Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kapchorwa

For one person, living is cheaper in Kapchorwa: $401 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in Kapchorwa
Learn more

Kapchorwa Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Kapchorwa

🇺🇬 Uganda

$401

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $401 in Kapchorwa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Kapchorwa $401

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $632 in Kapchorwa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Kapchorwa $632

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $863 in Kapchorwa, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Kapchorwa $863

Chiang Mai costs about 133% more than Kapchorwa, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Kapchorwa are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Kapchorwa 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$2.37 UGX 10.4K

-5.49%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$23.76 UGX 104.2K

-20.03%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.10 UGX 31.1K

-21.83%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$2.50 UGX 11.0K

-33.20%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.35 UGX 1,518

82.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.25 UGX 1,088

24.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.18 UGX 5,190

100.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.83 UGX 8,035

100.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.74 UGX 3,235

163.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.91 UGX 3,972

58.24%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.34 UGX 5,861

-0.75%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.54 UGX 6,739

48.05%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$4.24 UGX 18.6K

287.97%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.32 UGX 18.9K

-35.65%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$4.81 UGX 21.1K

93.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.10 UGX 9,192

11.90%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.22 UGX 5,345

-20.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.31 UGX 5,735

22.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.19 UGX 5,224

26.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.17 UGX 5,139

9.40%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.22 UGX 5,355

-9.84%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.76 UGX 3,326

-6.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.47 UGX 2,065

4.26%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.38 UGX 10.4K

73.95%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$7.07 UGX 31.0K

147.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$1.03 UGX 4,533

56.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.87 UGX 8,223

48.66%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.50 UGX 2,207

132.00%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.29 UGX 1,268

82.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$2.95 UGX 13.0K

-17.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.40 UGX 6,148

3.57%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$7,351 UGX 32.2M

186.46%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$7,359 UGX 32.3M

266.10%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$67.8 UGX 297.2K

-8.24%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$11.44 UGX 50.2K

6.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$34.38 UGX 150.8K

-41.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.29 UGX 32.0K

-10.97%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$253 UGX 1.1M

191.50%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$8,309 UGX 36.4M

77.69%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$13.60 UGX 59.6K

292.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$12.82 UGX 56.2K

92.20%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$31.70 UGX 139.1K

188.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$42.22 UGX 185.2K

70.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

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 %)

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 Kapchorwa: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Kapchorwa

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Kapchorwa

$143 35.8% 38.8% $91

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Kapchorwa

$45 11.3% 58.4% $63

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kapchorwa

$114 28.3% 20.2% $19

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Kapchorwa

$82 20.5% 5.9% $4.6

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Kapchorwa

$2 * 0.5% 96.8% $59

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Kapchorwa

$15 * 3.6% 71% $36

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 Kapchorwa. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $143 in Kapchorwa – so Kapchorwa wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇺🇬 Kapchorwa

🕒 Local time

22:12 10:12 PM

18:12 6:12 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

51,200

💱 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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Between locations

Chiang Mai Kapchorwa 7,280 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kapchorwa

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 Kapchorwa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 133% more than Kapchorwa, 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 $601 in Kapchorwa. 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 Kapchorwa. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 63% 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.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $401 in Kapchorwa to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.