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$70 14.4%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 54.1% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$9.2 * 1.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 446% $41

Getting Around

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

$2.1 * 0.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 2767% $59

Accommodation & Living

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 174% 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 $25.00 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $236 vs $235 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:21 2:21 PM

15:51 3:51 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

219,827

127,240

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to LKR – Sri Lankan Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇰 Sri Lankan Rupee (Rs)

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia Chiang Mai 2,460 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
Chiang Mai

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

Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 90% more than Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, 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 $730 per month in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia and $1,388 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia and $20.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 0% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, where all-in costs run around $487, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia 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. Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia costs $487 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 Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia. 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.