Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Narok

For one person, living is cheaper in Narok: $608 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
29

Cost of Living Index in Narok
Learn more

Narok Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Narok

🇰🇪 Kenya

$608

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $608 in Narok, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Narok $608

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $922 in Narok, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Narok $922

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,235 in Narok, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Narok $1,235

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$2.29 KES 297

-2.18%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$22.64 KES 2,939

-16.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$4.75 KES 617

16.84%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.93 KES 251

-13.47%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$0.37 KES 47.87

72.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.24 KES 31.18

29.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.97 KES 256

19.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.25 KES 292

62.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.76 KES 98.6

156.58%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$0.48 KES 62.0

200.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.43 KES 186

-6.99%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.21 KES 157

88.43%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$6.03 KES 783

172.80%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.25 KES 812

-55.52%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$6.21 KES 806

49.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$2.99 KES 388

-21.40%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$1.07 KES 139

-9.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.04 KES 264

-21.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.79 KES 103

89.87%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$0.79 KES 103

62.03%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$0.75 KES 97.8

46.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$0.75 KES 97.4

-5.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.52 KES 67.2

-5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.50 KES 195

176.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$7.10 KES 921

146.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.90 KES 246

-15.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.26 KES 294

23.01%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

$1.12 KES 146

-22.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

$38.58 KES 5,008

40.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$1.51 KES 195

-23.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$1.37 KES 178

-61.31%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$1.14 KES 148

112.28%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.39 KES 180

4.32%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$19.2K KES 2.5M

9.85%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$21.3K KES 2.8M

26.59%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$55.2 KES 7,170

12.55%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$7.56 KES 981

60.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$23.01 KES 2,987

-12.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

$23.43 KES 3,041

59.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$2.35 KES 305

60.43%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.84 KES 1,017

-17.22%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$58.4 KES 7,583

1160.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$7,728 KES 1.0M

91.06%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$15.58 KES 2,022

242.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$15.58 KES 2,023

58.15%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$23.13 KES 3,003

295.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$38.05 KES 4,938

89.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$234 KES 30.4K

106.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$152 KES 19.7K

103.17%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$305 KES 39.6K

229.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$235 KES 30.5K

169.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

$1,522 KES 197.5K

55.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

$1,140 KES 147.9K

39.42%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$310 KES 40.2K

90.18%

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 Narok: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Narok

$152 25% 50.8% $157

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Narok

$166 27.3% 29.3% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Narok

$42 6.8% 61.8% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Narok

$86 14.1% 9.2% $8.6

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Narok

$73 11.9% 6.5% $5

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Narok

$51 8.5% 16.2% $9.9

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Narok

$39 6.4% 22.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $234 in Narok. 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 90% 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 $23 in Narok. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $166 in Narok – so Narok wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇪 Narok

🕒 Local time

23:46 11:46 PM

19:46 7:46 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

40,000

💱 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 = 6.9 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 = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 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

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Narok 7,230 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Narok

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 Narok: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 54% more than Narok, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from groceries. 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 $912 in Narok. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Narok, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $234 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $58 in Narok. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 41% 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 $608 in Narok, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Narok – 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 Narok. 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.