Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kurunegala and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Kurunegala: $498 a month against $935 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 Kurunegala
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Kurunegala Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Kurunegala

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$498

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $498 per month in Kurunegala vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kurunegala $498
Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $807 per month in Kurunegala vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kurunegala $807
Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $1,116 per month in Kurunegala vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kurunegala $1,116
Chiang Mai $1,999

Kurunegala is about 47% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.83 LKR 610

$2.13 ฿71.8

-14.08%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.67 LKR 8,207

$18.62 ฿626

32.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.47 LKR 2,484

$5.60 ฿188

33.39%

Cappuccino

$2.56 LKR 853

$1.66 ฿55.9

54.22%

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

$0.67 LKR 223

$0.65 ฿21.75

3.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 89.9

$0.30 ฿10.25

-10.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.18 LKR 724

$2.32 ฿78.1

-6.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 997

$3.67 ฿123

-18.26%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.58 LKR 526

$2.02 ฿67.8

-21.78%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 LKR 187

$1.41 ฿47.34

-60.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.75 LKR 248

$1.39 ฿46.79

-46.04%

Eggs

$1.66 LKR 551

$2.37 ฿79.6

-29.96%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.58 LKR 5,181

$16.52 ฿555

-5.69%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.09 LKR 1,694

$2.67 ฿89.8

90.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.78 LKR 2,588

$9.02 ฿303

-13.75%

Apples (1kg)

$6.54 LKR 2,177

$2.40 ฿80.6

172.50%

Banana (1kg)

$0.87 LKR 291

$1.04 ฿35.01

-16.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.15 LKR 1,379

$1.66 ฿55.8

150.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.34 LKR 445

$1.56 ฿52.4

-14.10%

Potato (1kg)

$1.08 LKR 358

$1.24 ฿41.61

-12.90%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 LKR 277

$1.09 ฿36.53

-23.85%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 LKR 400

$0.76 ฿25.61

57.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.46 LKR 152

$0.51 ฿17.29

-9.80%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.12 LKR 3,367

$4.12 ฿139

145.63%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.58 LKR 4,517

$17.93 ฿603

-24.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 LKR 657

$1.62 ฿54.6

22.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.86 LKR 950

$2.82 ฿94.9

1.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.42

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,778

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 LKR 125

$1.18 ฿39.56

-68.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 LKR 101

$0.17 ฿5.76

76.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 LKR 314

$1.81 ฿60.9

-48.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 LKR 315

$1.47 ฿49.51

-35.37%

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

$43.1K LKR 14.3M

$21.0K ฿706.4K

105.28%

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

$44.8K LKR 14.9M

$26.5K ฿891.4K

68.99%

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

$58.1 LKR 19.3K

$62.6 ฿2,103

-7.16%

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

$4.31 LKR 1,434

$11.60 ฿390

-62.84%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.95 LKR 6,969

$20.30 ฿683

3.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,274

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$4.49 LKR 1,492

$6.51 ฿219

-31.03%

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

$39.43 LKR 13.1K

$727 ฿24.4K

-94.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K LKR 5.6M

$16.6K ฿557.2K

2.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.04 LKR 6,001

$53.5 ฿1,800

-66.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.71 LKR 5,890

$24.80 ฿834

-28.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.6 LKR 25.8K

$90.4 ฿3,039

-14.11%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$40.86 LKR 13.6K

$72.0 ฿2,420

-43.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.6K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$152 LKR 50.7K

$595 ฿20.0K

-74.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

12.5

5.57

124.42%

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

Last update for Kurunegala: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kurunegala

$246 49.4%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 3.7% $9.1

Eating Out

Kurunegala

$88 17.8%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 13.5% $12

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kurunegala

$83 16.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 13.3% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Kurunegala

$69 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 56.1% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Kurunegala

$9 * 1.8%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 467% $42

Getting Around

Kurunegala

$1.9 * 0.4%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 2987% $57

Accommodation & Living

Kurunegala

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 3.9 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Kurunegala versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $246 vs $237 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Kurunegala

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

01:48 1:48 AM

03:18 3:18 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Kurunegala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

30,300

127,240

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.67 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.64 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 333 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.01 USD). 1 EUR = 374 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.67 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.62 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.85 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kurunegala Chiang Mai 2,370 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Kurunegala
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 88% more than Kurunegala, 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 $747 per month in Kurunegala 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 Kurunegala and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Interestingly, groceries are about 4% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $498 in Kurunegala to $935 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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 Kurunegala. 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.