Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Galle and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Galle: $510 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.

24

Cost of Living Index in Galle
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Galle Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Galle

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$510

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Galle 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 Galle and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $510 per month in Galle vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Galle $510
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $829 per month in Galle vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Galle $829
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,148 per month in Galle vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Galle $1,148
Chiang Mai $1,999

Galle is about 45% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.71 LKR 1,233

$2.13 ฿71.7

74.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.23 LKR 8,393

$18.62 ฿625

35.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.43 LKR 2,472

$5.60 ฿188

32.68%

Cappuccino

$2.55 LKR 847

$1.66 ฿55.9

53.61%

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

$0.73 LKR 242

$0.65 ฿21.73

12.31%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 83.2

$0.30 ฿10.24

-16.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 LKR 720

$2.32 ฿78.0

-6.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 LKR 992

$3.67 ฿123

-18.80%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.64 LKR 546

$2.02 ฿67.7

-18.81%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 LKR 191

$1.41 ฿47.29

-59.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 268

$1.39 ฿46.75

-41.73%

Eggs

$1.64 LKR 547

$2.37 ฿79.5

-30.80%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.40 LKR 5,122

$16.52 ฿555

-6.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.11 LKR 1,701

$2.67 ฿89.7

91.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.40 LKR 2,462

$9.02 ฿303

-17.96%

Apples (1kg)

$6.43 LKR 2,140

$2.40 ฿80.6

167.92%

Banana (1kg)

$0.82 LKR 272

$1.04 ฿34.98

-21.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.22 LKR 1,404

$1.66 ฿55.7

154.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 LKR 438

$1.56 ฿52.4

-15.38%

Potato (1kg)

$1.05 LKR 348

$1.24 ฿41.57

-15.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 271

$1.09 ฿36.50

-25.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 LKR 416

$0.76 ฿25.59

64.47%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 151

$0.51 ฿17.27

-11.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.31 LKR 3,428

$4.12 ฿138

150.24%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.53 LKR 4,500

$17.93 ฿602

-24.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.95 LKR 648

$1.62 ฿54.5

20.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 LKR 948

$2.82 ฿94.8

1.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 LKR 52.5

$0.93 ฿31.39

-82.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 LKR 95.8

$1.18 ฿39.52

-75.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 LKR 104

$0.17 ฿5.76

82.35%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 LKR 290

$1.81 ฿60.9

-51.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 LKR 441

$1.47 ฿49.47

-9.52%

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

$42.8K LKR 14.2M

$21.0K ฿705.8K

103.79%

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

$45.8K LKR 15.2M

$26.5K ฿890.7K

72.57%

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

$56.2 LKR 18.7K

$62.6 ฿2,101

-10.25%

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

$4.09 LKR 1,360

$11.60 ฿390

-64.74%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.08 LKR 7,011

$20.30 ฿682

3.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$4.64 LKR 1,545

$6.51 ฿219

-28.73%

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

$39.64 LKR 13.2K

$727 ฿24.4K

-94.55%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$17.3K LKR 5.8M

$16.6K ฿556.7K

4.44%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.17 LKR 6,042

$53.5 ฿1,798

-66.06%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.46 LKR 5,809

$24.80 ฿833

-29.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.7 LKR 25.8K

$90.4 ฿3,036

-14.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.00 LKR 14.0K

$72.0 ฿2,418

-41.64%

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 ฿35.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

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)

$316 LKR 105.1K

$595 ฿20.0K

-46.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.5

5.57

124.42%

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

Last update for Galle: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Galle

$244 47.8%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 3.1% $7.6

Eating Out

Galle

$103 20.2%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 25.8% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Galle

$81 15.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 16.2% $13

Clothing & Footwear

Galle

$70 13.7%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 55% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Galle

$9.3 * 1.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 448% $42

Getting Around

Galle

$2.5 * 0.5%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 2265% $56

Accommodation & Living

Galle

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 88% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Galle versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $244 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Galle

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:06 3:06 PM

16:36 4:36 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Galle

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

100,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 374 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.68 EUR).

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).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Galle Chiang Mai 2,480 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Galle
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

Galle vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 83% more than Galle, 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 $766 per month in Galle and $1,403 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 in Galle and $19 in Chiang Mai. 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.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Galle costs $510 versus $935 in Chiang Mai. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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