Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Eldoret and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Eldoret: $506 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.

24

Cost of Living Index in Eldoret
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Eldoret Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Eldoret

🇰🇪 Kenya

$506

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Eldoret and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $506 per month in Eldoret vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Eldoret $506
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $870 per month in Eldoret vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Eldoret $870
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,234 per month in Eldoret vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Eldoret $1,234
Chiang Mai $1,979

Eldoret is about 46% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.50 KES 195

$2.24 ฿75.7

-33.04%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.67 KES 4,502

$19.00 ฿642

82.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.21 KES 807

$5.55 ฿188

11.89%

Cappuccino

$2.66 KES 346

$1.67 ฿56.6

59.28%

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

$0.30 KES 38.36

$0.64 ฿21.56

-53.13%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.39 KES 51.0

$0.31 ฿10.32

25.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 KES 304

$2.36 ฿79.6

-0.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.67 KES 347

$3.66 ฿124

-27.05%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.72 KES 93.7

$1.95 ฿65.8

-63.08%

White Bread (500g)

$0.45 KES 59.0

$1.44 ฿48.51

-68.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.49 KES 194

$1.33 ฿45.07

12.03%

Eggs

$1.50 KES 195

$2.28 ฿77.1

-34.21%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.91 KES 507

$16.45 ฿556

-76.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.10 KES 533

$2.78 ฿94.0

47.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.13 KES 536

$9.31 ฿314

-55.64%

Apples (1kg)

$2.36 KES 307

$2.35 ฿79.5

0.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.06 KES 138

$0.97 ฿32.82

9.28%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.72 KES 93.0

$1.60 ฿53.9

-55.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.87 KES 113

$1.50 ฿50.7

-42.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 KES 72.6

$1.28 ฿43.15

-56.25%

Onion (1kg)

$0.44 KES 56.8

$1.10 ฿37.22

-60.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 KES 97.6

$0.71 ฿23.84

5.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 KES 86.6

$0.49 ฿16.38

36.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 KES 439

$4.14 ฿140

-18.36%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.64 KES 732

$17.52 ฿592

-67.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.11 KES 274

$1.61 ฿54.5

31.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 KES 197

$2.78 ฿94.0

-45.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 KES 176

$0.87 ฿29.33

55.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.55 KES 201

$1.16 ฿39.08

33.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.57 KES 204

$0.53 ฿17.82

196.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.84 KES 369

$2.42 ฿81.8

17.36%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.55 KES 202

$1.45 ฿48.93

6.90%

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

$19.3K KES 2.5M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-8.55%

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

$22.1K KES 2.9M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-18.04%

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

$40.35 KES 5,239

$62.2 ฿2,100

-35.10%

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

$15.06 KES 1,956

$12.17 ฿411

23.75%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.77 KES 4,516

$20.12 ฿680

72.81%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$38.46 KES 4,994

$37.31 ฿1,260

3.08%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$7.52 KES 977

$6.49 ฿219

15.87%

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

$63.4 KES 8,228

$736 ฿24.9K

-91.39%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K KES 1.6M

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-15.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$11.63 KES 1,510

$53.4 ฿1,802

-78.21%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.52 KES 3,834

$24.64 ฿832

19.81%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$19.48 KES 2,530

$91.5 ฿3,089

-78.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.36 KES 4,462

$71.9 ฿2,429

-52.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$91.8 KES 11.9K

$482 ฿16.3K

-80.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$89.9 KES 11.7K

$309 ฿10.4K

-70.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$272 KES 35.3K

$633 ฿21.4K

-57.05%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$604 KES 78.4K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-74.45%

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 %)

14.71

5.57

164.09%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Eldoret: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Eldoret

$132 26.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 77.3% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Eldoret

$90 17.8%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 4.7% $4.3

Accommodation & Living

Eldoret

$90 17.8%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 244% $219

Eating Out

Eldoret

$82 16.3%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 5.8% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Eldoret

$54 10.6%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 6% $3.2

Clothing & Footwear

Eldoret

$43 8.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 154% $66

Getting Around

Eldoret

$15 * 2.9%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 315% $47

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $92 in Eldoret versus $482 in Chiang Mai. 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 $35 in Eldoret versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $132 in Eldoret vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Eldoret wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Eldoret

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

15:18 3:18 PM

19:18 7:18 PM

4 h ahead of Eldoret

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

193,830

127,240

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.92 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇪 Kenyan Shilling (Sh)

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).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

Eldoret
Chiang Mai

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

Eldoret vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 85% more than Eldoret, 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 $758 per month in Eldoret and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Eldoret, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $92 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Eldoret and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 77% 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 $800 monthly budget goes further in Eldoret, where all-in costs run around $506, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Eldoret it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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