Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ragama and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Ragama: $502 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 Ragama
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Ragama Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ragama

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$502

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $502 per month in Ragama vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ragama $502
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $816 per month in Ragama vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ragama $816
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,129 per month in Ragama vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ragama $1,129
Chiang Mai $1,979

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.89 LKR 1,294

$2.24 ฿75.7

73.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.24 LKR 8,390

$19.00 ฿642

32.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.42 LKR 2,467

$5.55 ฿188

33.69%

Cappuccino

$2.45 LKR 815

$1.67 ฿56.6

46.71%

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

$0.73 LKR 243

$0.64 ฿21.56

14.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 LKR 90.2

$0.31 ฿10.32

-12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 LKR 750

$2.36 ฿79.6

-4.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.01 LKR 1,000

$3.66 ฿124

-17.76%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 LKR 474

$1.95 ฿65.8

-26.67%

White Bread (500g)

$0.50 LKR 165

$1.44 ฿48.51

-65.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.68 LKR 227

$1.33 ฿45.07

-48.87%

Eggs

$1.66 LKR 551

$2.28 ฿77.1

-27.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.02 LKR 4,660

$16.45 ฿556

-14.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.82 LKR 1,603

$2.78 ฿94.0

73.38%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.40 LKR 2,460

$9.31 ฿314

-20.52%

Apples (1kg)

$6.56 LKR 2,180

$2.35 ฿79.5

179.15%

Banana (1kg)

$0.81 LKR 270

$0.97 ฿32.82

-16.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.32 LKR 1,435

$1.60 ฿53.9

170.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.32 LKR 437

$1.50 ฿50.7

-12.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.04 LKR 345

$1.28 ฿43.15

-18.75%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 LKR 255

$1.10 ฿37.22

-30.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.92 LKR 306

$0.71 ฿23.84

29.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 LKR 150

$0.49 ฿16.38

-8.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$10.17 LKR 3,380

$4.14 ฿140

145.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.95 LKR 4,304

$17.52 ฿592

-26.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.91 LKR 636

$1.61 ฿54.5

18.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.00 LKR 997

$2.78 ฿94.0

7.91%

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 126

$1.16 ฿39.08

-67.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.35 LKR 115

$0.53 ฿17.82

-33.96%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 LKR 288

$2.42 ฿81.8

-64.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 LKR 444

$1.45 ฿48.93

-7.59%

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

$44.0K LKR 14.6M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

109.13%

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

$39.9K LKR 13.3M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

48.24%

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

$58.0 LKR 19.3K

$62.2 ฿2,100

-6.69%

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

$4.24 LKR 1,409

$12.17 ฿411

-65.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.84 LKR 6,927

$20.12 ฿680

3.58%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$4.42 LKR 1,471

$6.49 ฿219

-31.90%

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

$37.33 LKR 12.4K

$736 ฿24.9K

-94.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$1,217 LKR 404.6K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-91.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$18.43 LKR 6,126

$53.4 ฿1,802

-65.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$16.62 LKR 5,526

$24.64 ฿832

-32.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$79.4 LKR 26.4K

$91.5 ฿3,089

-13.19%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.13 LKR 14.0K

$71.9 ฿2,429

-41.44%

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 Ragama: 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

Ragama

$234 46.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 0.3% $0.7

Eating Out

Ragama

$104 20.7%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 25.5% $27

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ragama

$83 16.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 13.7% $11

Clothing & Footwear

Ragama

$70 14%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 54.2% $38

Sport & Entertainment

Ragama

$8.9 * 1.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 468% $41

Getting Around

Ragama

$2.1 * 0.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 2808% $59

Accommodation & Living

Ragama

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

Good to know

🇱🇰 Ragama

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:43 3:43 AM

05:13 5:13 AM

1 h 30 min ahead of Ragama

🌤 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

Ragama Chiang Mai 2,440 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ragama
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 86% more than Ragama, 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 $753 per month in Ragama 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 $502 in Ragama and $936 in Chiang Mai. That makes Ragama about 46% cheaper.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25 in Ragama 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 $502 in Ragama and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $502 in Ragama to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.