Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hatton and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Hatton: $506 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Hatton
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Hatton Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Hatton

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$506

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $506 per month in Hatton vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hatton $506
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $821 per month in Hatton vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hatton $821
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $1,137 per month in Hatton vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hatton $1,137
Chiang Mai $1,903

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

Both Hatton and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Hatton 63% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 LKR 1,256

$2.29 ฿76.5

65.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.21 LKR 8,350

$19.64 ฿656

28.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 LKR 2,457

$5.61 ฿188

32.26%

Cappuccino

$2.55 LKR 845

$1.66 ฿55.6

53.61%

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

$0.73 LKR 243

$0.70 ฿23.40

4.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.0

$0.31 ฿10.24

-19.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.17 LKR 718

$2.41 ฿80.4

-9.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 LKR 1,018

$3.71 ฿124

-17.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.61 LKR 534

$1.95 ฿65.3

-17.44%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 LKR 189

$1.41 ฿47.03

-59.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 LKR 249

$1.31 ฿43.62

-42.75%

Eggs

$1.65 LKR 548

$2.18 ฿72.9

-24.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.58 LKR 4,498

$16.65 ฿556

-18.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.89 LKR 1,619

$2.76 ฿92.2

77.17%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.56 LKR 2,503

$9.11 ฿304

-17.01%

Apples (1kg)

$6.68 LKR 2,213

$2.39 ฿80.0

179.50%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 LKR 287

$1.03 ฿34.26

-15.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.28 LKR 1,419

$1.63 ฿54.4

162.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 LKR 420

$1.50 ฿50.0

-15.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.03 LKR 342

$1.29 ฿43.13

-20.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.84 LKR 278

$1.11 ฿37.03

-24.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 LKR 315

$0.72 ฿24.08

31.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 LKR 152

$0.53 ฿17.59

-13.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.07 LKR 3,336

$4.31 ฿144

133.64%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.67 LKR 4,196

$17.95 ฿600

-29.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.87 LKR 620

$1.58 ฿52.9

18.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.05 LKR 1,011

$2.84 ฿95.0

7.39%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.86 ฿28.86

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 LKR 124

$1.21 ฿40.29

-69.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 LKR 125

$0.57 ฿18.99

-33.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.95 LKR 314

$2.35 ฿78.6

-59.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 LKR 437

$1.44 ฿47.96

-8.33%

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

$43.3K LKR 14.3M

$20.7K ฿692.8K

108.99%

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

$40.9K LKR 13.5M

$26.8K ฿895.7K

52.52%

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

$58.5 LKR 19.4K

$62.3 ฿2,083

-6.16%

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

$4.38 LKR 1,449

$12.11 ฿405

-63.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.16 LKR 7,007

$19.94 ฿666

6.12%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.07 ฿1,239

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$4.61 LKR 1,527

$6.50 ฿217

-29.08%

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

$37.15 LKR 12.3K

$793 ฿26.5K

-95.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,227 LKR 406.4K

$14.8K ฿494.9K

-91.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.26 LKR 6,049

$53.7 ฿1,796

-66.02%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.69 LKR 5,528

$24.62 ฿823

-32.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.1 LKR 25.9K

$90.9 ฿3,036

-14.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.00 LKR 13.9K

$71.1 ฿2,378

-40.96%

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)

$908 ฿30.4K

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)

$591 ฿19.7K

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 Hatton: October 17, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hatton

$236 46.7%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 0.3% $0.8

Eating Out

Hatton

$104 20.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 24.5% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hatton

$84 16.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 12.3% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Hatton

$70 13.8%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 55% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Hatton

$9.2 * 1.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 443% $41

Getting Around

Hatton

$2.3 * 0.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 2589% $59

Accommodation & Living

Hatton

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2%

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 $25.00 in Hatton 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

🇱🇰 Hatton

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:40 1:40 PM

15:10 3:10 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Hatton

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,200

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

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Highest

Between locations

Hatton Chiang Mai 2,390 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Hatton
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 83% more than Hatton, 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 $759 per month in Hatton 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 Hatton 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Hatton, where all-in costs run around $506, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Hatton 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. Hatton costs $506 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 Hatton. 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.