Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Hikkaduwa and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Hikkaduwa: $505 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

24

Cost of Living Index in Hikkaduwa
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Hikkaduwa Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Hikkaduwa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$505

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $505 per month in Hikkaduwa vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hikkaduwa $505
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $820 per month in Hikkaduwa vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hikkaduwa $820
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,134 per month in Hikkaduwa vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Hikkaduwa $1,134
Chiang Mai $1,979

Hikkaduwa is about 46% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Hikkaduwa and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Hikkaduwa 63% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.87 LKR 1,287

$2.24 ฿75.6

72.77%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.21 LKR 8,384

$19.00 ฿641

32.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.67 LKR 2,551

$5.55 ฿187

38.20%

Cappuccino

$2.48 LKR 826

$1.67 ฿56.5

48.50%

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

$0.67 LKR 223

$0.64 ฿21.54

4.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.3

$0.31 ฿10.31

-19.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 LKR 736

$2.36 ฿79.5

-6.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 LKR 1,008

$3.66 ฿124

-17.21%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 LKR 543

$1.95 ฿65.7

-16.41%

White Bread (500g)

$0.53 LKR 177

$1.44 ฿48.46

-63.19%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.76 LKR 253

$1.33 ฿45.03

-42.86%

Eggs

$1.64 LKR 544

$2.28 ฿77.1

-28.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.51 LKR 4,493

$16.45 ฿555

-17.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.95 LKR 1,648

$2.78 ฿93.9

78.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.25 LKR 2,410

$9.31 ฿314

-22.13%

Apples (1kg)

$6.58 LKR 2,188

$2.35 ฿79.4

180.00%

Banana (1kg)

$0.86 LKR 287

$0.97 ฿32.79

-11.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.50 LKR 1,497

$1.60 ฿53.9

181.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.27 LKR 423

$1.50 ฿50.6

-15.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 LKR 334

$1.28 ฿43.11

-21.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 LKR 263

$1.10 ฿37.18

-28.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.87 LKR 289

$0.71 ฿23.82

22.54%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 LKR 152

$0.49 ฿16.36

-6.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.16 LKR 3,378

$4.14 ฿140

145.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.67 LKR 4,212

$17.52 ฿591

-27.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 LKR 624

$1.61 ฿54.5

16.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 LKR 1,019

$2.78 ฿93.9

10.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.30

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 LKR 124

$1.16 ฿39.04

-68.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 LKR 125

$0.53 ฿17.80

-28.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.96 LKR 318

$2.42 ฿81.7

-60.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 LKR 463

$1.45 ฿48.88

-4.14%

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

$44.4K LKR 14.8M

$21.1K ฿710.5K

110.66%

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

$40.1K LKR 13.3M

$26.9K ฿909.0K

48.83%

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

$58.5 LKR 19.5K

$62.2 ฿2,098

-5.84%

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

$4.30 LKR 1,428

$12.17 ฿411

-64.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.97 LKR 6,974

$20.12 ฿679

4.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$4.58 LKR 1,525

$6.49 ฿219

-29.43%

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

$37.54 LKR 12.5K

$736 ฿24.8K

-94.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,195 LKR 397.5K

$14.8K ฿498.2K

-91.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.81 LKR 5,924

$53.4 ฿1,801

-66.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.65 LKR 5,536

$24.64 ฿831

-32.43%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 LKR 26.4K

$91.5 ฿3,087

-13.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.17 LKR 13.7K

$71.9 ฿2,427

-42.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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 Hikkaduwa: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Hikkaduwa

$235 46.6%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 0.3% $0.8

Eating Out

Hikkaduwa

$105 20.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 25.8% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Hikkaduwa

$84 16.6%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 12.7% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Hikkaduwa

$70 13.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 55.7% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Hikkaduwa

$9.2 * 1.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 448% $41

Getting Around

Hikkaduwa

$2.3 * 0.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 2627% $59

Accommodation & Living

Hikkaduwa

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

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 in Hikkaduwa versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Hikkaduwa

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:49 2:49 AM

04:19 4:19 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Hikkaduwa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

101,342

127,240

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 1, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 371 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 33.74 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.67 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Hikkaduwa
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 85% more than Hikkaduwa, 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 $757 per month in Hikkaduwa and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $505 in Hikkaduwa and $936 in Chiang Mai. That makes Hikkaduwa about 46% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Hikkaduwa and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $505 in Hikkaduwa to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.