Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Wote

For one person, living is cheaper in Wote: $601 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most 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 Wote
Learn more

Wote Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Wote

🇰🇪 Kenya

$601

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $601 in Wote, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Wote $601

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,062 in Wote, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Wote $1,062

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,523 in Wote, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Wote $1,523

Chiang Mai costs about 56% more than Wote, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Chiang Mai and Wote are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Wote 56% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.6

$3.01 KES 391

-25.58%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿641

$34.42 KES 4,468

-44.80%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$6.48 KES 841

-14.35%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.5

$1.50 KES 195

11.33%

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

$0.64 ฿21.53

$0.39 KES 50.7

64.10%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.30

$0.22 KES 28.50

40.91%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$2.13 KES 277

10.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$2.33 KES 303

57.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.75 KES 97.3

160.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.45

$0.58 KES 74.9

148.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.01

$1.47 KES 191

-9.52%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.35 KES 175

68.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿555

$4.74 KES 615

247.05%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$5.99 KES 777

-53.59%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$5.63 KES 730

65.36%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.4

$3.33 KES 433

-29.43%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.78

$1.07 KES 139

-9.35%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$2.00 KES 260

-20.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$0.61 KES 78.6

145.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.10

$0.56 KES 72.6

128.57%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.17

$1.09 KES 142

0.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.81

$0.75 KES 97.6

-5.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.36

$0.55 KES 72.0

-10.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$3.44 KES 447

20.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿591

$11.40 KES 1,480

53.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$2.26 KES 293

-28.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.9

$2.75 KES 357

1.09%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.03

$1.51 KES 196

-23.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.79

$1.51 KES 196

-64.90%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.7

$2.81 KES 364

-13.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.87

$1.53 KES 199

-5.23%

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

$21.1K ฿710.3K

$19.1K KES 2.5M

10.50%

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

$26.9K ฿908.7K

$21.8K KES 2.8M

23.35%

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

$62.2 ฿2,097

$54.8 KES 7,116

13.41%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$15.02 KES 1,950

-18.97%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿679

$35.15 KES 4,563

-42.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.58 KES 984

-14.38%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$154 KES 20.0K

377.24%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.0K

$12.2K KES 1.6M

21.15%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,800

$11.68 KES 1,516

356.93%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿831

$7.59 KES 985

224.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,086

$19.48 KES 2,529

369.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,426

$22.94 KES 2,978

213.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$377 KES 49.0K

27.82%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$191 KES 24.9K

61.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$772 KES 100.2K

30.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$584 KES 75.8K

8.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

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 Wote: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Wote

$191 31.9% 38% $117

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Wote

$173 28.8% 26.2% $61

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Wote

$28 4.6% 74.4% $81

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Wote

$105 17.5% 11.2% $11

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Wote

$79 13.2% 2.2% $1.7

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Wote

$9.1 * 1.5% 85.2% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Wote

$15 * 2.5% 69.8% $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 $377 in Wote. 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 Wote. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $173 in Wote – so Wote wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇰🇪 Wote

🕒 Local time

03:24 3:24 AM

23:24 11:24 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

19,725

💱 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 = 6.91 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 = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.91 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Wote 7,080 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Wote

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 Wote: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 56% more than Wote, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. 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 $901 in Wote. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Wote, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $377 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

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

Groceries cost about 36% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Wote, where all-in costs run around $601, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Wote it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.