Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chiang Mai and Soroti

For one person, living is cheaper in Soroti: $382 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
18

Cost of Living Index in Soroti
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Soroti Living Index

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Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Soroti

🇺🇬 Uganda

$382

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $935 per month in Chiang Mai vs $382 in Soroti, rent included.

Chiang Mai $935
Soroti $382

A couple spends around $1,467 per month in Chiang Mai vs $600 in Soroti, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,467
Soroti $600

A family of three spends $1,999 per month in Chiang Mai vs $818 in Soroti, rent included.

Chiang Mai $1,999
Soroti $818

Chiang Mai costs about 145% more than Soroti, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Chiang Mai and Soroti are more affordable than the global median – Chiang Mai 31% lower, Soroti 72% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.13 ฿71.7

$2.35 UGX 9,913

-9.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$18.62 ฿625

$22.94 UGX 96.7K

-18.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.60 ฿188

$7.11 UGX 30.0K

-21.24%

Cappuccino

$1.66 ฿55.9

$2.47 UGX 10.4K

-32.79%

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

$0.65 ฿21.73

$0.36 UGX 1,521

80.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.30 ฿10.24

$0.24 UGX 1,002

25.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.32 ฿78.0

$1.19 UGX 5,005

94.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.67 ฿123

$1.71 UGX 7,228

114.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.02 ฿67.7

$0.75 UGX 3,179

169.33%

White Bread (500g)

$1.41 ฿47.29

$0.86 UGX 3,638

63.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.39 ฿46.75

$0.97 UGX 4,106

43.30%

Eggs

$2.37 ฿79.5

$1.41 UGX 5,947

68.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.52 ฿555

$4.22 UGX 17.8K

291.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.67 ฿89.7

$4.32 UGX 18.2K

-38.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.02 ฿303

$2.79 UGX 11.8K

223.30%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 ฿80.6

$2.01 UGX 8,482

19.40%

Banana (1kg)

$1.04 ฿34.98

$1.37 UGX 5,761

-24.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 ฿55.7

$1.25 UGX 5,277

32.80%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.56 ฿52.4

$0.68 UGX 2,868

129.41%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ฿41.57

$0.49 UGX 2,053

153.06%

Onion (1kg)

$1.09 ฿36.50

$1.20 UGX 5,041

-9.17%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.76 ฿25.59

$0.69 UGX 2,919

10.14%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 ฿17.27

$0.49 UGX 2,082

4.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.12 ฿138

$2.32 UGX 9,802

77.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.93 ฿602

$7.19 UGX 30.3K

149.37%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.62 ฿54.5

$1.05 UGX 4,412

54.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.82 ฿94.8

$1.85 UGX 7,809

52.43%

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

$0.48 UGX 2,026

145.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.17 ฿5.76

$0.30 UGX 1,275

-43.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$1.81 ฿60.9

$2.88 UGX 12.2K

-37.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.47 ฿49.47

$1.40 UGX 5,885

5.00%

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

$21.0K ฿705.8K

$7,086 UGX 29.9M

196.54%

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

$26.5K ฿890.7K

$7,112 UGX 30.0M

272.80%

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

$62.6 ฿2,101

$66.3 UGX 279.4K

-5.58%

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

$11.60 ฿390

$10.89 UGX 45.9K

6.52%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.30 ฿682

$33.17 UGX 139.9K

-38.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.51 ฿219

$6.86 UGX 28.9K

-5.10%

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

$727 ฿24.4K

$264 UGX 1.1M

175.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.6K ฿556.7K

$16.1K UGX 67.8M

3.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.5 ฿1,798

$13.32 UGX 56.2K

301.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.80 ฿833

$12.06 UGX 50.9K

105.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$90.4 ฿3,036

$30.60 UGX 129.0K

195.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$72.0 ฿2,418

$41.24 UGX 173.9K

74.52%

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 Soroti: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

Soroti

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3%

Soroti

$131 34.2% 44.7% $106

Clothing & Footwear

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6%

Soroti

$44 11.5% 59.6% $65

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1%

Soroti

$110 28.9% 16.8% $16

Eating Out

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2%

Soroti

$82 21.3% 6.5% $5

Getting Around

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3%

Soroti

$2 * 0.5% 96.6% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4%

Soroti

$14 * 3.6% 73% $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 Soroti. Groceries tell a different story – $237 in Chiang Mai vs $131 in Soroti – so Soroti wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🇺🇬 Soroti

🕒 Local time

18:25 6:25 PM

14:25 2:25 PM

4 h behind Chiang Mai

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

127,240

60,900

💱 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 Soroti 7,360 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Chiang Mai
Soroti

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 Soroti: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 145% more than Soroti, 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 $573 in Soroti. 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 Soroti. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 81% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.

It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $382 in Soroti to $935 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.