Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kandy and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Kandy: $513 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Kandy
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Kandy Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Kandy

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$513

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $513 per month in Kandy vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kandy $513
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $728 per month in Kandy vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kandy $728
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $943 per month in Kandy vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kandy $943
Chiang Mai $1,979

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.66 LKR 885

$2.24 ฿75.7

18.75%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$13.01 LKR 4,324

$19.00 ฿642

-31.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.00 LKR 1,996

$5.55 ฿188

8.11%

Cappuccino

$1.90 LKR 632

$1.67 ฿56.6

13.77%

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

$0.52 LKR 174

$0.64 ฿21.56

-18.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 LKR 87.1

$0.31 ฿10.32

-16.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.86 LKR 620

$2.36 ฿79.6

-21.19%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.80 LKR 931

$3.66 ฿124

-23.50%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 LKR 382

$1.95 ฿65.8

-41.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 LKR 174

$1.44 ฿48.51

-63.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 255

$1.33 ฿45.07

-42.11%

Eggs

$1.71 LKR 568

$2.28 ฿77.1

-25.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.14 LKR 1,708

$16.45 ฿556

-68.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.25 LKR 1,412

$2.78 ฿94.0

52.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.87 LKR 2,285

$9.31 ฿314

-26.21%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 LKR 1,043

$2.35 ฿79.5

33.62%

Banana (1kg)

$0.84 LKR 280

$0.97 ฿32.82

-13.40%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.73 LKR 574

$1.60 ฿53.9

8.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.29 LKR 429

$1.50 ฿50.7

-14.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 LKR 339

$1.28 ฿43.15

-20.31%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 LKR 277

$1.10 ฿37.22

-24.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.43 LKR 144

$0.71 ฿23.84

-39.44%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 LKR 140

$0.49 ฿16.38

-14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$8.02 LKR 2,668

$4.14 ฿140

93.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.28 LKR 3,751

$17.52 ฿592

-35.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.93 LKR 643

$1.61 ฿54.5

19.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.08 LKR 691

$2.78 ฿94.0

-25.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.16 LKR 53.3

$0.87 ฿29.33

-81.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$4.38 LKR 1,457

$54.1 ฿1,827

-91.90%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.41 LKR 136

$1.16 ฿39.08

-64.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 116

$0.53 ฿17.82

-33.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.47 LKR 156

$2.42 ฿81.8

-80.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.15 LKR 383

$1.45 ฿48.93

-20.69%

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

$14.0K LKR 4.6M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-33.64%

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

$36.7K LKR 12.2M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

36.39%

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

$59.0 LKR 19.6K

$62.2 ฿2,100

-5.08%

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

$3.86 LKR 1,282

$12.17 ฿411

-68.28%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.72 LKR 4,227

$20.12 ฿680

-36.78%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$10.85 LKR 3,606

$37.31 ฿1,260

-70.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.80 LKR 2,262

$3.77 ฿127

80.37%

Cinema Ticket

$2.74 LKR 909

$6.49 ฿219

-57.78%

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

$21.65 LKR 7,199

$736 ฿24.9K

-97.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$304 LKR 101.0K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-97.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.28 LKR 6,078

$53.4 ฿1,802

-65.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$10.15 LKR 3,375

$24.64 ฿832

-58.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$67.7 LKR 22.5K

$91.5 ฿3,089

-26.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$26.56 LKR 8,831

$71.9 ฿2,429

-63.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$172 LKR 57.2K

$482 ฿16.3K

-64.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$113 LKR 37.5K

$309 ฿10.4K

-63.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$172 LKR 57.2K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-82.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$93.6 LKR 31.1K

$633 ฿21.4K

-85.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$397 LKR 131.9K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-83.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$400 LKR 133.0K

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-74.82%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$262 LKR 86.9K

$590 ฿19.9K

-55.66%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

115.44%

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

Last update for Kandy: 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

Kandy

$166 32.3%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 41.3% $68

Accommodation & Living

Kandy

$113 22%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 174% $196

Eating Out

Kandy

$80 15.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 3.3% $2.6

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kandy

$76 14.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 25% $19

Clothing & Footwear

Kandy

$55 10.8%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 96.8% $53

Sport & Entertainment

Kandy

$16 3.2%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 208% $34

Getting Around

Kandy

$7.2 1.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 756% $54

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $172 in Kandy 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 2.3 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $13 in Kandy versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $166 vs $234 – making Kandy the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Kandy

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:03 2:03 AM

03:33 3:33 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Kandy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

125,000

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 = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kandy Chiang Mai 2,360 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Kandy
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 82% more than Kandy, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $770 per month in Kandy and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kandy, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $172 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $22 per month in Kandy and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kandy costs $513 versus $936 in Chiang Mai. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

If budget matters most, go with Kandy. 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.