Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Nanyuki

For one person, living is cheaper in Nanyuki: $609 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 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
29

Cost of Living Index in Nanyuki
Learn more

Nanyuki Living Index

Jump to prices

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Nanyuki

🇰🇪 Kenya

$609

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $609 in Nanyuki, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Nanyuki $609

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,016 in Nanyuki, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Nanyuki $1,016

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,424 in Nanyuki, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Nanyuki $1,424

Chiang Mai costs about 54% more than Nanyuki, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Chiang Mai and Nanyuki are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Nanyuki 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$6.52 KES 847

-65.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$33.96 KES 4,410

-44.05%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$6.44 KES 836

-13.82%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.60 KES 338

-35.77%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.64 KES 83.2

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.67 KES 86.5

-53.73%

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

$2.67 KES 347

37.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.90 KES 116

116.67%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.54 KES 69.9

166.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.18 KES 153

12.71%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.74 KES 226

31.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$10.79 KES 1,402

52.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$6.73 KES 874

-58.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$6.39 KES 829

45.70%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$3.39 KES 440

-30.68%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.02 KES 133

-4.90%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.08 KES 270

-23.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.11 KES 144

35.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.12 KES 145

14.29%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.05 KES 136

4.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.75 KES 97.6

-5.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.76 KES 98.3

-35.53%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.44 KES 447

20.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$11.38 KES 1,478

53.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.18 KES 284

-26.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$2.70 KES 350

2.96%

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

$1.56 KES 203

-25.64%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$1.51 KES 197

-64.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$2.85 KES 370

-15.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.59 KES 207

-8.81%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$19.5K KES 2.5M

7.87%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$22.2K KES 2.9M

21.61%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$57.0 KES 7,399

9.11%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$14.98 KES 1,945

-18.76%

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

$7.51 KES 975

-13.58%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$276 KES 35.8K

166.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$12.4K KES 1.6M

18.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$28.59 KES 3,712

86.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$28.52 KES 3,703

-13.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$70.6 KES 9,172

29.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$58.0 KES 7,527

24.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$77.9 KES 10.1K

518.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$64.9 KES 8,429

375.99%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$235 KES 30.5K

328.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$189 KES 24.5K

235.38%

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

$117 KES 15.2K

403.10%

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 Nanyuki: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Nanyuki

$65 10.7% 79% $244

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Nanyuki

$205 33.6% 12.6% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Nanyuki

$84 13.7% 23.1% $25

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Nanyuki

$106 17.5% 12.7% $12

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Nanyuki

$125 20.5% 61.1% $47

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Nanyuki

$9.1 * 1.5% 85.1% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Nanyuki

$15 * 2.5% 70.1% $35

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 $78 in Nanyuki. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 5 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $34 in Nanyuki. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $205 in Nanyuki – so Nanyuki wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇪 Nanyuki

🕒 Local time

04:09 4:09 AM

00:09 12:09 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

32,000

💱 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 Nanyuki 7,060 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Nanyuki

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 Nanyuki: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 54% more than Nanyuki, 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 $913 in Nanyuki. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nanyuki, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $78 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $34 in Nanyuki. 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.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Nanyuki, where all-in costs run around $609, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Nanyuki it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Nanyuki – 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 Nanyuki. 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.