Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Nakuru and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Nakuru: $642 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

31

Cost of Living Index in Nakuru
Learn more

Nakuru Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

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Nakuru

🇰🇪 Kenya

$642

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $642 per month in Nakuru vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nakuru $642
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $994 per month in Nakuru vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nakuru $994
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,346 per month in Nakuru vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Nakuru $1,346
Chiang Mai $1,979

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

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.84 KES 499

$2.24 ฿75.7

71.43%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.80 KES 4,519

$19.00 ฿642

83.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.54 KES 849

$5.55 ฿188

17.84%

Cappuccino

$1.94 KES 252

$1.67 ฿56.6

16.17%

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

$0.39 KES 50.7

$0.64 ฿21.56

-39.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 KES 31.36

$0.31 ฿10.32

-22.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.26 KES 294

$2.36 ฿79.6

-4.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.62 KES 340

$3.66 ฿124

-28.42%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.52 KES 67.4

$1.95 ฿65.8

-73.33%

White Bread (500g)

$0.44 KES 56.8

$1.44 ฿48.51

-69.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 KES 205

$1.33 ฿45.07

18.80%

Eggs

$1.53 KES 199

$2.28 ฿77.1

-32.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.81 KES 1,404

$16.45 ฿556

-34.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.44 KES 836

$2.78 ฿94.0

131.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.38 KES 828

$9.31 ฿314

-31.47%

Apples (1kg)

$3.36 KES 437

$2.35 ฿79.5

42.98%

Banana (1kg)

$1.03 KES 134

$0.97 ฿32.82

6.19%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.07 KES 269

$1.60 ฿53.9

29.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 KES 142

$1.50 ฿50.7

-27.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.15 KES 149

$1.28 ฿43.15

-10.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 KES 143

$1.10 ฿37.22

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 KES 92.2

$0.71 ฿23.84

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 KES 103

$0.49 ฿16.38

63.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.40 KES 442

$4.14 ฿140

-17.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.38 KES 1,478

$17.52 ฿592

-35.05%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 KES 289

$1.61 ฿54.5

37.89%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.71 KES 352

$2.78 ฿94.0

-2.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

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)

$1.51 KES 196

$0.53 ฿17.82

184.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 KES 381

$2.42 ฿81.8

21.49%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 KES 210

$1.45 ฿48.93

11.72%

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

$19.6K KES 2.5M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-6.97%

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

$21.5K KES 2.8M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-20.29%

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

$55.5 KES 7,207

$62.2 ฿2,100

-10.73%

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

$15.37 KES 1,996

$12.17 ฿411

26.29%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.48 KES 4,478

$20.12 ฿680

71.37%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$7.91 KES 1,027

$6.49 ฿219

21.88%

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

$279 KES 36.2K

$736 ฿24.9K

-62.10%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.3K KES 1.6M

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-16.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.16 KES 3,657

$53.4 ฿1,802

-47.24%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.49 KES 3,700

$24.64 ฿832

15.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.0 KES 9,085

$91.5 ฿3,089

-23.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.0 KES 7,537

$71.9 ฿2,429

-19.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$227 KES 29.5K

$482 ฿16.3K

-52.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$136 KES 17.7K

$309 ฿10.4K

-55.85%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$536 KES 69.5K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-46.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$190 KES 24.7K

$633 ฿21.4K

-70.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

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 Nakuru: 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

Nakuru

$200 31.1%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 17.3% $35

Accommodation & Living

Nakuru

$136 21.2%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 127% $173

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Nakuru

$105 16.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 10.3% $11

Eating Out

Nakuru

$93 14.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 16.3% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Nakuru

$83 12.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 30.7% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Nakuru

$16 * 2.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 218% $34

Getting Around

Nakuru

$9.1 * 1.4%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 577% $52

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $227 in Nakuru 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 Nakuru versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $200 in Nakuru vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Nakuru wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Nakuru

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

01:27 1:27 AM

05:27 5:27 AM

4 h ahead of Nakuru

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

307,990

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

Nakuru Chiang Mai 7,180 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Nakuru
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 46% more than Nakuru, 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 $963 per month in Nakuru 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 Nakuru, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $227 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $35 in Nakuru 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 17% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $642 in Nakuru and $936 in Chiang Mai, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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