Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kegalle and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Kegalle: $591 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Kegalle
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Kegalle Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Kegalle

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$591

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $591 per month in Kegalle vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kegalle $591
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $860 per month in Kegalle vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kegalle $860
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,128 per month in Kegalle vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kegalle $1,128
Chiang Mai $1,979

Kegalle is about 37% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Kegalle and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Kegalle 57% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.06 LKR 1,018

$2.24 ฿75.7

36.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.93 LKR 7,954

$19.00 ฿642

25.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.33 LKR 2,436

$5.55 ฿188

32.07%

Cappuccino

$2.43 LKR 808

$1.67 ฿56.6

45.51%

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

$0.43 LKR 143

$0.64 ฿21.56

-32.81%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 83.1

$0.31 ฿10.32

-19.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.14 LKR 711

$2.36 ฿79.6

-9.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.95 LKR 982

$3.66 ฿124

-19.40%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 LKR 548

$1.95 ฿65.8

-15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.47 LKR 156

$1.44 ฿48.51

-67.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.68 LKR 225

$1.33 ฿45.07

-48.87%

Eggs

$1.58 LKR 526

$2.28 ฿77.1

-30.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.59 LKR 4,519

$16.45 ฿556

-17.39%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.93 LKR 1,638

$2.78 ฿94.0

77.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.22 LKR 2,400

$9.31 ฿314

-22.45%

Apples (1kg)

$5.98 LKR 1,989

$2.35 ฿79.5

154.47%

Banana (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 267

$0.97 ฿32.82

-17.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.45 LKR 1,481

$1.60 ฿53.9

178.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 LKR 407

$1.50 ฿50.7

-18.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.87 LKR 291

$1.28 ฿43.15

-32.03%

Onion (1kg)

$0.78 LKR 261

$1.10 ฿37.22

-29.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.37 LKR 124

$0.71 ฿23.84

-47.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 LKR 141

$0.49 ฿16.38

-12.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.67 LKR 3,214

$4.14 ฿140

133.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.60 LKR 4,189

$17.52 ฿592

-28.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 LKR 633

$1.61 ฿54.5

18.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.65 LKR 881

$2.78 ฿94.0

-4.68%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.57 LKR 190

$0.87 ฿29.33

-34.48%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.63 LKR 2,537

$54.1 ฿1,827

-85.89%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 125

$1.16 ฿39.08

-67.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.34 LKR 114

$0.53 ฿17.82

-35.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 LKR 313

$2.42 ฿81.8

-61.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 LKR 458

$1.45 ฿48.93

-4.83%

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

$43.0K LKR 14.3M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

104.24%

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

$36.3K LKR 12.1M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

34.59%

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

$58.6 LKR 19.5K

$62.2 ฿2,100

-5.71%

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

$4.27 LKR 1,419

$12.17 ฿411

-64.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.67 LKR 6,871

$20.12 ฿680

2.73%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.65 LKR 6,532

$37.31 ฿1,260

-47.33%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.79 LKR 4,916

$3.77 ฿127

292.31%

Cinema Ticket

$4.52 LKR 1,504

$6.49 ฿219

-30.35%

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

$37.83 LKR 12.6K

$736 ฿24.9K

-94.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,216 LKR 404.4K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-91.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.90 LKR 5,950

$53.4 ฿1,802

-66.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.22 LKR 5,060

$24.64 ฿832

-38.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.67 LKR 15.2K

$91.5 ฿3,089

-50.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.22 LKR 13.7K

$71.9 ฿2,429

-42.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$121 LKR 40.2K

$482 ฿16.3K

-74.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$90.8 LKR 30.2K

$309 ฿10.4K

-70.60%

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)

$184 LKR 61.1K

$590 ฿19.9K

-68.85%

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 Kegalle: 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

Kegalle

$227 38.4%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 3.4% $7.6

Eating Out

Kegalle

$95 16.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 18.3% $17

Accommodation & Living

Kegalle

$91 15.4%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 240% $218

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kegalle

$84 14.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 13.1% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Kegalle

$54 9.1%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 101% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Kegalle

$29 4.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 75.2% $22

Getting Around

Kegalle

$12 2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 411% $49

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $121 in Kegalle 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 3.2 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Kegalle versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $227 in Kegalle vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Kegalle wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Kegalle

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:52 2:52 AM

04:22 4:22 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Kegalle

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

17,900

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

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

From you

Kegalle
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 58% more than Kegalle, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $886 per month in Kegalle 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 Kegalle, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $121 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $38 per month in Kegalle 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 3% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kegalle, where all-in costs run around $591, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Kegalle it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Kegalle – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

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 Kegalle. 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.