Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kampala and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

For one person, living is cheaper in Kampala: $616 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $3,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Kampala
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Kampala Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
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Chiang Mai Living Index

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Kampala

🇺🇬 Uganda

$616

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kampala 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 Kampala and in Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $616 per month in Kampala vs $936 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kampala $616
Chiang Mai $936

A couple spends around $940 per month in Kampala vs $1,457 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kampala $940
Chiang Mai $1,457

A family of three spends $1,263 per month in Kampala vs $1,979 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

Kampala $1,263
Chiang Mai $1,979

Kampala is about 34% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Kampala and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Kampala 55% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.19 UGX 9,620

$2.24 ฿75.7

-2.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.69 UGX 99.5K

$19.00 ฿642

19.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.82 UGX 29.9K

$5.55 ฿188

22.88%

Cappuccino

$2.28 UGX 9,994

$1.67 ฿56.6

36.53%

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

$0.32 UGX 1,389

$0.64 ฿21.56

-50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 UGX 1,003

$0.31 ฿10.32

-25.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 UGX 4,986

$2.36 ฿79.6

-51.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 UGX 7,418

$3.66 ฿124

-53.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.68 UGX 2,983

$1.95 ฿65.8

-65.13%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 UGX 3,522

$1.44 ฿48.51

-44.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.23 UGX 5,382

$1.33 ฿45.07

-7.52%

Eggs

$1.47 UGX 6,433

$2.28 ฿77.1

-35.53%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.93 UGX 17.3K

$16.45 ฿556

-76.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.97 UGX 17.4K

$2.78 ฿94.0

42.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.53 UGX 19.9K

$9.31 ฿314

-51.34%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 UGX 8,208

$2.35 ฿79.5

-20.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 UGX 5,595

$0.97 ฿32.82

31.96%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 UGX 5,041

$1.60 ฿53.9

-28.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 UGX 4,929

$1.50 ฿50.7

-25.33%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 UGX 4,999

$1.28 ฿43.15

-10.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 UGX 4,991

$1.10 ฿37.22

3.64%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 UGX 2,902

$0.71 ฿23.84

-7.04%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 UGX 1,967

$0.49 ฿16.38

-8.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.17 UGX 9,525

$4.14 ฿140

-47.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.80 UGX 29.8K

$17.52 ฿592

-61.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 UGX 4,457

$1.61 ฿54.5

-36.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 UGX 7,481

$2.78 ฿94.0

-38.49%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 UGX 3,007

$0.87 ฿29.33

-20.69%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.32 UGX 159.3K

$54.1 ฿1,827

-32.85%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.43 UGX 1,905

$1.16 ฿39.08

-62.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 UGX 1,272

$0.53 ฿17.82

-45.28%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 UGX 12.3K

$2.42 ฿81.8

16.12%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 UGX 5,487

$1.45 ฿48.93

-13.79%

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

$6,811 UGX 29.9M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

-67.66%

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

$6,696 UGX 29.4M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

-75.14%

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

$64.4 UGX 282.4K

$62.2 ฿2,100

3.57%

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

$10.73 UGX 47.1K

$12.17 ฿411

-11.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.03 UGX 140.5K

$20.12 ฿680

59.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 UGX 223.4K

$37.31 ฿1,260

36.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.36 UGX 23.5K

$3.77 ฿127

42.18%

Cinema Ticket

$6.87 UGX 30.1K

$6.49 ฿219

5.86%

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

$260 UGX 1.1M

$736 ฿24.9K

-64.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,974 UGX 35.0M

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-45.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.71 UGX 55.7K

$53.4 ฿1,802

-76.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.92 UGX 52.3K

$24.64 ฿832

-51.62%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$28.62 UGX 125.5K

$91.5 ฿3,089

-68.71%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.91 UGX 170.7K

$71.9 ฿2,429

-45.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$458 UGX 2.0M

$482 ฿16.3K

-5.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$151 UGX 662.8K

$309 ฿10.4K

-51.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,151 UGX 5.1M

$1,006 ฿34.0K

14.46%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$269 UGX 1.2M

$633 ฿21.4K

-57.57%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,194 UGX 5.2M

$2,363 ฿79.8K

-49.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$922 UGX 4.0M

$1,589 ฿53.7K

-41.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$160 UGX 701.7K

$590 ฿19.9K

-72.87%

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 Kampala: October 25, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kampala

$151 24.5%

Chiang Mai

$309 33% 104% $158

Groceries & Markets

Kampala

$134 21.7%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 75.1% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kampala

$107 17.4%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 11.9% $13

Eating Out

Kampala

$77 12.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 1.3% $1

Sport & Entertainment

Kampala

$65 10.5%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 22.3% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Kampala

$41 6.7%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 162% $67

Getting Around

Kampala

$41 6.7%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 49.8% $20

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $458 in Kampala versus $482 in Chiang Mai. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries in Chiang Mai are about 3.7 times higher. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Kampala versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $134 in Kampala vs $234 in Chiang Mai – so Kampala wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇬 Kampala

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

19:06 7:06 PM

23:06 11:06 PM

4 h ahead of Kampala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,516,210 Capital

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 = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4,386 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.28 USD). 1 EUR = 4,882 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.05 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.58 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to UGX in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kampala Chiang Mai 7,520 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Kampala
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

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

Chiang Mai costs about 52% more than Kampala, 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 $924 per month in Kampala and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A central 1-bedroom goes for about $458 in Kampala and $482 in Chiang Mai. The gap holds across neighborhoods – outer areas show a similar spread, just at lower price points.

Kindergarten costs $260 per month in Kampala and $736 in Chiang Mai. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 75% more in Chiang Mai, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

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

If budget matters most, go with Kampala. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Chiang Mai makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.