Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Mombasa

For one person, living is cheaper in Mombasa: $715 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,700 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
35

Cost of Living Index in Mombasa
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Mombasa Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Mombasa

🇰🇪 Kenya

$715

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $715 in Mombasa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Mombasa $715

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,138 in Mombasa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Mombasa $1,138

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,560 in Mombasa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Mombasa $1,560

Chiang Mai costs about 31% more than Mombasa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chiang Mai and Mombasa are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Mombasa 47% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$2.63 KES 342

-14.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$24.66 KES 3,201

-22.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$10.51 KES 1,364

-47.19%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$2.71 KES 351

-38.38%

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

$0.64 ฿21.55

$0.74 KES 95.5

-13.51%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.31

$0.48 KES 62.3

-35.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.33 KES 303

1.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$3.26 KES 423

12.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.92 KES 119

111.96%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.48

$0.50 KES 64.3

188.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.04

$1.57 KES 204

-15.29%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.82 KES 236

25.27%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$13.98 KES 1,814

17.67%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$4.89 KES 635

-43.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$5.25 KES 682

77.33%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.16 KES 280

8.80%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.80

$1.14 KES 148

-14.91%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.84 KES 239

-13.04%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.71 KES 92.4

111.27%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.12

$0.69 KES 88.9

85.51%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.19

$1.02 KES 132

7.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.82

$0.59 KES 77.0

20.34%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.37

$0.42 KES 55.1

16.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.97 KES 515

4.28%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$9.51 KES 1,234

84.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.98 KES 257

-18.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.94 KES 382

-5.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.31

$0.81 KES 105

7.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,826

$38.41 KES 4,986

40.82%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.06

$3.16 KES 410

-63.29%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.80

$1.70 KES 221

-68.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$4.61 KES 598

-47.51%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.90

$1.53 KES 199

-5.23%

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

$21.1K ฿710.7K

$12.2K KES 1.6M

72.65%

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

$26.9K ฿909.3K

$11.9K KES 1.5M

126.96%

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

$62.2 ฿2,098

$76.8 KES 9,962

-19.00%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$9.07 KES 1,177

34.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$34.36 KES 4,460

-41.44%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$17.66 KES 2,292

111.27%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$19.32 KES 2,508

-80.49%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$15.26 KES 1,980

-57.47%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$86.7 KES 11.3K

749.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.3K

$5,484 KES 711.9K

169.21%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,801

$12.89 KES 1,673

314.04%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$13.50 KES 1,752

82.52%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,087

$23.07 KES 2,995

296.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,428

$46.74 KES 6,067

53.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$229 KES 29.7K

110.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$157 KES 20.4K

96.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$535 KES 69.4K

88.11%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$368 KES 47.7K

72.28%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$5,457 KES 708.4K

-56.70%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$3,881 KES 503.8K

-59.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$317 KES 41.1K

86.05%

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 26, 2026

Last update for Mombasa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Mombasa

$157 22% 49.1% $152

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Mombasa

$185 25.8% 21.2% $50

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Mombasa

$43 6.1% 60.2% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Mombasa

$120 16.8% 27.2% $26

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Mombasa

$108 15.1% 39.4% $31

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Mombasa

$53 7.5% 13.1% $8.1

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Mombasa

$48 6.7% 4.2% $2.1

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $229 in Mombasa. 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 86% higher in Chiang Mai. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $25 in Mombasa. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $185 in Mombasa – so Mombasa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇪 Mombasa

🕒 Local time

12:07 12:07 PM

08:07 8:07 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,300,000

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 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 Mombasa 6,970 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Mombasa

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 Mombasa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 31% more than Mombasa, 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $1,073 in Mombasa. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mombasa, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $229 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $87 in Mombasa. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 27% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $936 in Chiang Mai and $715 in Mombasa, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

If budget matters most, go with Mombasa. 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.