Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Nairobi

For one person, living is cheaper in Nairobi: $885 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $610 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Chiang Mai outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Nairobi
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Nairobi Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Nairobi

🇰🇪 Kenya

$885

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $885 in Nairobi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Nairobi $885

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,436 in Nairobi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Nairobi $1,436

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,987 in Nairobi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Nairobi $1,987

Chiang Mai costs about 6% more than Nairobi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chiang Mai and Nairobi are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Nairobi 35% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$6.43 KES 835

-65.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$34.51 KES 4,480

-44.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.26 KES 813

-11.34%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$2.60 KES 337

-35.77%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.64 KES 82.8

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.67 KES 86.8

-53.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.30 KES 298

2.61%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$2.75 KES 356

33.09%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.95 KES 123

105.26%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$0.59 KES 76.1

144.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$2.00 KES 260

-33.50%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.69 KES 220

34.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$11.01 KES 1,430

49.41%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.41 KES 832

-56.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$6.41 KES 832

45.24%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$3.42 KES 444

-31.29%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.06 KES 138

-8.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$2.03 KES 263

-21.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.14 KES 147

31.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.10 KES 143

16.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$1.10 KES 143

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.74 KES 96.0

-4.05%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.76 KES 99.1

-35.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.38 KES 438

22.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$11.65 KES 1,512

50.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$2.26 KES 293

-28.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.74 KES 356

1.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.83 KES 108

4.82%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$46.81 KES 6,076

15.55%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.52 KES 197

-23.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$1.52 KES 198

-65.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$2.80 KES 364

-13.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.55 KES 201

-6.45%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$19.4K KES 2.5M

8.67%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$22.2K KES 2.9M

21.28%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$56.7 KES 7,356

9.71%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$15.25 KES 1,980

-20.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$34.78 KES 4,514

-42.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$51.6 KES 6,702

-27.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$15.64 KES 2,031

-75.90%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.60 KES 987

-14.61%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$277 KES 36.0K

165.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$12.3K KES 1.6M

20.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$27.73 KES 3,600

92.46%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$29.36 KES 3,811

-16.08%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$69.3 KES 8,996

32.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$59.1 KES 7,667

21.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$441 KES 57.3K

9.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$235 KES 30.6K

31.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$1,131 KES 146.8K

-11.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$522 KES 67.8K

21.34%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

$1,234 KES 160.2K

91.52%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$805 KES 104.5K

97.43%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$484 KES 62.8K

21.81%

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 Nairobi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Nairobi

$235 26.6% 23.8% $73

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Nairobi

$209 23.7% 10.6% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Nairobi

$83 9.4% 23.2% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Nairobi

$107 12.1% 13% $12

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Nairobi

$124 14% 59.4% $46

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Nairobi

$59 6.7% 3.4% $2.1

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Nairobi

$67 7.6% 32.9% $17

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $441 in Nairobi. 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 22% 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 $35 in Nairobi. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $209 in Nairobi – so Nairobi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇪 Nairobi

🕒 Local time

08:23 8:23 AM

04:23 4:23 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

3,138,295 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.92 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 144 KES (1,000 KES = 6.92 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Nairobi 7,140 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Nairobi

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 Nairobi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 6% more than Nairobi, 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 $1,327 in Nairobi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $482 in Chiang Mai and $441 in Nairobi. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $277 in Nairobi. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

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

$800 is a stretch for both – monthly costs hit $936 in Chiang Mai and $885 in Nairobi. You’ll need shared housing and careful budgeting no matter which city you pick.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Nairobi costs $885 versus $936 in Chiang Mai. Both appeal to remote workers, and the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

If budget matters most, go with Nairobi. 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.