Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mirissa and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Mirissa: $506 a month against $936 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 Mirissa
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Mirissa Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Mirissa

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$506

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $506 per month in Mirissa vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mirissa $506
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $821 per month in Mirissa vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mirissa $821
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,135 per month in Mirissa vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mirissa $1,135
Chiang Mai $1,979

Mirissa is about 46% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.86 LKR 1,284

$2.24 ฿75.7

72.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.85 LKR 8,261

$19.00 ฿642

30.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.68 LKR 2,552

$5.55 ฿188

38.38%

Cappuccino

$2.55 LKR 846

$1.67 ฿56.6

52.69%

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

$0.67 LKR 221

$0.64 ฿21.56

4.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.25 LKR 82.8

$0.31 ฿10.32

-19.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 LKR 751

$2.36 ฿79.6

-4.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.04 LKR 1,012

$3.66 ฿124

-16.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.65 LKR 547

$1.95 ฿65.8

-15.38%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 LKR 190

$1.44 ฿48.51

-60.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.82 LKR 272

$1.33 ฿45.07

-38.35%

Eggs

$1.71 LKR 569

$2.28 ฿77.1

-25.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.66 LKR 4,540

$16.45 ฿556

-16.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.90 LKR 1,628

$2.78 ฿94.0

76.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.38 LKR 2,454

$9.31 ฿314

-20.73%

Apples (1kg)

$6.43 LKR 2,137

$2.35 ฿79.5

173.62%

Banana (1kg)

$0.79 LKR 263

$0.97 ฿32.82

-18.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.32 LKR 1,436

$1.60 ฿53.9

170.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.31 LKR 436

$1.50 ฿50.7

-12.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 LKR 347

$1.28 ฿43.15

-18.75%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 LKR 262

$1.10 ฿37.22

-28.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.90 LKR 299

$0.71 ฿23.84

26.76%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.42 LKR 140

$0.49 ฿16.38

-14.29%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.42 LKR 3,464

$4.14 ฿140

151.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.86 LKR 4,275

$17.52 ฿592

-26.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.97 LKR 654

$1.61 ฿54.5

22.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 LKR 970

$2.78 ฿94.0

5.04%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.37 LKR 125

$1.16 ฿39.08

-68.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.38 LKR 125

$0.53 ฿17.82

-28.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 LKR 291

$2.42 ฿81.8

-63.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.39 LKR 462

$1.45 ฿48.93

-4.14%

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

$44.2K LKR 14.7M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

109.93%

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

$41.2K LKR 13.7M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

52.96%

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

$58.5 LKR 19.4K

$62.2 ฿2,100

-5.97%

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

$4.30 LKR 1,428

$12.17 ฿411

-64.67%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.97 LKR 6,972

$20.12 ฿680

4.22%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$4.48 LKR 1,489

$6.49 ฿219

-30.97%

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

$37.09 LKR 12.3K

$736 ฿24.9K

-94.96%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,224 LKR 407.0K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-91.71%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.17 LKR 6,042

$53.4 ฿1,802

-65.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.29 LKR 5,415

$24.64 ฿832

-33.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$80.5 LKR 26.8K

$91.5 ฿3,089

-11.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.93 LKR 13.9K

$71.9 ฿2,429

-41.72%

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 Mirissa: 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

Mirissa

$235 46.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 0.4% $1

Eating Out

Mirissa

$106 20.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 26.5% $28

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mirissa

$84 16.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 12.8% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Mirissa

$71 13.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 53.8% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Mirissa

$9 * 1.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 461% $41

Getting Around

Mirissa

$2.3 * 0.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 2627% $59

Accommodation & Living

Mirissa

- * 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 Mirissa versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $235 vs $234 – making Chiang Mai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Mirissa

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:38 3:38 AM

05:08 5:08 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Mirissa

🌤 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 = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mirissa Chiang Mai 2,460 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Mirissa
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 85% more than Mirissa, 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 $760 per month in Mirissa and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $506 in Mirissa and $936 in Chiang Mai. That makes Mirissa about 46% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Mirissa and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $506 in Mirissa and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mirissa costs $506 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.