Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Wote and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Wote: $601 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $4,000 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

29

Cost of Living Index in Wote
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Wote Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Wote

🇰🇪 Kenya

$601

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $601 per month in Wote vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Wote $601
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $1,062 per month in Wote vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Wote $1,062
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,523 per month in Wote vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Wote $1,523
Chiang Mai $1,979

Wote is about 36% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Wote and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Wote 56% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.01 KES 391

$2.24 ฿75.6

34.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.42 KES 4,468

$19.00 ฿641

81.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.48 KES 841

$5.55 ฿187

16.76%

Cappuccino

$1.50 KES 195

$1.67 ฿56.5

-10.18%

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

$0.39 KES 50.7

$0.64 ฿21.53

-39.06%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.22 KES 28.50

$0.31 ฿10.30

-29.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.13 KES 277

$2.36 ฿79.5

-9.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.33 KES 303

$3.66 ฿124

-36.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.75 KES 97.3

$1.95 ฿65.7

-61.54%

White Bread (500g)

$0.58 KES 74.9

$1.44 ฿48.45

-59.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.47 KES 191

$1.33 ฿45.01

10.53%

Eggs

$1.35 KES 175

$2.28 ฿77.0

-40.79%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.74 KES 615

$16.45 ฿555

-71.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.99 KES 777

$2.78 ฿93.8

115.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.63 KES 730

$9.31 ฿314

-39.53%

Apples (1kg)

$3.33 KES 433

$2.35 ฿79.4

41.70%

Banana (1kg)

$1.07 KES 139

$0.97 ฿32.78

10.31%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 KES 260

$1.60 ฿53.9

25.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.61 KES 78.6

$1.50 ฿50.6

-59.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.56 KES 72.6

$1.28 ฿43.10

-56.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 KES 142

$1.10 ฿37.17

-0.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 KES 97.6

$0.71 ฿23.81

5.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 KES 72.0

$0.49 ฿16.36

12.24%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.44 KES 447

$4.14 ฿140

-16.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.40 KES 1,480

$17.52 ฿591

-34.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.26 KES 293

$1.61 ฿54.5

40.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.75 KES 357

$2.78 ฿93.9

-1.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.29

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,825

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 KES 196

$1.16 ฿39.03

30.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.51 KES 196

$0.53 ฿17.79

184.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 KES 364

$2.42 ฿81.7

16.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 KES 199

$1.45 ฿48.87

5.52%

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

$19.1K KES 2.5M

$21.1K ฿710.3K

-9.50%

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

$21.8K KES 2.8M

$26.9K ฿908.7K

-18.93%

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

$54.8 KES 7,116

$62.2 ฿2,097

-11.82%

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

$15.02 KES 1,950

$12.17 ฿410

23.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.15 KES 4,563

$20.12 ฿679

74.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,259

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$7.58 KES 984

$6.49 ฿219

16.80%

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

$154 KES 20.0K

$736 ฿24.8K

-79.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$12.2K KES 1.6M

$14.8K ฿498.0K

-17.46%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$11.68 KES 1,516

$53.4 ฿1,800

-78.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$7.59 KES 985

$24.64 ฿831

-69.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$19.48 KES 2,529

$91.5 ฿3,086

-78.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$22.94 KES 2,978

$71.9 ฿2,426

-68.11%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 KES 49.0K

$482 ฿16.3K

-21.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$191 KES 24.9K

$309 ฿10.4K

-38.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$772 KES 100.2K

$1,006 ฿33.9K

-23.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$584 KES 75.8K

$633 ฿21.4K

-7.77%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.7K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

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 Wote: October 24, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Wote

$191 31.9%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 61.4% $117

Groceries & Markets

Wote

$173 28.8%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 35.6% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Wote

$105 17.5%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 10% $11

Eating Out

Wote

$79 13.2%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 2.2% $1.7

Clothing & Footwear

Wote

$28 4.6%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 291% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Wote

$15 * 2.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 231% $35

Getting Around

Wote

$9.1 * 1.5%

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 $377 in Wote 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 Wote versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $173 in Wote vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Wote wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇰🇪 Wote

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

22:08 10:08 PM

02:08 2:08 AM

4 h ahead of Wote

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,725

127,240

💱 Currency

Kenyan Shilling KES Sh

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 KES = 7.7 USD

1,000 KES = 6.9 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 130 KES (1,000 KES = 7.7 USD). 1 EUR = 145 KES (1,000 KES = 6.9 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.73 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.64 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to KES in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Wote Chiang Mai 7,080 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Wote
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 56% more than Wote, 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 $901 per month in Wote 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 Wote, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $377 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $34 in Wote 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 36% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Wote, where all-in costs run around $601, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Wote it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.