Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Mbarara

For one person, living is cheaper in Mbarara: $488 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 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
23

Cost of Living Index in Mbarara
Learn more

Mbarara Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Mbarara

🇺🇬 Uganda

$488

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $936 per month in Chiang Mai vs $488 in Mbarara, rent included.

Chiang Mai $936
Mbarara $488

A couple spends around $1,457 per month in Chiang Mai vs $776 in Mbarara, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,457
Mbarara $776

A family of three spends $1,979 per month in Chiang Mai vs $1,063 in Mbarara, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,979
Mbarara $1,063

Chiang Mai costs about 92% more than Mbarara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.24 ฿75.5

$2.35 UGX 10.3K

-4.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$19.00 ฿640

$24.42 UGX 107.0K

-22.19%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.55 ฿187

$7.07 UGX 31.0K

-21.50%

Cappuccino

$1.67 ฿56.4

$2.43 UGX 10.6K

-31.28%

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

$0.64 ฿21.51

$0.34 UGX 1,502

88.24%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.31 ฿10.29

$0.27 UGX 1,190

14.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.36 ฿79.5

$1.22 UGX 5,332

93.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.66 ฿123

$1.83 UGX 8,018

100.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.95 ฿65.7

$0.50 UGX 2,177

290.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.44 ฿48.41

$0.93 UGX 4,083

54.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 ฿44.97

$1.17 UGX 5,130

13.68%

Eggs

$2.28 ฿77.0

$1.53 UGX 6,682

49.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.45 ฿554

$4.23 UGX 18.5K

288.89%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$4.51 UGX 19.7K

-38.36%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.31 ฿314

$3.46 UGX 15.1K

169.08%

Apples (1kg)

$2.35 ฿79.3

$2.00 UGX 8,780

17.50%

Banana (1kg)

$0.97 ฿32.75

$1.24 UGX 5,434

-21.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.60 ฿53.8

$1.30 UGX 5,706

23.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.6

$1.19 UGX 5,199

26.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.28 ฿43.06

$1.23 UGX 5,389

4.07%

Onion (1kg)

$1.10 ฿37.14

$1.17 UGX 5,125

-5.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.71 ฿23.79

$0.72 UGX 3,158

-1.39%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.34

$0.51 UGX 2,218

-3.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.14 ฿140

$2.43 UGX 10.6K

70.37%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.52 ฿590

$7.39 UGX 32.4K

137.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.61 ฿54.4

$1.08 UGX 4,730

49.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.78 ฿93.8

$1.81 UGX 7,949

53.59%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

$0.70 UGX 3,056

24.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.16 ฿39.00

$0.46 UGX 2,035

152.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 ฿17.78

$0.29 UGX 1,266

82.76%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.42 ฿81.6

$3.03 UGX 13.3K

-20.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 ฿48.82

$1.37 UGX 5,981

5.84%

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

$21.1K ฿709.7K

$7,154 UGX 31.3M

194.37%

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

$26.9K ฿907.9K

$7,202 UGX 31.5M

274.06%

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

$62.2 ฿2,095

$69.2 UGX 302.9K

-10.09%

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

$12.17 ฿410

$11.20 UGX 49.1K

8.66%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.12 ฿678

$33.55 UGX 146.9K

-40.03%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

$17.82 UGX 78.0K

109.37%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$6.49 ฿219

$7.15 UGX 31.3K

-9.23%

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

$736 ฿24.8K

$247 UGX 1.1M

198.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K ฿497.6K

$8,140 UGX 35.7M

81.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.4 ฿1,799

$13.66 UGX 59.8K

290.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.64 ฿830

$12.69 UGX 55.6K

94.17%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$91.5 ฿3,083

$31.67 UGX 138.7K

188.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$71.9 ฿2,424

$42.04 UGX 184.2K

71.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

$83.7 UGX 366.4K

476.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

$73.0 UGX 319.5K

323.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿33.9K

$231 UGX 1.0M

335.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

$171 UGX 749.8K

270.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.6K

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 Mbarara: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

Mbarara

$73 14.9% 76.4% $236

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1%

Mbarara

$138 28.3% 41.1% $96

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6%

Mbarara

$45 9.2% 58.6% $64

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Mbarara

$114 23.3% 20.6% $19

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3%

Mbarara

$81 16.7% 4.9% $3.8

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6%

Mbarara

$4.7 * 1% 92.3% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4%

Mbarara

$32 6.6% 36.1% $18

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 $84 in Mbarara. 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 $24 in Mbarara. Groceries tell a different story – $234 in Chiang Mai vs $138 in Mbarara – so Mbarara wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇺🇬 Mbarara

🕒 Local time

12:27 12:27 PM

08:27 8:27 AM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

195,013

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 = 33.7 THB (100 THB = 2.97 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 4,380 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.28 USD). 1 EUR = 4,876 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.05 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Chiang Mai Mbarara 7,760 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Mbarara

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 Mbarara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 92% more than Mbarara, 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 $732 in Mbarara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mbarara, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $84 there versus $482 in Chiang Mai.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $19 in Chiang Mai and $24 in Mbarara. 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.

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