Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kericho and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Kericho: $489 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Kericho, Kenya
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Kericho
🇰🇪 Kenya
$489
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$936
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kericho 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 Kericho and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $489 per month in Kericho vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Kericho $489
  • Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $767 per month in Kericho vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Kericho $767
  • Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,044 per month in Kericho vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Kericho $1,044
  • Chiang Mai $1,979

Kericho is about 48% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both Kericho and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Kericho 64% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kericho
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.27 KES 295
$2.24 ฿75.6
1.34%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$20.70 KES 2,687
$19.00 ฿641
8.95%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.37 KES 827
$5.55 ฿187
14.77%
Cappuccino
$2.56 KES 333
$1.67 ฿56.5
53.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 KES 47.30
$0.64 ฿21.55
-43.75%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.62 KES 80.2
$0.31 ฿10.31
100.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.26 KES 294
$2.36 ฿79.6
-4.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.26 KES 163
$3.66 ฿124
-65.57%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kericho
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.59 KES 76.6
$1.95 ฿65.8
-69.74%
White Bread (500g)
$0.48 KES 62.0
$1.44 ฿48.48
-66.67%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.25 KES 163
$1.33 ฿45.04
-6.02%
Eggs
$1.64 KES 212
$2.28 ฿77.1
-28.07%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$10.76 KES 1,396
$16.45 ฿555
-34.59%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$6.71 KES 871
$2.78 ฿93.9
141.37%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.19 KES 543
$9.31 ฿314
-54.99%
Apples (1kg)
$3.38 KES 439
$2.35 ฿79.4
43.83%
Banana (1kg)
$1.02 KES 132
$0.97 ฿32.80
5.15%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.09 KES 272
$1.60 ฿53.9
30.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.10 KES 143
$1.50 ฿50.6
-26.67%
Potato (1kg)
$0.68 KES 87.8
$1.28 ฿43.12
-46.88%
Onion (1kg)
$0.72 KES 93.2
$1.10 ฿37.19
-34.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.30 KES 38.81
$0.71 ฿23.82
-57.75%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.61 KES 78.6
$0.49 ฿16.37
24.49%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$3.55 KES 460
$4.14 ฿140
-14.25%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.41 KES 1,482
$17.52 ฿591
-34.87%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.29 KES 298
$1.61 ฿54.5
42.24%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.79 KES 362
$2.78 ฿94.0
0.36%
🚌 Getting Around
Kericho
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.87 ฿29.31
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$54.1 ฿1,826
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.53 KES 199
$1.16 ฿39.06
31.90%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.55 KES 201
$0.53 ฿17.80
192.45%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.92 KES 379
$2.42 ฿81.8
20.66%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.60 KES 208
$1.45 ฿48.90
10.34%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$19.2K KES 2.5M
$21.1K ฿710.7K
-8.85%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.0K KES 2.9M
$26.9K ฿909.3K
-18.26%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kericho
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$56.0 KES 7,265
$62.2 ฿2,098
-9.97%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$14.96 KES 1,941
$12.17 ฿411
22.93%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$35.16 KES 4,564
$20.12 ฿679
74.75%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kericho
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$37.31 ฿1,259
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$3.77 ฿127
-
Cinema Ticket
$7.62 KES 989
$6.49 ฿219
17.41%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kericho
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$274 KES 35.5K
$736 ฿24.8K
-62.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$12.3K KES 1.6M
$14.8K ฿498.3K
-16.53%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kericho
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$27.67 KES 3,592
$53.4 ฿1,801
-48.15%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$29.30 KES 3,803
$24.64 ฿831
18.91%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$69.5 KES 9,015
$91.5 ฿3,087
-24.07%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$59.3 KES 7,691
$71.9 ฿2,428
-17.64%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kericho
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$482 ฿16.3K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$309 ฿10.4K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,006 ฿33.9K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$633 ฿21.4K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,363 ฿79.8K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,589 ฿53.6K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kericho
Chiang Mai
Difference
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 Kericho: 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
Kericho
$189
Chiang Mai
$234 23.8% $45
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kericho
$106
Chiang Mai
$94 11% $12
Eating Out
Kericho
$86
Chiang Mai
$78 9.6% $8.2
Clothing & Footwear
Kericho
$84
Chiang Mai
$109 30% $25
Sport & Entertainment
Kericho
$15 *
Chiang Mai
$50 230% $35
Getting Around
Kericho
$9.3 *
Chiang Mai
$61 561% $52
Accommodation & Living
Kericho
- *
Chiang Mai
$309

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $21 in Kericho versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $189 in Kericho vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Kericho wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇰🇪 Kericho
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
05:49 5:49 AM
09:49 9:49 AM
4 h ahead of Kericho
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
150,000
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to KES – Kenyan Shilling Converter

Kenyan Shilling exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.9 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 33.75 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.68 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kericho Chiang Mai 7,260 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kericho
  • 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
Kericho vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Kericho or Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai costs about 91% more than Kericho, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from transport. That’s enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Kericho and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $734 per month in Kericho and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do dining costs compare in Kericho and in Chiang Mai?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $21 in Kericho and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Kericho or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 24% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Can you live on $1,200/month in Kericho or in Chiang Mai?
$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $489 in Kericho and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Kericho or Chiang Mai?
It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $489 in Kericho to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Kericho vs other spots: cost of living compared

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