Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Horana and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Horana: $456 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

22

Cost of Living Index in Horana
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Horana Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Horana

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$456

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $456 per month in Horana vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Horana $456
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $735 per month in Horana vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Horana $735
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,014 per month in Horana vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Horana $1,014
Chiang Mai $1,979

Horana is about 51% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Horana and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Horana 67% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.84 LKR 611

$2.24 ฿75.7

-17.86%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.86 LKR 8,265

$19.00 ฿642

30.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.47 LKR 2,484

$5.55 ฿188

34.59%

Cappuccino

$2.52 LKR 838

$1.67 ฿56.6

50.90%

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

$0.59 LKR 195

$0.64 ฿21.56

-7.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 LKR 73.3

$0.31 ฿10.32

-29.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.25 LKR 747

$2.36 ฿79.6

-4.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.07 LKR 1,021

$3.66 ฿124

-16.12%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.55 LKR 516

$1.95 ฿65.8

-20.51%

White Bread (500g)

$0.43 LKR 143

$1.44 ฿48.51

-70.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.61 LKR 204

$1.33 ฿45.07

-54.14%

Eggs

$1.69 LKR 562

$2.28 ฿77.1

-25.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.86 LKR 4,608

$16.45 ฿556

-15.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.99 LKR 1,327

$2.78 ฿94.0

43.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.44 LKR 2,472

$9.31 ฿314

-20.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.37 LKR 787

$2.35 ฿79.5

0.85%

Banana (1kg)

$0.34 LKR 115

$0.97 ฿32.82

-64.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.26 LKR 1,418

$1.60 ฿53.9

166.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.34 LKR 445

$1.50 ฿50.7

-10.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.65 LKR 216

$1.28 ฿43.15

-49.22%

Onion (1kg)

$0.69 LKR 230

$1.10 ฿37.22

-37.27%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.95 LKR 316

$0.71 ฿23.84

33.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 LKR 153

$0.49 ฿16.38

-6.12%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.20 LKR 3,389

$4.14 ฿140

146.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.91 LKR 4,292

$17.52 ฿592

-26.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.88 LKR 625

$1.61 ฿54.5

16.77%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.03 LKR 1,008

$2.78 ฿94.0

8.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 125

$1.16 ฿39.08

-67.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.37 LKR 124

$0.53 ฿17.82

-30.19%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 LKR 313

$2.42 ฿81.8

-61.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.32 LKR 437

$1.45 ฿48.93

-8.97%

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

$43.2K LKR 14.3M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

104.96%

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

$39.9K LKR 13.3M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

48.02%

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

$58.2 LKR 19.4K

$62.2 ฿2,100

-6.34%

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

$3.02 LKR 1,004

$12.17 ฿411

-75.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.80 LKR 6,914

$20.12 ฿680

3.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$4.55 LKR 1,511

$6.49 ฿219

-29.89%

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

$38.12 LKR 12.7K

$736 ฿24.9K

-94.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,188 LKR 395.0K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-91.95%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.79 LKR 5,915

$53.4 ฿1,802

-66.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.33 LKR 5,430

$24.64 ฿832

-33.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.7 LKR 26.5K

$91.5 ฿3,089

-12.93%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.70 LKR 13.9K

$71.9 ฿2,429

-42.04%

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 ฿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

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 Horana: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Horana

$205 44.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 14.6% $30

Eating Out

Horana

$88 19.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 11.8% $10

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Horana

$82 18%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 15.1% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Horana

$70 15.4%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 55.3% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Horana

$9.1 * 2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 453% $41

Getting Around

Horana

$2.2 * 0.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 2639% $59

Accommodation & Living

Horana

- * 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 Horana versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $205 in Horana vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Horana wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Horana

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:27 10:27 PM

23:57 11:57 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Horana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

15,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.7 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 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 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 = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Horana Chiang Mai 2,450 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Horana
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 105% more than Horana, 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 $684 per month in Horana 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 Horana and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 15% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $456 in Horana to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.