Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nuwara Eliya and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Nuwara Eliya: $500 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 Nuwara Eliya
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Nuwara Eliya Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Nuwara Eliya

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$500

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $500 per month in Nuwara Eliya vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nuwara Eliya $500
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $813 per month in Nuwara Eliya vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nuwara Eliya $813
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,126 per month in Nuwara Eliya vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nuwara Eliya $1,126
Chiang Mai $1,979

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.79 LKR 1,259

$2.24 ฿75.7

69.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.40 LKR 8,445

$19.00 ฿642

33.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.51 LKR 2,497

$5.55 ฿188

35.32%

Cappuccino

$2.55 LKR 846

$1.67 ฿56.6

52.69%

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

$0.36 LKR 121

$0.64 ฿21.56

-43.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 90.2

$0.31 ฿10.32

-12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.16 LKR 718

$2.36 ฿79.6

-8.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 LKR 1,018

$3.66 ฿124

-16.39%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.63 LKR 543

$1.95 ฿65.8

-16.41%

White Bread (500g)

$0.57 LKR 190

$1.44 ฿48.51

-60.42%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.74 LKR 248

$1.33 ฿45.07

-44.36%

Eggs

$1.64 LKR 546

$2.28 ฿77.1

-28.07%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.62 LKR 4,526

$16.45 ฿556

-17.20%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.74 LKR 1,575

$2.78 ฿94.0

70.50%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.34 LKR 2,439

$9.31 ฿314

-21.16%

Apples (1kg)

$6.47 LKR 2,152

$2.35 ฿79.5

175.32%

Banana (1kg)

$0.80 LKR 268

$0.97 ฿32.82

-17.53%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.31 LKR 1,431

$1.60 ฿53.9

169.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.26 LKR 420

$1.50 ฿50.7

-16.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.01 LKR 335

$1.28 ฿43.15

-21.09%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 256

$1.10 ฿37.22

-30.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 LKR 292

$0.71 ฿23.84

23.94%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 151

$0.49 ฿16.38

-8.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.26 LKR 3,410

$4.14 ฿140

147.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.83 LKR 4,264

$17.52 ฿592

-26.77%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.90 LKR 630

$1.61 ฿54.5

18.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.94 LKR 977

$2.78 ฿94.0

5.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.38 LKR 125

$1.16 ฿39.08

-67.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 116

$0.53 ฿17.82

-33.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.88 LKR 292

$2.42 ฿81.8

-63.64%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.38 LKR 458

$1.45 ฿48.93

-4.83%

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

$43.8K LKR 14.6M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

107.91%

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

$39.8K LKR 13.2M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

47.84%

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

$57.7 LKR 19.2K

$62.2 ฿2,100

-7.21%

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

$4.32 LKR 1,435

$12.17 ฿411

-64.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.36 LKR 6,770

$20.12 ฿680

1.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$4.55 LKR 1,514

$6.49 ฿219

-29.89%

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

$38.33 LKR 12.7K

$736 ฿24.9K

-94.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,215 LKR 403.8K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-91.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.89 LKR 5,947

$53.4 ฿1,802

-66.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.67 LKR 5,541

$24.64 ฿832

-32.35%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$78.9 LKR 26.2K

$91.5 ฿3,089

-13.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.52 LKR 13.8K

$71.9 ฿2,429

-42.29%

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 Nuwara Eliya: 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

Nuwara Eliya

$233 46.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 0.4% $1

Eating Out

Nuwara Eliya

$103 20.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 24.6% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nuwara Eliya

$82 16.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 14.7% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Nuwara Eliya

$70 14%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 55.8% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Nuwara Eliya

$9.1 * 1.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 452% $41

Getting Around

Nuwara Eliya

$2.1 * 0.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 2794% $59

Accommodation & Living

Nuwara Eliya

- * 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 Nuwara Eliya versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $233 in Nuwara Eliya vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Nuwara Eliya wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Nuwara Eliya

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

04:26 4:26 AM

05:56 5:56 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Nuwara Eliya

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

27,500

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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Between locations

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

From you

Nuwara Eliya
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

Nuwara Eliya vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 87% more than Nuwara Eliya, 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 $749 per month in Nuwara Eliya 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 $500 in Nuwara Eliya and $936 in Chiang Mai. That makes Nuwara Eliya about 47% cheaper.

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

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $500 in Nuwara Eliya to $936 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.