Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Iganga and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Iganga: $404 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.

19

Cost of Living Index in Iganga
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Iganga Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Iganga

🇺🇬 Uganda

$404

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Iganga and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $404 per month in Iganga vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Iganga $404
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $637 per month in Iganga vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Iganga $637
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $870 per month in Iganga vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Iganga $870
Chiang Mai $1,979

Iganga is about 57% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Iganga and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Iganga 70% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.47 UGX 10.8K

$2.24 ฿75.5

10.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.87 UGX 104.6K

$19.00 ฿640

25.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.43 UGX 32.5K

$5.55 ฿187

33.87%

Cappuccino

$2.47 UGX 10.8K

$1.67 ฿56.4

47.90%

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

$0.37 UGX 1,629

$0.64 ฿21.51

-42.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.27 UGX 1,195

$0.31 ฿10.29

-12.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.23 UGX 5,382

$2.36 ฿79.5

-47.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 UGX 8,038

$3.66 ฿123

-49.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.78 UGX 3,425

$1.95 ฿65.7

-60.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.87 UGX 3,807

$1.44 ฿48.41

-39.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.34 UGX 5,854

$1.33 ฿44.97

0.75%

Eggs

$1.56 UGX 6,846

$2.28 ฿77.0

-31.58%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.35 UGX 19.0K

$16.45 ฿554

-73.56%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.54 UGX 19.9K

$2.78 ฿93.8

63.31%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.69 UGX 20.5K

$9.31 ฿314

-49.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.03 UGX 8,894

$2.35 ฿79.3

-13.62%

Banana (1kg)

$1.22 UGX 5,329

$0.97 ฿32.75

25.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.29 UGX 5,665

$1.60 ฿53.8

-19.38%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.15 UGX 5,019

$1.50 ฿50.6

-23.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.23 UGX 5,371

$1.28 ฿43.06

-3.91%

Onion (1kg)

$1.23 UGX 5,401

$1.10 ฿37.14

11.82%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.77 UGX 3,362

$0.71 ฿23.79

8.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 UGX 2,253

$0.49 ฿16.34

4.08%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.42 UGX 10.6K

$4.14 ฿140

-41.55%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.12 UGX 31.2K

$17.52 ฿590

-59.36%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.07 UGX 4,705

$1.61 ฿54.4

-33.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 UGX 8,051

$2.78 ฿93.8

-33.81%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.27

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,823

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.50 UGX 2,181

$1.16 ฿39.00

-56.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.31 UGX 1,376

$0.53 ฿17.78

-41.51%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.04 UGX 13.3K

$2.42 ฿81.6

25.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 UGX 5,887

$1.45 ฿48.82

-7.59%

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

$7,296 UGX 32.0M

$21.1K ฿709.7K

-65.35%

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

$7,304 UGX 32.0M

$26.9K ฿907.9K

-72.89%

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

$67.4 UGX 295.1K

$62.2 ฿2,095

8.38%

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

$11.43 UGX 50.1K

$12.17 ฿410

-6.08%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.69 UGX 147.6K

$20.12 ฿678

67.45%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,257

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$7.40 UGX 32.4K

$6.49 ฿219

14.02%

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

$249 UGX 1.1M

$736 ฿24.8K

-66.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,064 UGX 35.3M

$14.8K ฿497.6K

-45.38%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.37 UGX 58.6K

$53.4 ฿1,799

-74.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.76 UGX 55.9K

$24.64 ฿830

-48.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$31.18 UGX 136.6K

$91.5 ฿3,083

-65.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$42.98 UGX 188.3K

$71.9 ฿2,424

-40.26%

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 ฿33.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.3K

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 %)

20.75

5.57

272.53%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Iganga: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Iganga

$145 35.9%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 61.6% $89

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Iganga

$113 27.9%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 16% $18

Eating Out

Iganga

$84 20.8%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 7.7% $6.5

Clothing & Footwear

Iganga

$45 11.2%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 141% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Iganga

$15 * 3.7%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 240% $35

Getting Around

Iganga

$2.1 * 0.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 2864% $59

Accommodation & Living

Iganga

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

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 $24 in Iganga versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $145 in Iganga vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Iganga wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇬 Iganga

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

09:14 9:14 AM

13:14 1:14 PM

4 h ahead of Iganga

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

65,500

127,240

💱 Currency

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 UGX = 2.28 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.05 EUR

100 THB = 2.97 USD

100 THB = 2.67 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to UGX – Ugandan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇬 Ugandan Shilling (Sh)

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).

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).

USD to UGX in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Iganga Chiang Mai 7,410 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Iganga
Chiang Mai

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

Iganga vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Chiang Mai costs about 132% more than Iganga, 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 $605 per month in Iganga and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $24 in Iganga and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 62% 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 $404 in Iganga to $936 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.