Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Nyeri

For one person, living is cheaper in Nyeri: $504 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Nyeri
Learn more

Nyeri Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Nyeri

🇰🇪 Kenya

$504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $504 in Nyeri, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Nyeri $504

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $864 in Nyeri, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Nyeri $864

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,225 in Nyeri, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Nyeri $1,225

Chiang Mai costs about 86% more than Nyeri, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Nyeri are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Nyeri 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$4.73 KES 614

-52.64%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$34.14 KES 4,431

-44.35%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.48 KES 842

-14.35%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$1.95 KES 253

-14.36%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.30 KES 38.59

113.33%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.56 KES 73.1

-44.64%

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

$2.73 KES 354

34.07%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.48 KES 62.7

306.25%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$0.52 KES 67.6

176.92%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$0.91 KES 119

46.15%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.74 KES 226

31.03%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$10.86 KES 1,410

51.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$6.24 KES 810

-55.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$4.69 KES 609

98.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$0.75 KES 97.3

213.33%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$0.56 KES 73.0

73.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$0.72 KES 93.7

122.22%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.30 KES 38.51

400.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$0.22 KES 28.37

481.82%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$0.47 KES 61.1

134.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.69 KES 89.2

2.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.52 KES 67.8

-5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$1.57 KES 204

163.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$11.76 KES 1,527

48.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$2.23 KES 289

-27.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$2.81 KES 365

-1.07%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.75 KES 97.0

16.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

$15.54 KES 2,017

248.07%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$1.55 KES 202

-25.16%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$1.12 KES 145

-52.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$1.12 KES 145

116.07%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.42 KES 184

2.11%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$19.3K KES 2.5M

9.19%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$21.6K KES 2.8M

24.84%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$15.58 KES 2,022

299.04%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$11.77 KES 1,527

3.40%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$34.65 KES 4,498

-41.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$34.01 KES 4,414

9.70%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$45.88 KES 5,955

-91.78%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.74 KES 1,004

-16.15%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$274 KES 35.5K

169.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$12.3K KES 1.6M

20.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$11.45 KES 1,486

366.11%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$13.92 KES 1,807

77.01%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$34.51 KES 4,480

165.08%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$18.99 KES 2,465

278.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$94.1 KES 12.2K

412.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$68.9 KES 8,939

348.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$194 KES 25.2K

418.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$155 KES 20.2K

307.86%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$231 KES 30.0K

155.02%

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 Nyeri: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Nyeri

$69 13.7% 77.7% $240

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Nyeri

$161 32% 31.3% $73

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Nyeri

$35 7.1% 67.3% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Nyeri

$62 12.3% 34.4% $32

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Nyeri

$101 20.1% 30.3% $23

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Nyeri

$26 5.1% 58.1% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Nyeri

$49 9.8% 1.6% $0.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $94 in Nyeri. 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 2.6 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 Nyeri. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $161 in Nyeri – so Nyeri wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇪 Nyeri

🕒 Local time

11:03 11:03 AM

07:03 7:03 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

98,908

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Nyeri 7,090 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Nyeri

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 Nyeri: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 86% more than Nyeri, 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 $755 in Nyeri. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Nyeri, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $94 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $274 in Nyeri. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 46% 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 $504 in Nyeri, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Nyeri – 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 Nyeri. 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.