Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kilifi and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Kilifi: $645 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Kilifi

🇰🇪 Kenya

$645

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $645 per month in Kilifi vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kilifi $645
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,050 per month in Kilifi vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kilifi $1,050
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,454 per month in Kilifi vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kilifi $1,454
Chiang Mai $1,979

Kilifi is about 31% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kilifi and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Kilifi 53% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$1.89 KES 245

$2.24 ฿75.5

-15.63%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.35 KES 6,405

$19.00 ฿640

159.74%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$2.28 KES 296

$5.55 ฿187

-58.92%

Cappuccino

$1.97 KES 256

$1.67 ฿56.4

17.96%

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

$0.75 KES 97.5

$0.64 ฿21.51

17.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 KES 95.5

$0.31 ฿10.29

138.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.55 KES 202

$2.36 ฿79.5

-34.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

Milk (1 liter)

$1.06 KES 137

$1.95 ฿65.7

-45.64%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 KES 114

$1.44 ฿48.41

-38.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.06 KES 267

$1.33 ฿44.97

54.89%

Eggs

$1.98 KES 258

$2.28 ฿77.0

-13.16%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.86 KES 1,020

$9.31 ฿314

-15.57%

Apples (1kg)

$2.32 KES 301

$2.35 ฿79.3

-1.28%

Banana (1kg)

$0.66 KES 85.5

$0.97 ฿32.75

-31.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 KES 226

$1.60 ฿53.8

8.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.45 KES 58.3

$1.50 ฿50.6

-70.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.73 KES 95.2

$1.28 ฿43.06

-42.97%

Onion (1kg)

$0.79 KES 103

$1.10 ฿37.14

-28.18%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.24 KES 31.15

$0.49 ฿16.34

-51.02%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

Wine (Bottle)

$12.87 KES 1,670

$17.52 ฿590

-26.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.75 KES 227

$1.61 ฿54.4

8.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.81 KES 105

$0.87 ฿29.27

-6.90%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.27 KES 3,540

$54.1 ฿1,823

-49.58%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 KES 177

$1.45 ฿48.82

-5.52%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

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

$15.66 KES 2,033

$62.2 ฿2,095

-74.81%

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

$10.08 KES 1,308

$12.17 ฿410

-17.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$24.96 KES 3,240

$20.12 ฿678

24.06%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$27.67 KES 3,591

$37.31 ฿1,257

-25.84%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$7.78 KES 1,010

$6.49 ฿219

19.88%

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

$164 KES 21.3K

$736 ฿24.8K

-77.73%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,922 KES 638.9K

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-66.66%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$9.88 KES 1,282

$53.4 ฿1,799

-81.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$9.02 KES 1,170

$24.64 ฿830

-63.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$15.60 KES 2,025

$91.5 ฿3,083

-82.95%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$17.37 KES 2,255

$71.9 ฿2,424

-75.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$332 KES 43.0K

$482 ฿16.3K

-31.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$313 KES 40.6K

$309 ฿10.4K

1.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$265 KES 34.3K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-73.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$556 KES 72.2K

$633 ฿21.3K

-12.19%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$229 KES 29.7K

$590 ฿19.9K

-61.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

43.63%

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

Last update for Kilifi: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kilifi

–

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Groceries & Markets

Kilifi

–

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Clothing & Footwear

Kilifi

–

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kilifi

–

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Eating Out

Kilifi

–

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Getting Around

Kilifi

–

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Sport & Entertainment

Kilifi

–

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $332 in Kilifi 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 2.6 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $49 in Kilifi versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $125 in Kilifi vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Kilifi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Kilifi

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

06:10 6:10 AM

10:10 10:10 AM

4 h ahead of Kilifi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

122,899

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 = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 144 KES (1,000 KES = 6.92 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kilifi Chiang Mai 6,930 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Kilifi
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 45% more than Kilifi, 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 $968 per month in Kilifi 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 Kilifi, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $332 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

Kindergarten costs $164 per month in Kilifi and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 87% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $645 in Kilifi and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

Families tend to lean toward Kilifi – 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 Kilifi. 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.