Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Entebbe

For one person, living is cheaper in Entebbe: $499 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,200 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
24

Cost of Living Index in Entebbe
Learn more

Entebbe Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Entebbe

🇺🇬 Uganda

$499

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Entebbe

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Chiang Mai and in Entebbe actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $499 in Entebbe, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Entebbe $499

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $780 in Entebbe, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Entebbe $780

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,061 in Entebbe, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Entebbe $1,061

Chiang Mai costs about 88% more than Entebbe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Entebbe are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Entebbe 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$2.37 UGX 9,975

-10.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$23.23 UGX 98.0K

-19.85%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$6.70 UGX 28.2K

-16.42%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$1.83 UGX 7,724

-9.29%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$0.24 UGX 1,014

170.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$0.22 UGX 925

36.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$0.78 UGX 3,285

197.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$1.14 UGX 4,800

221.93%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$0.80 UGX 3,369

152.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$0.87 UGX 3,669

62.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$1.28 UGX 5,402

8.59%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$1.41 UGX 5,935

68.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$4.09 UGX 17.2K

303.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$4.35 UGX 18.3K

-38.62%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$4.65 UGX 19.6K

93.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$1.98 UGX 8,334

21.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$1.41 UGX 5,950

-26.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$1.26 UGX 5,320

31.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.18 UGX 4,970

32.20%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$1.14 UGX 4,820

8.77%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$1.21 UGX 5,101

-9.92%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$0.69 UGX 2,906

10.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$0.50 UGX 2,091

2.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$2.27 UGX 9,574

81.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$6.88 UGX 29.0K

160.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$1.02 UGX 4,289

58.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$1.80 UGX 7,582

56.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

$0.49 UGX 2,065

89.80%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$0.48 UGX 2,036

145.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.28 UGX 1,175

-39.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$3.00 UGX 12.7K

-39.67%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$1.18 UGX 4,996

24.58%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$6,917 UGX 29.2M

203.76%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$7,031 UGX 29.7M

277.10%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$67.0 UGX 282.7K

-6.67%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$11.15 UGX 47.0K

4.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$33.45 UGX 141.1K

-39.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$6.85 UGX 28.9K

-4.96%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$259 UGX 1.1M

180.82%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$16.1K UGX 68.1M

2.65%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$13.01 UGX 54.9K

311.53%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$12.36 UGX 52.1K

100.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$30.41 UGX 128.3K

197.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$41.88 UGX 176.6K

71.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

$212 UGX 895.5K

126.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

$115 UGX 485.0K

169.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

$350 UGX 1.5M

202.51%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

$231 UGX 973.7K

185.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,418 ฿81.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,609 ฿54.0K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$595 ฿20.0K

$116 UGX 490.2K

411.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.57

20.75

-73.16%

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

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Last update for Entebbe: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Entebbe

$115 23.1% 62.9% $195

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Entebbe

$142 28.4% 40.1% $95

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Entebbe

$44 8.8% 59.4% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Entebbe

$112 22.4% 18.2% $17

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Entebbe

$69 13.8% 9.9% $7.6

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Entebbe

$3.8 * 0.8% 93.5% $55

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Entebbe

$14 * 2.8% 73.1% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $481 in Chiang Mai versus $212 in Entebbe. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 5.1 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $23 in Entebbe. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $142 in Entebbe – so Entebbe wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇺🇬 Entebbe

🕒 Local time

17:38 5:38 PM

13:38 1:38 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

69,958

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 EUR

10,000 UGX = 2.37 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UGX, USD, EUR to THB – Thai Baht Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇹🇭 Thai Baht (฿)

Thai Baht exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 33.59 THB (100 THB = 2.98 USD). 1 EUR = 37.75 THB (100 THB = 2.65 EUR).

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 4,217 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.37 USD). 1 EUR = 4,739 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.11 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Entebbe 7,540 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Entebbe

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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 88% more than Entebbe, 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 $1,403 per month in Chiang Mai and $748 in Entebbe. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Entebbe, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $212 there versus $481 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $23 in Entebbe. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 67% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

$1,200 covers both cities comfortably – all-in costs are $935 in Chiang Mai and $499 in Entebbe, leaving budget for savings and extras in both cases.

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

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