Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Kireka

For one person, living is cheaper in Kireka: $493 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,300 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
24

Cost of Living Index in Kireka
Learn more

Kireka Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Kireka

🇺🇬 Uganda

$493

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $493 in Kireka, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Kireka $493

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $654 in Kireka, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Kireka $654

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $816 in Kireka, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Kireka $816

Chiang Mai costs about 90% more than Kireka, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Kireka are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Kireka 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.7

$1.46 UGX 6,403

53.42%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿642

$11.84 UGX 52.0K

60.47%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿188

$7.03 UGX 30.8K

-21.05%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.6

$1.90 UGX 8,327

-12.11%

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

$0.64 ฿21.56

$0.25 UGX 1,104

156.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.32

$0.25 UGX 1,101

24.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.6

$1.00 UGX 4,384

136.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿124

$1.66 UGX 7,279

120.48%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.8

$0.47 UGX 2,054

314.89%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.51

$0.58 UGX 2,565

148.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿45.07

$1.05 UGX 4,626

26.67%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.1

$1.53 UGX 6,716

49.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿556

$4.35 UGX 19.1K

278.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$4.50 UGX 19.7K

-38.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$4.64 UGX 20.3K

100.65%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.5

$2.08 UGX 9,129

12.98%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.82

$1.22 UGX 5,342

-20.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.9

$1.29 UGX 5,640

24.03%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.7

$1.13 UGX 4,952

32.74%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.15

$1.18 UGX 5,186

8.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.22

$1.18 UGX 5,176

-6.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.84

$0.77 UGX 3,381

-7.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.38

$0.46 UGX 2,012

6.52%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.48 UGX 10.9K

66.94%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿592

$7.01 UGX 30.7K

149.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.5

$0.83 UGX 3,626

93.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿94.0

$1.91 UGX 8,385

45.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

$0.46 UGX 2,002

89.13%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.08

$0.47 UGX 2,042

146.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.82

$0.23 UGX 1,002

130.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.8

$1.23 UGX 5,395

96.75%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.93

$1.39 UGX 6,091

4.32%

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

$21.1K ฿711.2K

$7,252 UGX 31.8M

190.38%

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

$26.9K ฿909.8K

$7,188 UGX 31.5M

274.79%

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

$62.2 ฿2,100

$67.7 UGX 296.9K

-8.15%

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

$12.17 ฿411

$11.17 UGX 49.0K

8.95%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿680

$33.75 UGX 148.0K

-40.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

$36.41 UGX 159.7K

2.47%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.28 UGX 31.9K

-10.85%

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

$736 ฿24.9K

$72.8 UGX 319.2K

911.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿498.6K

$1,705 UGX 7.5M

766.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,802

$11.03 UGX 48.4K

383.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿832

$12.77 UGX 56.0K

92.95%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,089

$28.47 UGX 124.9K

221.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,429

$36.07 UGX 158.2K

99.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$165 UGX 724.9K

191.79%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$84.6 UGX 371.2K

265.07%

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 Kireka: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Kireka

$85 17.2% 72.6% $224

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Kireka

$135 27.5% 42.3% $99

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Kireka

$40 8.1% 63.4% $69

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Kireka

$113 22.9% 19.2% $18

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Kireka

$66 13.4% 15.1% $12

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Kireka

$3.4 * 0.7% 94.4% $58

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Kireka

$51 10.4% 1.4% $0.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $482 in Chiang Mai versus $165 in Kireka. 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 $19 in Chiang Mai versus $12 in Kireka. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $234 vs $135 – making Kireka the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇺🇬 Kireka

🕒 Local time

12:06 12:06 PM

08:06 8:06 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

17,947

💱 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 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 4,386 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.28 USD). 1 EUR = 4,883 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.05 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Chiang Mai Kireka 7,510 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Kireka

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 Kireka: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 90% more than Kireka, 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 $739 in Kireka. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kireka, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $165 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $12 in Kireka. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 73% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Kireka, where all-in costs run around $493, than in Chiang Mai at $936. In Kireka it covers expenses comfortably, while in Chiang Mai it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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