Cost of Living Comparison Between Nuwara Eliya and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Nuwara Eliya and Chiang Mai

🙂 Solo nomad: Nuwara Eliya is 18.9% cheaper than Chiang Mai without rent, and 40.6% cheaper with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Nuwara Eliya is 2.7% more expensive than Chiang Mai without rent, and 33.8% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.91 LKR 1,234

$2.01 ฿64.4

94.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.35 LKR 7,999

$18.23 ฿583

39.06%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.50 LKR 2,682

$7.65 ฿244

11.11%

Cappuccino

$2.64 LKR 832

$1.92 ฿61.3

37.50%

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

$0.69 LKR 219

$0.84 ฿26.90

-17.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 LKR 129

$0.36 ฿11.39

13.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 LKR 742

$2.19 ฿70.0

7.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.36 LKR 1,061

$3.79 ฿121

-11.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.78 LKR 561

$1.64 ฿52.4

8.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.52 LKR 164

$1.62 ฿51.8

-67.90%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.82 LKR 259

$1.15 ฿36.88

-28.70%

Eggs

$2.22 LKR 700

$1.94 ฿62.0

14.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.21 LKR 4,483

$15.94 ฿510

-10.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.74 LKR 1,496

$3.10 ฿99.2

52.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.20 LKR 2,588

$11.07 ฿354

-25.93%

Apples (1kg)

$7.40 LKR 2,334

$2.71 ฿86.5

173.06%

Banana (1kg)

$1.12 LKR 352

$1.18 ฿37.69

-5.08%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.74 LKR 1,812

$1.71 ฿54.5

235.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.25 LKR 393

$1.61 ฿51.3

-22.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.12 LKR 353

$1.39 ฿44.53

-19.42%

Onion (1kg)

$1.42 LKR 448

$1.15 ฿36.70

23.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.20 LKR 379

$0.71 ฿22.76

69.01%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 LKR 187

$0.55 ฿17.60

7.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.98 LKR 3,149

$4.57 ฿146

118.38%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.44 LKR 3,925

$18.87 ฿603

-34.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.07 LKR 652

$1.82 ฿58.2

13.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 LKR 901

$3.21 ฿103

-11.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.88 ฿28.16

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$18.89 ฿604

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 121

$1.41 ฿45.17

-73.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 LKR 112

$1.30 ฿41.59

-72.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.61 LKR 192

$8.20 ฿262

-92.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.20 LKR 378

$1.23 ฿39.18

-2.44%

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

$26.7K LKR 8.4M

$21.2K ฿677.0K

26.17%

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

$34.7K LKR 10.9M

$22.3K ฿713.3K

55.43%

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

$59.7 LKR 18.8K

$69.9 ฿2,234

-14.54%

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

$4.23 LKR 1,335

$14.07 ฿450

-69.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$14.91 LKR 4,705

$17.70 ฿566

-15.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$41.41 ฿1,324

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$6.69 ฿214

Cinema Ticket

$3.33 LKR 1,050

$5.74 ฿184

-41.99%

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

$37.40 LKR 11.8K

$299 ฿9,566

-87.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$434 LKR 136.9K

$15.0K ฿479.8K

-97.11%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.57 LKR 8,698

$54.8 ฿1,753

-49.71%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.44 LKR 6,133

$26.35 ฿842

-26.22%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 LKR 21.7K

$84.7 ฿2,706

-18.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.02 LKR 12.0K

$69.7 ฿2,229

-45.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$427 ฿13.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 ฿7,697

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$811 ฿25.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$498 ฿15.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,022 ฿64.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,524 ฿48.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$639 ฿20.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.45

229.00%

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

Last update for Nuwara Eliya: April 13, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: April 13, 2026

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

Nuwara Eliya vs other spots: cost of living compared

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