Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Thika

For one person, living is cheaper in Thika: $518 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 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
25

Cost of Living Index in Thika
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Thika Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Thika

🇰🇪 Kenya

$518

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $518 in Thika, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Thika $518

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $883 in Thika, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Thika $883

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,248 in Thika, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Thika $1,248

Chiang Mai costs about 81% more than Thika, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Thika are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Thika 62% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$3.52 KES 457

-36.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$34.12 KES 4,431

-44.31%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$6.31 KES 819

-12.04%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.97 KES 256

-15.23%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.32 KES 41.83

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.67 KES 87.2

-53.73%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.89 KES 246

24.87%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.10 KES 273

74.29%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.74 KES 96.4

163.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.45 KES 58.2

220.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.15 KES 149

15.65%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.37 KES 177

66.42%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$10.98 KES 1,426

49.82%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$6.75 KES 877

-58.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$4.01 KES 521

132.17%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.51 KES 196

55.63%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$0.60 KES 77.5

61.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$0.78 KES 102

105.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.14 KES 148

31.58%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$0.36 KES 47.22

255.56%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$0.48 KES 62.7

129.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.73 KES 95.0

-2.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.37 KES 47.60

32.43%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.80 KES 364

47.86%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$5.72 KES 743

206.29%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.77 KES 230

-9.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.95 KES 253

42.56%

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

$1.52 KES 197

-23.68%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.91 KES 118

-41.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$2.95 KES 383

-17.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.36 KES 177

6.62%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$19.0K KES 2.5M

10.83%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$21.4K KES 2.8M

25.64%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$34.61 KES 4,494

79.63%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$15.36 KES 1,994

-20.77%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$34.47 KES 4,477

-41.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$46.97 KES 6,100

-20.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.68 KES 997

-15.49%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$53.3 KES 6,921

1281.40%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$3,489 KES 453.1K

323.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$28.59 KES 3,713

86.67%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$29.22 KES 3,795

-15.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$68.7 KES 8,921

33.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$19.35 KES 2,513

271.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$101 KES 13.2K

375.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$56.9 KES 7,384

443.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$268 KES 34.8K

275.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$175 KES 22.7K

262.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$623 KES 80.9K

279.27%

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 Thika: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Thika

$57 11% 81.6% $252

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Thika

$154 29.8% 34.2% $80

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Thika

$66 12.7% 39.6% $43

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Thika

$84 16.3% 10.6% $10

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Thika

$88 17.1% 13.9% $11

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Thika

$6.1 * 1.2% 90.1% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Thika

$62 12% 24% $12

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 $101 in Thika. 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 $34 in Thika. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $154 in Thika – so Thika wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇪 Thika

🕒 Local time

04:43 4:43 AM

00:43 12:43 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

83,000

💱 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

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Thika 7,110 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Thika

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 Thika: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 81% more than Thika, 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 $777 in Thika. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Thika, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $101 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $34 in Thika. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 52% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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