Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Nakuru

For one person, living is cheaper in Nakuru: $642 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Nakuru
Learn more

Nakuru Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Nakuru

🇰🇪 Kenya

$642

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $642 in Nakuru, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Nakuru $642

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $994 in Nakuru, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Nakuru $994

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,346 in Nakuru, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Nakuru $1,346

Chiang Mai costs about 46% more than Nakuru, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Nakuru are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Nakuru 53% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$3.84 KES 499

-41.67%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$34.80 KES 4,519

-45.40%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$6.54 KES 849

-15.14%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.94 KES 252

-13.92%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.39 KES 50.7

64.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.24 KES 31.36

29.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$2.26 KES 294

4.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.62 KES 340

39.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.52 KES 67.4

275.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.44 KES 56.8

227.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.58 KES 205

-15.82%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.53 KES 199

49.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$10.81 KES 1,404

52.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$6.44 KES 836

-56.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$6.38 KES 828

45.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$3.36 KES 437

-30.06%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.03 KES 134

-5.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.07 KES 269

-22.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.09 KES 142

37.61%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.15 KES 149

11.30%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.10 KES 143

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.71 KES 92.2

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.80 KES 103

-38.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.40 KES 442

21.76%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$11.38 KES 1,478

53.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.22 KES 289

-27.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.71 KES 352

2.58%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$1.51 KES 196

-23.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.51 KES 196

-64.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$2.94 KES 381

-17.69%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.62 KES 210

-10.49%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$19.6K KES 2.5M

7.50%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$21.5K KES 2.8M

25.45%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$55.5 KES 7,207

12.02%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$15.37 KES 1,996

-20.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$34.48 KES 4,478

-41.65%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.91 KES 1,027

-17.95%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$279 KES 36.2K

163.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$12.3K KES 1.6M

20.09%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$28.16 KES 3,657

89.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$28.49 KES 3,700

-13.51%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$70.0 KES 9,085

30.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$58.0 KES 7,537

23.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$227 KES 29.5K

112.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$136 KES 17.7K

126.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$536 KES 69.5K

87.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$190 KES 24.7K

233.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

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 Nakuru: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Nakuru

$136 21.2% 55.9% $173

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Nakuru

$200 31.1% 14.7% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Nakuru

$83 12.9% 23.5% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Nakuru

$105 16.4% 11.5% $11

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Nakuru

$93 14.4% 19.5% $15

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Nakuru

$9.1 * 1.4% 85.2% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Nakuru

$16 * 2.5% 68.6% $34

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $227 in Nakuru. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $35 in Nakuru. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $200 in Nakuru – so Nakuru wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇪 Nakuru

🕒 Local time

06:15 6:15 AM

02:15 2:15 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

307,990

💱 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 = 6.92 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.92 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Nakuru 7,180 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Nakuru

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 Nakuru: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 46% more than Nakuru, 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 $963 in Nakuru. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nakuru, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $227 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $35 in Nakuru. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 17% 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 $642 in Nakuru, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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