Chiang MaivsColombo
📶
Chiang Mai has 3x faster internet
75 Mbps avg download speed
🌡️
Tropical Monsoon vs Tropical Wet climate
Different weather patterns year-round
💰 Cost of Living Breakdown
Monthly expenses comparison in USD
Expense
Chiang Mai
Colombo
Total Budget
$1,000/mo
$900/mo ✓
Rent (1BR)
$350/mo ✓
$400/mo
Coworking
$120/mo ✓
$160/mo
Meal Out
$3
$3
Coffee
$2.5
$2.5
Colombo is $100/mo cheaper (11% savings)
💻 Remote Work Essentials
Internet, timezone, and language comparison
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
📶 Internet75 Mbps
🕐 TimezoneUTC+7
🗣️ Englishmedium
🛂 Nomad VisaAvailable
Working hours overlap:
🇺🇸 US West0h
🇺🇸 US East0h
🇬🇧 London4h
🇩🇪 Berlin5h
🇱🇰 Colombo
📶 Internet22 Mbps
🕐 TimezoneUTC+5
🗣️ Englishhigh
🛂 Nomad VisaAvailable
Working hours overlap:
🇺🇸 US West0h
🇺🇸 US East1h
🇬🇧 London6h
🇩🇪 Berlin7h
🌡️ Climate Comparison
Weather patterns and best times to visit
Chiang Mai
ClimateTropical Monsoon
Avg Temp26°C
Rainy Days175/year
Best months: March, April, January, February
Colombo
ClimateTropical Wet
Avg Temp27°C
Rainy Days290/year
Best months: February
Quarterly Temperatures
Jan
22°26°
Apr
30°28°
Jul
27°27°
Oct
26°26°
Chiang MaiColombo
📊 Full Comparison
Category
🇹🇭Chiang Mai
🇱🇰Colombo
💰
Monthly Budget
$1,000
$900
📶
Internet Speed
75 Mbps
Winner22 Mbps
🛡️
Safety
4.3/5
Winner3/5
⭐
Nomad Score
4.7/10
Winner3.7/10
🍽️
Food Scene
9/10
8/10
🎉
Nightlife
7/10
7/10
🚶
Walkability
6/10
6/10
👥
Community
very large
Winnermedium
4
Chiang Mai wins
vs
0
Colombo wins
Which City is Right for You?
Recommendations based on your nomad style
💵Budget Nomad
Either works
Similar costs - choose based on other factors
💻Developer
Chiang Mai
75 Mbps is essential for video calls & uploads
🦋Social Butterfly
Chiang Mai
Larger nomad community for networking
🛡️Safety-First
Chiang Mai
Significantly higher safety rating
🍜Foodie
Either works
Both have great food scenes
🎉Party Person
Either works
Both have great nightlife
🇹🇭Chiang Mai
Pros
- +Very affordable cost of living ($600-1,200/month)
- +Large digital nomad community
- +Excellent coworking spaces (Punspace, CAMP)
- +Amazing Thai food everywhere
Cons
- −Air quality issues (Mar-Apr burning season)
- −Very hot and humid (Mar-May)
- −Heavy rainy season (Jun-Oct)
- −Limited international flights
🇱🇰Colombo
Pros
- +Cost of living still affordable compared to many other Asian capitals
- +Strong food scene with local restaurants, street food and international options
- +Modern coworking spaces and a growing remote worker community
- +Excellent hub to explore the rest of Sri Lanka by train or bus
Cons
- −Hot and humid climate all year with very few truly cool hours
- −Heavy monsoon rains can slow down traffic and outdoor plans
- −Busy roads and constant honking along main streets
- −Sidewalks often broken, blocked or simply missing
