Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Eldoret

For one person, living is cheaper in Eldoret: $506 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Eldoret
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Eldoret Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Eldoret

🇰🇪 Kenya

$506

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Eldoret

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in Eldoret actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $506 in Eldoret, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Eldoret $506

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $872 in Eldoret, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Eldoret $872

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,238 in Eldoret, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Eldoret $1,238

Chiang Mai costs about 85% more than Eldoret, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.4

$1.51 KES 196

41.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿623

$34.54 KES 4,485

-46.09%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿187

$6.54 KES 849

-14.37%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.6

$2.68 KES 348

-38.06%

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

$0.65 ฿21.63

$0.30 KES 38.34

116.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.20

$0.39 KES 51.3

-23.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿77.7

$2.38 KES 309

-2.52%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$2.72 KES 353

34.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.4

$0.71 KES 92.6

184.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.08

$0.48 KES 62.4

193.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.54

$1.54 KES 199

-9.74%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.2

$1.55 KES 202

52.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿552

$3.83 KES 498

331.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.3

$4.18 KES 543

-36.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿302

$4.20 KES 545

114.76%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.2

$2.33 KES 302

3.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.82

$1.03 KES 133

0.97%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.5

$0.68 KES 88.2

144.12%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.1

$0.88 KES 114

77.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.39

$0.53 KES 68.4

133.96%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.34

$0.48 KES 62.1

127.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.47

$0.73 KES 95.0

4.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.19

$0.67 KES 86.6

-23.88%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$3.53 KES 459

16.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿600

$5.63 KES 731

218.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.3

$2.11 KES 274

-23.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.4

$1.58 KES 206

78.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.25

$1.36 KES 177

-31.62%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,769

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.35

$1.59 KES 206

-25.79%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.73

$1.53 KES 199

-88.89%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.6

$2.94 KES 381

-38.44%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.25

$1.49 KES 193

-1.34%

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

$21.0K ฿702.6K

$19.3K KES 2.5M

8.64%

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

$26.5K ฿886.7K

$21.5K KES 2.8M

23.22%

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

$62.6 ฿2,092

$40.04 KES 5,199

56.24%

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

$11.60 ฿388

$15.25 KES 1,980

-23.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿679

$35.46 KES 4,604

-42.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,267

$39.23 KES 5,094

-3.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿218

$7.64 KES 993

-14.79%

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

$727 ฿24.3K

$65.3 KES 8,482

1013.00%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿554.2K

$12.4K KES 1.6M

33.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,790

$11.41 KES 1,482

369.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿829

$28.52 KES 3,703

-13.04%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,023

$19.29 KES 2,505

368.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,407

$34.26 KES 4,449

110.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.1K

$91.8 KES 11.9K

424.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$87.8 KES 11.4K

252.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.0K

$271 KES 35.2K

142.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿80.8K

$604 KES 78.4K

300.49%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿53.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

14.71

-62.13%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Eldoret: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Eldoret

$88 17.3% 71.7% $222

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Eldoret

$133 26.2% 43.9% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Eldoret

$42 8.3% 61.2% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Eldoret

$91 17.9% 3.9% $3.7

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Eldoret

$84 16.6% 9.7% $7.4

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Eldoret

$15 * 2.9% 75% $44

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Eldoret

$55 10.8% 7.1% $3.6

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $92 in Eldoret. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $35 in Eldoret. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $133 in Eldoret – so Eldoret wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇪 Eldoret

🕒 Local time

11:39 11:39 AM

07:39 7:39 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

193,830

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

KES, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 33.44 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.54 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Eldoret 7,230 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Eldoret

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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 85% more than Eldoret, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $760 in Eldoret. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Eldoret, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $92 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $35 in Eldoret. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 78% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Eldoret, where all-in costs run around $506, than in Chiang Mai at $935. In Eldoret it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Eldoret – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.