Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mombasa and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Mombasa: $719 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

35

Cost of Living Index in Mombasa
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Mombasa Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Mombasa

🇰🇪 Kenya

$719

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $719 per month in Mombasa vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mombasa $719
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $1,147 per month in Mombasa vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mombasa $1,147
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,575 per month in Mombasa vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Mombasa $1,575
Chiang Mai $1,914

Mombasa is about 23% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Mombasa and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Mombasa 47% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.66 KES 345

$2.26 ฿75.4

17.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.34 KES 3,285

$19.18 ฿641

32.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.48 KES 1,359

$5.59 ฿187

87.48%

Cappuccino

$2.74 KES 355

$1.72 ฿57.6

59.30%

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

$0.68 KES 88.0

$0.64 ฿21.54

6.25%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.52 KES 67.7

$0.33 ฿11.18

57.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 KES 303

$2.36 ฿78.7

-0.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 KES 428

$3.90 ฿130

-15.38%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.00 KES 130

$2.05 ฿68.6

-51.22%

White Bread (500g)

$0.51 KES 65.6

$1.40 ฿46.70

-63.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.55 KES 201

$1.28 ฿42.89

21.09%

Eggs

$1.82 KES 236

$2.25 ฿75.3

-19.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.91 KES 1,803

$16.94 ฿566

-17.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.00 KES 648

$2.74 ฿91.6

82.48%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.25 KES 681

$9.36 ฿313

-43.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.10 KES 272

$2.40 ฿80.3

-12.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.16 KES 150

$1.01 ฿33.92

14.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.76 KES 228

$1.61 ฿53.9

9.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.70 KES 90.9

$1.52 ฿50.7

-53.95%

Potato (1kg)

$0.72 KES 93.8

$1.28 ฿42.90

-43.75%

Onion (1kg)

$1.01 KES 130

$1.11 ฿37.22

-9.01%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.60 KES 78.4

$0.72 ฿24.09

-16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.43 KES 55.6

$0.52 ฿17.54

-17.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.00 KES 518

$4.33 ฿145

-7.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.56 KES 1,239

$17.73 ฿593

-46.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.99 KES 258

$1.63 ฿54.4

22.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 KES 365

$2.85 ฿95.3

-1.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.80 KES 104

$0.85 ฿28.31

-5.88%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$38.84 KES 5,035

$53.9 ฿1,801

-27.94%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.16 KES 410

$1.17 ฿39.18

170.09%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.75 KES 227

$0.57 ฿19.00

207.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.65 KES 603

$2.37 ฿79.2

96.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 KES 202

$1.45 ฿48.32

7.59%

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

$12.1K KES 1.6M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

-41.05%

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

$11.8K KES 1.5M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-55.41%

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

$76.9 KES 9,975

$62.3 ฿2,083

23.44%

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

$9.14 KES 1,184

$12.27 ฿410

-25.51%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.48 KES 4,470

$19.97 ฿668

72.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.18 KES 2,357

$37.91 ฿1,267

-52.04%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.93 KES 2,454

$3.76 ฿126

403.46%

Cinema Ticket

$15.63 KES 2,027

$6.71 ฿224

132.94%

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

$86.4 KES 11.2K

$797 ฿26.6K

-89.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,415 KES 702.1K

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-63.49%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.05 KES 1,692

$53.3 ฿1,780

-75.49%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.77 KES 1,785

$25.05 ฿837

-45.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$23.30 KES 3,021

$91.6 ฿3,062

-74.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$46.20 KES 5,990

$73.5 ฿2,455

-37.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$227 KES 29.5K

$464 ฿15.5K

-51.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$157 KES 20.4K

$305 ฿10.2K

-48.44%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$540 KES 70.0K

$915 ฿30.6K

-41.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 KES 48.3K

$552 ฿18.5K

-32.59%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,411 KES 701.6K

$1,912 ฿63.9K

183.03%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,884 KES 503.6K

$1,438 ฿48.1K

170.06%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$313 KES 40.5K

$595 ฿19.9K

-47.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

133.39%

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

Last update for Mombasa: October 10, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mombasa

$185 25.8%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 28.3% $53

Accommodation & Living

Mombasa

$157 21.9%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 93.9% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mombasa

$121 16.8%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 21.5% $26

Eating Out

Mombasa

$109 15.1%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 27.3% $30

Getting Around

Mombasa

$54 7.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 13.6% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Mombasa

$49 6.9%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 3.8% $1.9

Clothing & Footwear

Mombasa

$43 6%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 153% $66

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $227 in Mombasa versus $464 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 run about 90% higher in Chiang Mai, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Mombasa versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $185 in Mombasa vs $238 in Chiang Mai – so Mombasa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Mombasa

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

14:48 2:48 PM

18:48 6:48 PM

4 h ahead of Mombasa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,300,000

127,240

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.71 USD

1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 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 17, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.71 USD). 1 EUR = 146 KES (1,000 KES = 6.86 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 17, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mombasa Chiang Mai 6,970 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Mombasa
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 31% more than Mombasa, 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 $1,078 per month in Mombasa and $1,408 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mombasa, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Kindergarten costs $86.4 per month in Mombasa and $797 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 28% 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 $2,000 monthly budget goes further in Mombasa, where all-in costs run around $719, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Mombasa it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Mombasa costs $719 versus $938 in Chiang Mai. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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