Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Molo

For one person, living is cheaper in Molo: $546 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
26

Cost of Living Index in Molo
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Molo Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Molo

🇰🇪 Kenya

$546

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $546 in Molo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Molo $546

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $893 in Molo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Molo $893

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,240 in Molo, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Molo $1,240

Chiang Mai costs about 71% more than Molo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Molo are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Molo 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$6.39 KES 829

-64.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$34.32 KES 4,455

-44.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.37 KES 826

-12.87%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.63 KES 341

-36.50%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.70 KES 91.3

-8.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.61 KES 79.5

-49.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.35 KES 305

0.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.67 KES 347

37.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.89 KES 115

119.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$0.59 KES 76.2

144.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$2.01 KES 261

-33.83%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.70 KES 221

34.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$10.99 KES 1,427

49.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$6.42 KES 834

-56.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$6.44 KES 836

44.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.47 KES 451

-32.28%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.08 KES 140

-10.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.01 KES 260

-20.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.15 KES 149

30.43%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$1.11 KES 144

15.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.06 KES 138

3.77%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.75 KES 97.4

-5.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.75 KES 97.7

-34.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.49 KES 453

18.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$11.33 KES 1,471

54.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.29 KES 298

-29.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.77 KES 360

0.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$1.55 KES 202

-25.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.51 KES 196

-64.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$2.93 KES 380

-17.41%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.56 KES 202

-7.05%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$19.2K KES 2.5M

9.73%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$21.5K KES 2.8M

25.07%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$55.3 KES 7,179

12.40%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$15.06 KES 1,955

-19.19%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$35.56 KES 4,616

-43.42%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.67 KES 996

-15.38%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$279 KES 36.2K

163.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$12.3K KES 1.6M

19.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$27.85 KES 3,615

91.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$28.87 KES 3,748

-14.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$69.2 KES 8,985

32.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$58.4 KES 7,576

23.25%

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 ฿33.9K

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 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$378 KES 49.0K

56.14%

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Molo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Molo

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Molo

$209 38.2% 10.9% $26

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Molo

$83 15.2% 23.7% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Molo

$106 19.4% 12.2% $11

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Molo

$124 22.7% 60% $47

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Molo

$9.1 * 1.7% 85.2% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Molo

$15 * 2.8% 69.5% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

Salaries run about 56% 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 $19 in Chiang Mai versus $34 in Molo. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $209 in Molo – so Molo wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇪 Molo

🕒 Local time

23:49 11:49 PM

19:49 7:49 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

48,356

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.9 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 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.66 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.9 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Molo 7,210 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Molo

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 Molo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 71% more than Molo, 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $819 in Molo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $34 in Molo. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 12% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $546 in Molo to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

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