Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kiambu and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Kiambu: $503 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 Kiambu
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Kiambu Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Kiambu

🇰🇪 Kenya

$503

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $503 per month in Kiambu vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kiambu $503
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $823 per month in Kiambu vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kiambu $823
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,143 per month in Kiambu vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kiambu $1,143
Chiang Mai $1,979

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.41 KES 833

$2.24 ฿75.7

186.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.12 KES 4,431

$19.00 ฿642

79.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.52 KES 847

$5.55 ฿188

17.48%

Cappuccino

$2.60 KES 337

$1.67 ฿56.6

55.69%

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

$0.64 KES 83.4

$0.64 ฿21.56

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 KES 81.1

$0.31 ฿10.32

100.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 KES 293

$2.36 ฿79.6

-4.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 KES 340

$3.66 ฿124

-28.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.54 KES 70.8

$1.95 ฿65.8

-72.31%

White Bread (500g)

$0.55 KES 71.5

$1.44 ฿48.51

-61.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 KES 237

$1.33 ฿45.07

37.59%

Eggs

$1.37 KES 179

$2.28 ฿77.1

-39.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.71 KES 1,391

$16.45 ฿556

-34.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.67 KES 866

$2.78 ฿94.0

139.93%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.01 KES 520

$9.31 ฿314

-56.93%

Apples (1kg)

$3.50 KES 455

$2.35 ฿79.5

48.94%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 KES 135

$0.97 ฿32.82

7.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.75 KES 97.0

$1.60 ฿53.9

-53.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.59 KES 77.1

$1.50 ฿50.7

-60.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 KES 93.7

$1.28 ฿43.15

-43.75%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 KES 92.5

$1.10 ฿37.22

-35.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.30 KES 38.52

$0.71 ฿23.84

-57.75%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 KES 47.84

$0.49 ฿16.38

-24.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.39 KES 440

$4.14 ฿140

-18.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.49 KES 1,493

$17.52 ฿592

-34.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.27 KES 295

$1.61 ฿54.5

40.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.70 KES 350

$2.78 ฿94.0

-2.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.63 KES 81.3

$0.87 ฿29.33

-27.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 KES 196

$1.16 ฿39.08

30.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.36 KES 47.33

$0.53 ฿17.82

-32.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 KES 365

$2.42 ฿81.8

16.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.60 KES 208

$1.45 ฿48.93

10.34%

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

$19.2K KES 2.5M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-8.75%

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

$21.6K KES 2.8M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-19.80%

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

$56.4 KES 7,320

$62.2 ฿2,100

-9.33%

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

$7.86 KES 1,020

$12.17 ฿411

-35.41%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.13 KES 4,562

$20.12 ฿680

74.60%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$5.82 KES 755

$6.49 ฿219

-10.32%

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

$280 KES 36.4K

$736 ฿24.9K

-61.94%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.5K KES 1.6M

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-15.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$27.56 KES 3,579

$53.4 ฿1,802

-48.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.19 KES 3,791

$24.64 ฿832

18.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.1 KES 9,109

$91.5 ฿3,089

-23.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$57.5 KES 7,466

$71.9 ฿2,429

-20.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$116 KES 15.0K

$482 ฿16.3K

-76.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,175 KES 152.6K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-50.26%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$125 KES 16.3K

$590 ฿19.9K

-78.74%

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 Kiambu: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Kiambu

$180 35.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 30.3% $54

Eating Out

Kiambu

$124 24.6%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 37.2% $46

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kiambu

$99 19.7%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 4.9% $4.9

Clothing & Footwear

Kiambu

$83 16.5%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 30.9% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Kiambu

$12 * 2.3%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 332% $39

Getting Around

Kiambu

$5.8 * 1.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 951% $56

Accommodation & Living

Kiambu

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $116 in Kiambu 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.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 4.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Kiambu versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $180 in Kiambu vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Kiambu wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Kiambu

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

02:18 2:18 AM

06:18 6:18 AM

4 h ahead of Kiambu

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

147,870

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 = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kiambu Chiang Mai 7,140 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Kiambu
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 86% more than Kiambu, 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.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $755 per month in Kiambu 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 Kiambu, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $116 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Kiambu 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 30% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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

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