Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Lugazi

For one person, living is cheaper in Lugazi: $389 a month against $935 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in Lugazi
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Lugazi Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Lugazi

🇺🇬 Uganda

$389

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $389 in Lugazi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Lugazi $389

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $614 in Lugazi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Lugazi $614

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $838 in Lugazi, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Lugazi $838

Chiang Mai costs about 140% more than Lugazi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$2.40 UGX 10.1K

-11.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$22.97 UGX 96.9K

-18.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$7.08 UGX 29.8K

-20.90%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.39 UGX 10.1K

-30.54%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$0.33 UGX 1,409

96.97%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$0.24 UGX 1,010

25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$1.14 UGX 4,795

103.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$1.77 UGX 7,479

107.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$0.80 UGX 3,365

152.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$0.79 UGX 3,338

78.48%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$1.24 UGX 5,214

12.10%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$1.35 UGX 5,703

75.56%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$4.04 UGX 17.0K

308.91%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$4.16 UGX 17.6K

-35.82%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$4.52 UGX 19.1K

99.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$1.99 UGX 8,374

20.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$1.34 UGX 5,651

-22.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$1.25 UGX 5,266

32.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$1.23 UGX 5,201

26.83%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$1.13 UGX 4,787

9.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$1.25 UGX 5,276

-12.80%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$0.70 UGX 2,958

8.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$0.50 UGX 2,093

2.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$2.37 UGX 10.0K

73.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$7.05 UGX 29.7K

154.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$1.01 UGX 4,278

60.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$1.83 UGX 7,725

54.10%

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

$0.46 UGX 1,921

156.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.30 UGX 1,278

-43.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$2.86 UGX 12.1K

-36.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$1.37 UGX 5,757

7.30%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$6,887 UGX 29.0M

205.11%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$7,149 UGX 30.2M

270.90%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$65.4 UGX 275.9K

-4.37%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$11.16 UGX 47.1K

3.94%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$32.67 UGX 137.8K

-37.86%

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

$268 UGX 1.1M

171.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$16.2K UGX 68.3M

2.34%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$13.05 UGX 55.0K

310.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$12.49 UGX 52.7K

98.56%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$30.97 UGX 130.6K

191.86%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$41.40 UGX 174.6K

73.84%

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 Lugazi: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Lugazi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Lugazi

$139 35.8% 41.1% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Lugazi

$44 11.3% 59.3% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Lugazi

$109 28.1% 15.6% $15

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Lugazi

$81 20.7% 5.3% $4.1

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Lugazi

$2 * 0.5% 96.6% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Lugazi

$14 * 3.5% 73.1% $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 $23 in Lugazi. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $139 in Lugazi – so Lugazi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇺🇬 Lugazi

🕒 Local time

17:29 5:29 PM

13:29 1:29 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

128,400

💱 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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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Lugazi 7,480 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Lugazi

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 Lugazi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 140% more than Lugazi, 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 $583 in Lugazi. 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 $23 in Lugazi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 70% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

A $800 monthly budget goes further in Lugazi, where all-in costs run around $389, than in Chiang Mai at $935. In Lugazi 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 $389 in Lugazi to $935 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.