Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ongata Rongai and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Ongata Rongai: $571 a month against $938 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

28

Cost of Living Index in Ongata Rongai
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Ongata Rongai Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Ongata Rongai

🇰🇪 Kenya

$571

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$938

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $571 per month in Ongata Rongai vs $938 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ongata Rongai $571
Chiang Mai $938

A couple spends around $880 per month in Ongata Rongai vs $1,426 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ongata Rongai $880
Chiang Mai $1,426

A family of three spends $1,189 per month in Ongata Rongai vs $1,914 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Ongata Rongai $1,189
Chiang Mai $1,914

Ongata Rongai is about 39% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Ongata Rongai and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Ongata Rongai 58% lower, Chiang Mai 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.38 KES 827

$2.26 ฿75.4

182.30%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.02 KES 2,465

$19.18 ฿641

-0.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.23 KES 808

$5.59 ฿187

11.45%

Cappuccino

$1.97 KES 256

$1.72 ฿57.6

14.53%

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

$0.32 KES 41.56

$0.64 ฿21.54

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.41 KES 52.8

$0.33 ฿11.18

24.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.35 KES 304

$2.36 ฿78.7

-0.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 KES 359

$3.90 ฿130

-28.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.45 KES 57.9

$2.05 ฿68.6

-78.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.48 KES 62.6

$1.40 ฿46.70

-65.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.58 KES 205

$1.28 ฿42.89

23.44%

Eggs

$1.35 KES 175

$2.25 ฿75.3

-40.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.29 KES 556

$16.94 ฿566

-74.68%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.46 KES 449

$2.74 ฿91.6

26.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.55 KES 460

$9.36 ฿313

-62.07%

Apples (1kg)

$1.24 KES 161

$2.40 ฿80.3

-48.33%

Banana (1kg)

$1.09 KES 142

$1.01 ฿33.92

7.92%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.13 KES 147

$1.61 ฿53.9

-29.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.61 KES 78.6

$1.52 ฿50.7

-59.87%

Potato (1kg)

$0.74 KES 95.5

$1.28 ฿42.90

-42.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.47 KES 61.4

$1.11 ฿37.22

-57.66%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 KES 94.1

$0.72 ฿24.09

1.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.44 KES 56.7

$0.52 ฿17.54

-15.38%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.30 KES 298

$4.33 ฿145

-46.88%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.13 KES 1,184

$17.73 ฿593

-48.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 KES 295

$1.63 ฿54.4

39.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 KES 365

$2.85 ฿95.3

-1.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 ฿28.31

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$53.9 ฿1,801

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.57 KES 204

$1.17 ฿39.18

34.19%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.53 KES 198

$0.57 ฿19.00

168.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.94 KES 381

$2.37 ฿79.2

24.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.62 KES 210

$1.45 ฿48.32

11.72%

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

$21.6K KES 2.8M

$20.5K ฿684.3K

5.65%

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

$20.0K KES 2.6M

$26.5K ฿886.1K

-24.61%

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

$55.0 KES 7,130

$62.3 ฿2,083

-11.76%

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

$14.94 KES 1,938

$12.27 ฿410

21.76%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.88 KES 4,522

$19.97 ฿668

74.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.91 ฿1,267

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.76 ฿126

Cinema Ticket

$7.56 KES 980

$6.71 ฿224

12.67%

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

$252 KES 32.7K

$797 ฿26.6K

-68.38%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.6K KES 1.6M

$14.8K ฿495.7K

-15.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.60 KES 3,709

$53.3 ฿1,780

-46.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.63 KES 3,841

$25.05 ฿837

18.28%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.8 KES 8,913

$91.6 ฿3,062

-24.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$58.7 KES 7,611

$73.5 ฿2,455

-20.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$152 KES 19.7K

$464 ฿15.5K

-67.27%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$116 KES 15.0K

$305 ฿10.2K

-61.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$235 KES 30.5K

$915 ฿30.6K

-74.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$235 KES 30.5K

$552 ฿18.5K

-57.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,912 ฿63.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,438 ฿48.1K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿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 Ongata Rongai: October 12, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ongata Rongai

$129 22.6%

Chiang Mai

$238 25.4% 84.9% $109

Accommodation & Living

Ongata Rongai

$116 20.3%

Chiang Mai

$305 32.5% 163% $189

Eating Out

Ongata Rongai

$114 19.9%

Chiang Mai

$79 8.4% 30.5% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ongata Rongai

$105 18.4%

Chiang Mai

$95 10.1% 9.8% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Ongata Rongai

$84 14.6%

Chiang Mai

$110 11.7% 31.1% $26

Sport & Entertainment

Ongata Rongai

$15 * 2.7%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.5% 240% $36

Getting Around

Ongata Rongai

$9.2 * 1.6%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.5% 565% $52

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $152 in Ongata Rongai 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.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Ongata Rongai versus $19.00 in Chiang Mai. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $129 vs $238 – making Ongata Rongai the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Ongata Rongai

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

12:41 12:41 PM

16:41 4:41 PM

4 h ahead of Ongata Rongai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

172,569

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 18, 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 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ongata Rongai Chiang Mai 7,150 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Ongata Rongai
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

Ongata Rongai vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 64% more than Ongata Rongai, 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 $856 per month in Ongata Rongai 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 Ongata Rongai, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19.00 in Ongata Rongai and $19.00 in Chiang Mai. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 85% 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 $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Ongata Rongai, where all-in costs run around $571, than in Chiang Mai at $938. In Ongata Rongai 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. Ongata Rongai costs $571 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 Ongata Rongai. 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.