Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kampala

For one person, living is cheaper in Kampala: $616 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Kampala
Learn more

Kampala Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Kampala

🇺🇬 Uganda

$616

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $616 in Kampala, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Kampala $616

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $940 in Kampala, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Kampala $940

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,263 in Kampala, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Kampala $1,263

Chiang Mai costs about 52% more than Kampala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Kampala are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Kampala 55% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$2.19 UGX 9,620

2.28%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$22.69 UGX 99.5K

-16.26%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$6.82 UGX 29.9K

-18.62%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.28 UGX 9,994

-26.75%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.32 UGX 1,389

100.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.23 UGX 1,003

34.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.14 UGX 4,986

107.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.69 UGX 7,418

116.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.68 UGX 2,983

186.76%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.80 UGX 3,522

80.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.23 UGX 5,382

8.13%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.47 UGX 6,433

55.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$3.93 UGX 17.3K

318.58%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$3.97 UGX 17.4K

-29.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$4.53 UGX 19.9K

105.52%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$1.87 UGX 8,208

25.67%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.28 UGX 5,595

-24.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.15 UGX 5,041

39.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.12 UGX 4,929

33.93%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.14 UGX 4,999

12.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.14 UGX 4,991

-3.51%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.66 UGX 2,902

7.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.45 UGX 1,967

8.89%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.17 UGX 9,525

90.78%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$6.80 UGX 29.8K

157.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.02 UGX 4,457

57.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.71 UGX 7,481

62.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.69 UGX 3,007

26.09%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

$36.32 UGX 159.3K

48.93%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.43 UGX 1,905

169.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.29 UGX 1,272

82.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$2.81 UGX 12.3K

-13.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.25 UGX 5,487

16.00%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$6,811 UGX 29.9M

209.17%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$6,696 UGX 29.4M

302.33%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$64.4 UGX 282.4K

-3.45%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$10.73 UGX 47.1K

13.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$32.03 UGX 140.5K

-37.18%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$50.9 UGX 223.4K

-26.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

$5.36 UGX 23.5K

-29.66%

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$6.87 UGX 30.1K

-5.53%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$260 UGX 1.1M

182.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$7,974 UGX 35.0M

85.16%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$12.71 UGX 55.7K

319.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$11.92 UGX 52.3K

106.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$28.62 UGX 125.5K

219.64%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$38.91 UGX 170.7K

84.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$458 UGX 2.0M

5.29%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$151 UGX 662.8K

104.42%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

$1,151 UGX 5.1M

-12.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

$269 UGX 1.2M

135.66%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

$1,194 UGX 5.2M

97.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

$922 UGX 4.0M

72.38%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

$160 UGX 701.7K

268.60%

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: October 26, 2026

Last update for Kampala: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Kampala

$151 24.5% 51.1% $158

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Kampala

$134 21.7% 42.9% $101

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Kampala

$41 6.7% 61.8% $67

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kampala

$107 17.4% 13.4% $13

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Kampala

$77 12.4% 1.3% $1

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Kampala

$41 6.7% 33.3% $20

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Kampala

$65 10.5% 28.6% $14

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $458 in Kampala. 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 3.7 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 Kampala. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $134 in Kampala – so Kampala wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇺🇬 Kampala

🕒 Local time

21:04 9:04 PM

17:04 5:04 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

1,516,210 Capital

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 UGX = 2.28 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.05 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4,386 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.28 USD). 1 EUR = 4,882 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.05 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Kampala 7,520 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kampala

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 Kampala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 52% more than Kampala, 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 $924 in Kampala. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $482 in Chiang Mai and $458 in Kampala. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $736 per month in Chiang Mai and $260 in Kampala. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 75% 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.

Families tend to lean toward Kampala – 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 Kampala. 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.