Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Thika and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Thika: $518 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Thika
Learn more

Thika Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Thika

🇰🇪 Kenya

$518

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $518 per month in Thika vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Thika $518
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $883 per month in Thika vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Thika $883
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,248 per month in Thika vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Thika $1,248
Chiang Mai $1,979

Thika is about 45% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Thika and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Thika 62% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.52 KES 457

$2.24 ฿75.7

57.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.12 KES 4,431

$19.00 ฿642

79.58%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.31 KES 819

$5.55 ฿188

13.69%

Cappuccino

$1.97 KES 256

$1.67 ฿56.6

17.96%

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

$0.32 KES 41.83

$0.64 ฿21.56

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.67 KES 87.2

$0.31 ฿10.32

116.13%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.89 KES 246

$2.36 ฿79.6

-19.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.10 KES 273

$3.66 ฿124

-42.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.74 KES 96.4

$1.95 ฿65.8

-62.05%

White Bread (500g)

$0.45 KES 58.2

$1.44 ฿48.51

-68.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.15 KES 149

$1.33 ฿45.07

-13.53%

Eggs

$1.37 KES 177

$2.28 ฿77.1

-39.91%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.98 KES 1,426

$16.45 ฿556

-33.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.75 KES 877

$2.78 ฿94.0

142.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.01 KES 521

$9.31 ฿314

-56.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.51 KES 196

$2.35 ฿79.5

-35.74%

Banana (1kg)

$0.60 KES 77.5

$0.97 ฿32.82

-38.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.78 KES 102

$1.60 ฿53.9

-51.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.14 KES 148

$1.50 ฿50.7

-24.00%

Potato (1kg)

$0.36 KES 47.22

$1.28 ฿43.15

-71.88%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 KES 62.7

$1.10 ฿37.22

-56.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.73 KES 95.0

$0.71 ฿23.84

2.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.37 KES 47.60

$0.49 ฿16.38

-24.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.80 KES 364

$4.14 ฿140

-32.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.72 KES 743

$17.52 ฿592

-67.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 KES 230

$1.61 ฿54.5

9.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 KES 253

$2.78 ฿94.0

-29.86%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.52 KES 197

$1.16 ฿39.08

31.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 KES 118

$0.53 ฿17.82

71.70%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.95 KES 383

$2.42 ฿81.8

21.90%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 KES 177

$1.45 ฿48.93

-6.21%

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

$19.0K KES 2.5M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-9.77%

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

$21.4K KES 2.8M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-20.41%

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

$34.61 KES 4,494

$62.2 ฿2,100

-44.33%

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

$15.36 KES 1,994

$12.17 ฿411

26.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$34.47 KES 4,477

$20.12 ฿680

71.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.97 KES 6,100

$37.31 ฿1,260

25.89%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$7.68 KES 997

$6.49 ฿219

18.34%

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

$53.3 KES 6,921

$736 ฿24.9K

-92.76%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$3,489 KES 453.1K

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-76.37%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$28.59 KES 3,713

$53.4 ฿1,802

-46.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$29.22 KES 3,795

$24.64 ฿832

18.59%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.7 KES 8,921

$91.5 ฿3,089

-24.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$19.35 KES 2,513

$71.9 ฿2,429

-73.10%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$101 KES 13.2K

$482 ฿16.3K

-78.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$56.9 KES 7,384

$309 ฿10.4K

-81.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$268 KES 34.8K

$1,006 ฿34.0K

-73.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$175 KES 22.7K

$633 ฿21.4K

-72.40%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$623 KES 80.9K

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-73.63%

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 Thika: 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

Thika

$154 29.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 52% $80

Eating Out

Thika

$88 17.1%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 12.2% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Thika

$84 16.3%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 11.9% $10

Clothing & Footwear

Thika

$66 12.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 65.5% $43

Sport & Entertainment

Thika

$62 12%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 19.3% $12

Accommodation & Living

Thika

$57 11%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 443% $252

Getting Around

Thika

$6.1 * 1.2%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 913% $55

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $101 in Thika 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 $34 in Thika versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $154 in Thika vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Thika wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Thika

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

00:43 12:43 AM

04:43 4:43 AM

4 h ahead of Thika

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

83,000

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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Thika Chiang Mai 7,110 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Thika
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 81% more than Thika, 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 $777 per month in Thika 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 Thika, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $101 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Thika 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 52% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

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