Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ratnapura and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Ratnapura: $477 a month against $925 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Ratnapura
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Ratnapura Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ratnapura

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka

$477

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$925

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $477 per month in Ratnapura vs $925 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ratnapura $477
Chiang Mai $925

A couple spends around $766 per month in Ratnapura vs $1,414 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ratnapura $766
Chiang Mai $1,414

A family of three spends $1,056 per month in Ratnapura vs $1,903 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ratnapura $1,056
Chiang Mai $1,903

Ratnapura is about 48% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Ratnapura and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Ratnapura 65% lower, Chiang Mai 32% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.98 LKR 654

$2.29 ฿76.5

-13.54%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$9.04 LKR 2,994

$19.64 ฿656

-53.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.96 LKR 1,974

$5.61 ฿188

6.24%

Cappuccino

$2.12 LKR 704

$1.66 ฿55.6

27.71%

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

$0.75 LKR 247

$0.70 ฿23.40

7.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.47 LKR 156

$0.31 ฿10.24

51.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.94 LKR 644

$2.41 ฿80.4

-19.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 LKR 883

$3.71 ฿124

-28.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.85 LKR 614

$1.95 ฿65.3

-5.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.78 LKR 259

$1.41 ฿47.03

-44.68%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.61 LKR 204

$1.31 ฿43.62

-53.44%

Eggs

$1.06 LKR 353

$2.18 ฿72.9

-51.38%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.90 LKR 4,934

$16.65 ฿556

-10.51%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.25 LKR 2,071

$2.76 ฿92.2

126.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.90 LKR 5,266

$9.11 ฿304

74.53%

Apples (1kg)

$4.27 LKR 1,416

$2.39 ฿80.0

78.66%

Banana (1kg)

$0.74 LKR 245

$1.03 ฿34.26

-28.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.35 LKR 1,441

$1.63 ฿54.4

166.87%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.95 LKR 314

$1.50 ฿50.0

-36.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.00 LKR 332

$1.29 ฿43.13

-22.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.38 LKR 457

$1.11 ฿37.03

24.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.46 LKR 151

$0.72 ฿24.08

-36.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 LKR 142

$0.53 ฿17.59

-18.87%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$13.09 LKR 4,337

$4.31 ฿144

203.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.86 LKR 4,261

$17.95 ฿600

-28.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.02 LKR 668

$1.58 ฿52.9

27.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 LKR 925

$2.84 ฿95.0

-1.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 LKR 114

$0.86 ฿28.86

-60.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.3 ฿1,780

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.35 LKR 115

$1.21 ฿40.29

-71.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.43 LKR 143

$0.57 ฿18.99

-24.56%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.35 ฿78.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.91 LKR 302

$1.44 ฿47.96

-36.81%

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

$19.8K LKR 6.6M

$20.7K ฿692.8K

-4.55%

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

$19.5K LKR 6.5M

$26.8K ฿895.7K

-27.16%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

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

$2.07 LKR 686

$12.11 ฿405

-82.91%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$7.38 LKR 2,445

$19.94 ฿666

-62.99%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$8.94 LKR 2,963

$37.07 ฿1,239

-75.88%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$2.40 LKR 793

$6.50 ฿217

-63.08%

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

$793 ฿26.5K

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿494.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$10.42 LKR 3,452

$53.7 ฿1,796

-80.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$7.54 LKR 2,497

$24.62 ฿823

-69.37%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.1 LKR 27.5K

$90.9 ฿3,036

-8.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$25.42 LKR 8,419

$71.1 ฿2,378

-64.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$75.7 LKR 25.1K

$455 ฿15.2K

-83.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$55.3 LKR 18.3K

$298 ฿9,954

-81.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$908 ฿30.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$86.1 LKR 28.5K

$554 ฿18.5K

-84.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,931 ฿64.5K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,445 ฿48.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$172 LKR 57.0K

$591 ฿19.7K

-70.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

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

Last update for Ratnapura: October 17, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 17, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ratnapura

$259 54.2%

Chiang Mai

$235 25.5% 9% $23

Eating Out

Ratnapura

$79 16.6%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.5% 0.6% $0.5

Clothing & Footwear

Ratnapura

$57 11.9%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.7% 90.1% $51

Accommodation & Living

Ratnapura

$55 11.6%

Chiang Mai

$298 32.2% 439% $243

Sport & Entertainment

Ratnapura

$14 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 264% $36

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ratnapura

$9.5 * 2%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.2% 899% $85

Getting Around

Ratnapura

$3.9 * 0.8%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 1463% $57

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $75.7 in Ratnapura versus $455 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 243% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $9.00 in Ratnapura versus $20.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $259 in Ratnapura vs $235 in Chiang Mai – so Chiang Mai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇱🇰 Ratnapura

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

17:11 5:11 PM

18:41 6:41 PM

1 h 30 min ahead of Ratnapura

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

52,100

127,240

💱 Currency

Sri Lankan Rupee LKR Rs

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD

1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 20, 2026: 1 USD = 331 LKR (1,000 LKR = 3.02 USD). 1 EUR = 372 LKR (1,000 LKR = 2.69 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to LKR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Ratnapura Chiang Mai 2,420 km ≈ 3 h 30 min nonstop flight

From you

Ratnapura
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 94% more than Ratnapura, 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 $716 per month in Ratnapura and $1,388 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ratnapura, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $477 in Ratnapura and $925 in Chiang Mai. That's a gap of about 94%.

Interestingly, groceries are about 10% cheaper in Chiang Mai – one category where the pricier city actually offers better value, probably thanks to stronger retail competition or local farming.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ratnapura, where all-in costs run around $477, than in Chiang Mai at $925. In Ratnapura it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ratnapura costs $477 versus $925 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ratnapura. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.