Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Homagama and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Homagama: $485 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Homagama, Sri Lanka
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Homagama
🇱🇰 Sri Lanka
$485
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $485 per month in Homagama vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Homagama $485
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $742 per month in Homagama vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Homagama $742
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $998 per month in Homagama vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Homagama $998
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Homagama is about 48% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Homagama and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Homagama 64% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Homagama
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.72 LKR 1,237
$2.24 ฿75.7
66.07%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$25.25 LKR 8,395
$19.00 ฿642
32.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.65 LKR 2,542
$5.55 ฿188
37.84%
Cappuccino
$2.53 LKR 841
$1.67 ฿56.6
51.50%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.68 LKR 227
$0.64 ฿21.56
6.25%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.27 LKR 90.3
$0.31 ฿10.32
-12.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.19 LKR 728
$2.36 ฿79.6
-7.20%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$3.03 LKR 1,008
$3.66 ฿124
-17.21%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Homagama
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.86 LKR 288
$1.95 ฿65.8
-55.90%
White Bread (500g)
$0.54 LKR 179
$1.44 ฿48.51
-62.50%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.51 LKR 171
$1.33 ฿45.07
-61.65%
Eggs
$1.70 LKR 565
$2.28 ฿77.1
-25.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$14.01 LKR 4,656
$16.45 ฿556
-14.83%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.29 LKR 1,093
$2.78 ฿94.0
18.35%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$7.33 LKR 2,436
$9.31 ฿314
-21.27%
Apples (1kg)
$6.67 LKR 2,219
$2.35 ฿79.5
183.83%
Banana (1kg)
$0.87 LKR 288
$0.97 ฿32.82
-10.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$4.46 LKR 1,483
$1.60 ฿53.9
178.75%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.32 LKR 438
$1.50 ฿50.7
-12.00%
Potato (1kg)
$1.01 LKR 336
$1.28 ฿43.15
-21.09%
Onion (1kg)
$0.81 LKR 270
$1.10 ฿37.22
-26.36%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.95 LKR 315
$0.71 ฿23.84
33.80%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.43 LKR 143
$0.49 ฿16.38
-12.24%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$10.18 LKR 3,384
$4.14 ฿140
145.89%
Wine (Bottle)
$12.20 LKR 4,055
$17.52 ฿592
-30.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.86 LKR 617
$1.61 ฿54.5
15.53%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.13 LKR 707
$2.78 ฿94.0
-23.38%
🚌 Getting Around
Homagama
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.47 LKR 157
$0.87 ฿29.33
-45.98%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$54.1 ฿1,827
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.35 LKR 115
$1.16 ฿39.08
-69.83%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.37 LKR 123
$0.53 ฿17.82
-30.19%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$0.95 LKR 314
$2.42 ฿81.8
-60.74%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.09 LKR 362
$1.45 ฿48.93
-24.83%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$13.6K LKR 4.5M
$21.1K ฿711.2K
-35.59%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$21.4K LKR 7.1M
$26.9K ฿909.8K
-20.69%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Homagama
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$21.27 LKR 7,070
$62.2 ฿2,100
-65.79%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$3.04 LKR 1,009
$12.17 ฿411
-75.02%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$20.60 LKR 6,850
$20.12 ฿680
2.39%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Homagama
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$7.36 LKR 2,448
$37.31 ฿1,260
-80.27%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$3.77 ฿127
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.40 LKR 1,462
$6.49 ฿219
-32.20%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Homagama
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$37.10 LKR 12.3K
$736 ฿24.9K
-94.96%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,228 LKR 408.2K
$14.8K ฿498.6K
-91.68%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Homagama
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$18.30 LKR 6,083
$53.4 ฿1,802
-65.71%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$12.20 LKR 4,057
$24.64 ฿832
-50.49%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$24.25 LKR 8,061
$91.5 ฿3,089
-73.49%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$27.07 LKR 9,000
$71.9 ฿2,429
-62.37%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Homagama
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$136 LKR 45.4K
$482 ฿16.3K
-71.71%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$61.4 LKR 20.4K
$309 ฿10.4K
-80.11%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,006 ฿34.0K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$633 ฿21.4K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,363 ฿79.8K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,589 ฿53.7K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Homagama
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$149 LKR 49.6K
$590 ฿19.9K
-74.72%
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 Homagama: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Homagama
$218
Chiang Mai
$234 7.6% $17
Eating Out
Homagama
$104
Chiang Mai
$78 25.3% $26
Accommodation & Living
Homagama
$61
Chiang Mai
$309 403% $247
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Homagama
$45
Chiang Mai
$94 110% $50
Clothing & Footwear
Homagama
$37
Chiang Mai
$109 195% $72
Sport & Entertainment
Homagama
$16
Chiang Mai
$50 211% $34
Getting Around
Homagama
$4.1 *
Chiang Mai
$61 1404% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $136 in Homagama versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 4 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Homagama versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $218 in Homagama vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Homagama wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇱🇰 Homagama
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
03:39 3:39 AM
05:09 5:09 AM
1 h 30 min ahead of Homagama
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
25,000
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

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

Sri Lankan Rupee exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 332 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 370 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Homagama Chiang Mai 2,450 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight
From you
  • Homagama
  • 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
Homagama vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Homagama or Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai costs about 93% more than Homagama, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Homagama and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $728 per month in Homagama and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Where is rent cheaper, Homagama or Chiang Mai?
Rent is clearly cheaper in Homagama, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $136 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.
How do dining costs compare in Homagama and in Chiang Mai?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Homagama and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Homagama or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 8% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is better for digital nomads, Homagama or Chiang Mai?
For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Homagama costs $485 versus $936 in Chiang Mai. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.
How safe is Homagama compared to Chiang Mai?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.
Should I move to Homagama or to Chiang Mai?
If budget matters most, go with Homagama. 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.

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