Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Naivasha

For one person, living is cheaper in Naivasha: $546 a month against $935 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 Naivasha
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Naivasha Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Naivasha

🇰🇪 Kenya

$546

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $546 in Naivasha, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Naivasha $546

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $893 in Naivasha, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Naivasha $893

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,240 in Naivasha, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Naivasha $1,240

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿72.0

$6.39 KES 830

-66.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿628

$34.37 KES 4,463

-45.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿189

$6.19 KES 804

-9.53%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿56.1

$2.65 KES 344

-37.36%

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

$0.65 ฿21.82

$0.66 KES 85.3

-1.52%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.29

$0.62 KES 80.8

-51.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.3

$2.26 KES 294

2.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿124

$2.76 KES 358

32.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿68.0

$0.87 KES 113

132.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.49

$0.58 KES 74.8

143.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.94

$1.96 KES 254

-29.08%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.9

$1.70 KES 220

39.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿557

$10.94 KES 1,420

51.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿90.1

$6.41 KES 833

-58.35%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿304

$6.26 KES 813

44.09%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.9

$3.38 KES 438

-28.99%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿35.12

$1.06 KES 138

-1.89%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿56.0

$2.10 KES 273

-20.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.6

$1.14 KES 148

36.84%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.75

$1.12 KES 145

10.71%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.65

$1.07 KES 139

1.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.70

$0.74 KES 95.4

2.70%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.34

$0.80 KES 104

-36.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿139

$3.50 KES 454

17.71%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿605

$11.68 KES 1,517

53.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.8

$2.19 KES 285

-26.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿95.2

$2.79 KES 362

1.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.52

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,784

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.69

$1.58 KES 205

-25.32%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.78

$1.56 KES 203

-89.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿61.1

$2.87 KES 372

-36.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.67

$1.55 KES 201

-5.16%

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

$21.0K ฿708.7K

$19.6K KES 2.5M

7.08%

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

$26.5K ฿894.4K

$22.1K KES 2.9M

20.09%

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

$62.6 ฿2,110

$55.4 KES 7,189

13.01%

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

$11.60 ฿391

$15.36 KES 1,994

-24.48%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿685

$34.83 KES 4,523

-41.72%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,278

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿125

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿220

$7.74 KES 1,005

-15.89%

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

$727 ฿24.5K

$276 KES 35.8K

163.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿559.0K

$12.3K KES 1.6M

35.07%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,806

$27.73 KES 3,601

93.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿836

$29.30 KES 3,805

-15.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,049

$70.1 KES 9,096

29.04%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,428

$59.2 KES 7,690

21.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.7K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.2K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.5K

$780 KES 101.2K

210.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.3K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.1K

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 Naivasha: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Naivasha

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Naivasha

$208 38.1% 12.1% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Naivasha

$84 15.4% 22.6% $24

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Naivasha

$106 19.3% 11.7% $11

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Naivasha

$123 22.6% 61.2% $47

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Naivasha

$9.4 * 1.7% 84% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Naivasha

$15 * 2.8% 69.6% $35

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 in Chiang Mai versus $34 in Naivasha. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $208 in Naivasha – so Naivasha wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇪 Naivasha

🕒 Local time

21:35 9:35 PM

17:35 5:35 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

14,563

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.64 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.87 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 4, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.81 THB (100 THB = 2.64 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.87 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Naivasha 7,160 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Naivasha

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 Naivasha: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 71% more than Naivasha, 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 Naivasha. 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 Naivasha. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 14% 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 Naivasha to $935 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.