Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Malindi

For one person, living is cheaper in Malindi: $520 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Malindi
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Malindi Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Malindi

🇰🇪 Kenya

$520

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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 Malindi actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $520 in Malindi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Malindi $520

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $806 in Malindi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Malindi $806

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,092 in Malindi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Malindi $1,092

Chiang Mai costs about 80% more than Malindi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chiang Mai and Malindi are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Malindi 61% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$2.06 KES 267

9.71%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$24.99 KES 3,241

-23.25%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$10.58 KES 1,372

-47.16%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$2.76 KES 358

-37.68%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.68 KES 88.8

-5.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.52 KES 67.2

-36.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$2.35 KES 304

0.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$3.31 KES 429

17.82%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$0.90 KES 116

127.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$0.54 KES 69.8

159.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.27 KES 164

0.79%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.79 KES 232

25.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$11.74 KES 1,522

44.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$4.81 KES 624

-43.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$4.99 KES 647

87.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$2.08 KES 269

15.38%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$0.73 KES 94.7

38.36%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.82 KES 236

-11.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$0.67 KES 87.2

126.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.68 KES 87.6

88.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.67 KES 87.5

65.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.59 KES 76.6

22.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.43 KES 55.3

20.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$4.06 KES 526

6.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$9.88 KES 1,281

79.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$1.95 KES 253

-16.41%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.91 KES 377

-2.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$3.03 KES 393

-61.39%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$1.70 KES 221

-66.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$4.66 KES 604

-49.14%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.43 KES 186

1.40%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$12.3K KES 1.6M

67.01%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$11.8K KES 1.5M

124.50%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$77.9 KES 10.1K

-19.95%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$9.43 KES 1,223

30.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$31.35 KES 4,065

-36.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

$39.09 KES 5,069

-3.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$15.22 KES 1,974

-55.91%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$87.5 KES 11.3K

810.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$5,349 KES 693.5K

177.29%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$13.08 KES 1,696

307.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$13.47 KES 1,746

85.97%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$23.22 KES 3,010

294.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$46.29 KES 6,002

58.70%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$378 KES 49.0K

142.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

-57.15%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Last update for Malindi: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Malindi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Malindi

$172 33.2% 27.5% $66

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Malindi

$43 8.3% 60.5% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Malindi

$119 22.8% 25.4% $24

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Malindi

$105 20.1% 32.3% $26

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Malindi

$12 * 2.2% 81.2% $50

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Malindi

$70 13.4% 35.4% $18

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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $25.00 in Malindi. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $172 in Malindi – so Malindi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇪 Malindi

🕒 Local time

02:00 2:00 AM

22:00 10:00 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

117,735

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 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 October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Malindi 6,890 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Malindi

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 Malindi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 80% more than Malindi, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $780 in Malindi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $25.00 in Malindi. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 38% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,000 monthly budget goes further in Malindi, where all-in costs run around $520, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Malindi 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. Malindi costs $520 versus $938 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 Malindi. 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.