Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Ongata Rongai

For one person, living is cheaper in Ongata Rongai: $571 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 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
28

Cost of Living Index in Ongata Rongai
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Ongata Rongai Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Ongata Rongai

🇰🇪 Kenya

$571

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Ongata Rongai

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

A single person spends $938 per month in Chiang Mai vs $571 in Ongata Rongai, rent included.

Chiang Mai $938
Ongata Rongai $571

A couple spends around $1,426 per month in Chiang Mai vs $880 in Ongata Rongai, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,426
Ongata Rongai $880

A family of three spends $1,914 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,189 in Ongata Rongai, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,914
Ongata Rongai $1,189

Chiang Mai costs about 64% more than Ongata Rongai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Ongata Rongai are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 30% lower, Ongata Rongai 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.26 ฿75.4

$6.38 KES 827

-64.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.18 ฿641

$19.02 KES 2,465

0.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.59 ฿187

$6.23 KES 808

-10.27%

Cappuccino

$1.72 ฿57.6

$1.97 KES 256

-12.69%

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

$0.64 ฿21.54

$0.32 KES 41.56

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.33 ฿11.18

$0.41 KES 52.8

-19.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿78.7

$2.35 KES 304

0.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.90 ฿130

$2.77 KES 359

40.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.05 ฿68.6

$0.45 KES 57.9

355.56%

White Bread (500g)

$1.40 ฿46.70

$0.48 KES 62.6

191.67%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.89

$1.58 KES 205

-18.99%

Eggs

$2.25 ฿75.3

$1.35 KES 175

66.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.94 ฿566

$4.29 KES 556

294.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.74 ฿91.6

$3.46 KES 449

-20.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.36 ฿313

$3.55 KES 460

163.66%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.3

$1.24 KES 161

93.55%

Banana (1kg)

$1.01 ฿33.92

$1.09 KES 142

-7.34%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.61 ฿53.9

$1.13 KES 147

42.48%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$0.61 KES 78.6

149.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿42.90

$0.74 KES 95.5

72.97%

Onion (1kg)

$1.11 ฿37.22

$0.47 KES 61.4

136.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.72 ฿24.09

$0.73 KES 94.1

-1.37%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.44 KES 56.7

18.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.33 ฿145

$2.30 KES 298

88.26%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.73 ฿593

$9.13 KES 1,184

94.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.63 ฿54.4

$2.28 KES 295

-28.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.85 ฿95.3

$2.82 KES 365

1.06%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.17 ฿39.18

$1.57 KES 204

-25.48%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.57 ฿19.00

$1.53 KES 198

-62.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.37 ฿79.2

$2.94 KES 381

-19.39%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.32

$1.62 KES 210

-10.49%

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

$20.5K ฿684.3K

$21.6K KES 2.8M

-5.35%

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

$26.5K ฿886.1K

$20.0K KES 2.6M

32.65%

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

$62.3 ฿2,083

$55.0 KES 7,130

13.33%

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

$12.27 ฿410

$14.94 KES 1,938

-17.87%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$19.97 ฿668

$34.88 KES 4,522

-42.75%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$6.71 ฿224

$7.56 KES 980

-11.24%

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

$797 ฿26.6K

$252 KES 32.7K

216.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿495.7K

$12.6K KES 1.6M

18.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.3 ฿1,780

$28.60 KES 3,709

86.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.05 ฿837

$29.63 KES 3,841

-15.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.6 ฿3,062

$68.8 KES 8,913

33.27%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$73.5 ฿2,455

$58.7 KES 7,611

25.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$464 ฿15.5K

$152 KES 19.7K

205.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 ฿10.2K

$116 KES 15.0K

162.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$915 ฿30.6K

$235 KES 30.5K

289.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$552 ฿18.5K

$235 KES 30.5K

134.65%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿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 13, 2026

Last update for Ongata Rongai: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5%

Ongata Rongai

$116 20.3% 61.9% $189

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4%

Ongata Rongai

$129 22.6% 45.9% $109

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7%

Ongata Rongai

$84 14.6% 23.7% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1%

Ongata Rongai

$105 18.4% 10.8% $10

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4%

Ongata Rongai

$114 19.9% 43.8% $35

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5%

Ongata Rongai

$9.2 * 1.6% 85% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5%

Ongata Rongai

$15 * 2.7% 70.5% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $464 in Chiang Mai versus $152 in Ongata Rongai. 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 $19.00 in Chiang Mai versus $19.00 in Ongata Rongai. Groceries tell a different story – $238 in Chiang Mai vs $129 in Ongata Rongai – so Ongata Rongai wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇪 Ongata Rongai

🕒 Local time

17:27 5:27 PM

13:27 1:27 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

172,569

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Ongata Rongai 7,150 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Ongata Rongai

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 Ongata Rongai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 64% more than Ongata Rongai, 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 $1,408 per month in Chiang Mai and $856 in Ongata Rongai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Ongata Rongai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Chiang Mai and $19.00 in Ongata Rongai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 85% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ongata Rongai, where all-in costs run around $571, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Ongata Rongai it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Ongata Rongai costs $571 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Ongata Rongai. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.