Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Fort Portal

For one person, living is cheaper in Fort Portal: $364 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
17

Cost of Living Index in Fort Portal
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Fort Portal Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Fort Portal

🇺🇬 Uganda

$364

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Chiang Mai and in Fort Portal

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 Fort Portal actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $364 in Fort Portal, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Fort Portal $364

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $574 in Fort Portal, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Fort Portal $574

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $783 in Fort Portal, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Fort Portal $783

Chiang Mai costs about 157% more than Fort Portal, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Fort Portal are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Fort Portal 73% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$2.37 UGX 9,990

-10.13%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$23.66 UGX 99.8K

-21.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$6.93 UGX 29.2K

-19.19%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.46 UGX 10.4K

-32.52%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$0.37 UGX 1,545

75.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$0.24 UGX 1,004

25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$1.20 UGX 5,049

93.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$1.72 UGX 7,235

113.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$0.27 UGX 1,126

648.15%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$0.68 UGX 2,850

107.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$0.90 UGX 3,795

54.44%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$1.15 UGX 4,835

106.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$4.12 UGX 17.4K

300.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$4.14 UGX 17.5K

-35.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$3.12 UGX 13.2K

189.10%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$1.96 UGX 8,246

22.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$0.71 UGX 2,996

46.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$1.20 UGX 5,052

38.33%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.13 UGX 4,786

38.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$1.20 UGX 5,075

3.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$0.57 UGX 2,386

91.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$0.73 UGX 3,081

4.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$0.49 UGX 2,046

4.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$2.30 UGX 9,700

79.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$4.57 UGX 19.3K

292.34%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$0.68 UGX 2,848

138.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$0.93 UGX 3,914

203.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.18 ฿39.52

$0.49 UGX 2,065

140.82%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.28 UGX 1,165

-39.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$2.89 UGX 12.2K

-37.37%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$1.16 UGX 4,905

26.72%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$6,927 UGX 29.2M

203.35%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$6,921 UGX 29.2M

283.14%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$66.9 UGX 282.2K

-6.50%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$11.00 UGX 46.4K

5.45%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$32.84 UGX 138.5K

-38.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$7.16 UGX 30.2K

-9.08%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$267 UGX 1.1M

171.91%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$16.1K UGX 67.9M

2.89%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$13.23 UGX 55.8K

304.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$12.29 UGX 51.8K

101.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$30.84 UGX 130.1K

193.09%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$40.94 UGX 172.7K

75.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$481 ฿16.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$310 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,058 ฿35.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$659 ฿22.1K

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

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 Fort Portal: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Fort Portal

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Fort Portal

$112 30.9% 52.5% $124

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Fort Portal

$44 12% 59.6% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Fort Portal

$111 30.4% 17.2% $16

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Fort Portal

$81 22.3% 5.8% $4.5

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Fort Portal

$1.9 * 0.5% 96.8% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Fort Portal

$14 * 3.9% 71.9% $37

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

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai versus $24 in Fort Portal. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $112 in Fort Portal – so Fort Portal wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇺🇬 Fort Portal

🕒 Local time

18:18 6:18 PM

14:18 2:18 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

54,275

💱 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

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Fort Portal 7,750 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Fort Portal

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 Fort Portal: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 157% more than Fort Portal, 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 $546 in Fort Portal. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $24 in Fort Portal. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 110% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Fort Portal, where all-in costs run around $364, than in Chiang Mai at $935. In Fort Portal it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $364 in Fort Portal to $935 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.