Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lugazi and Chiang Mai

Name: Chiang Mai
Address: Chiang Mai, TH

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.

19

Cost of Living Index in Lugazi
Learn more

Lugazi Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Lugazi

🇺🇬 Uganda

$389

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$935

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Lugazi $389
Chiang Mai $935

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

Lugazi $614
Chiang Mai $1,467

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

Lugazi $838
Chiang Mai $1,999

Lugazi is about 58% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.40 UGX 10.1K

$2.13 ฿71.7

12.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.97 UGX 96.9K

$18.62 ฿625

23.36%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.08 UGX 29.8K

$5.60 ฿188

26.43%

Cappuccino

$2.39 UGX 10.1K

$1.66 ฿55.9

43.98%

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

$0.33 UGX 1,409

$0.65 ฿21.73

-49.23%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 UGX 1,010

$0.30 ฿10.24

-20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 UGX 4,795

$2.32 ฿78.0

-50.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 UGX 7,479

$3.67 ฿123

-51.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 UGX 3,365

$2.02 ฿67.7

-60.40%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 UGX 3,338

$1.41 ฿47.29

-43.97%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 UGX 5,214

$1.39 ฿46.75

-10.79%

Eggs

$1.35 UGX 5,703

$2.37 ฿79.5

-43.04%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.04 UGX 17.0K

$16.52 ฿555

-75.54%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.16 UGX 17.6K

$2.67 ฿89.7

55.81%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.52 UGX 19.1K

$9.02 ฿303

-49.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 UGX 8,374

$2.40 ฿80.6

-17.08%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 UGX 5,651

$1.04 ฿34.98

28.85%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.25 UGX 5,266

$1.66 ฿55.7

-24.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 UGX 5,201

$1.56 ฿52.4

-21.15%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 UGX 4,787

$1.24 ฿41.57

-8.87%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 UGX 5,276

$1.09 ฿36.50

14.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 UGX 2,958

$0.76 ฿25.59

-7.89%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 UGX 2,093

$0.51 ฿17.27

-1.96%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 UGX 10.0K

$4.12 ฿138

-42.48%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.05 UGX 29.7K

$17.93 ฿602

-60.68%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 UGX 4,278

$1.62 ฿54.5

-37.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 UGX 7,725

$2.82 ฿94.8

-35.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.93 ฿31.39

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.9 ฿1,777

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.46 UGX 1,921

$1.18 ฿39.52

-61.02%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 UGX 1,278

$0.17 ฿5.76

76.47%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 UGX 12.1K

$1.81 ฿60.9

58.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 UGX 5,757

$1.47 ฿49.47

-6.80%

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

$6,887 UGX 29.0M

$21.0K ฿705.8K

-67.22%

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

$7,149 UGX 30.2M

$26.5K ฿890.7K

-73.04%

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

$65.4 UGX 275.9K

$62.6 ฿2,101

4.57%

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

$11.16 UGX 47.1K

$11.60 ฿390

-3.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.67 UGX 137.8K

$20.30 ฿682

60.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.88 ฿1,272

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.70 ฿124

Cinema Ticket

$6.85 UGX 28.9K

$6.51 ฿219

5.22%

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

$268 UGX 1.1M

$727 ฿24.4K

-63.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K UGX 68.3M

$16.6K ฿556.7K

-2.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.05 UGX 55.0K

$53.5 ฿1,798

-75.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.49 UGX 52.7K

$24.80 ฿833

-49.64%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$30.97 UGX 130.6K

$90.4 ฿3,036

-65.74%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.40 UGX 174.6K

$72.0 ฿2,418

-42.48%

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 %)

20.75

5.57

272.53%

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

Last update for Lugazi: October 31, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Lugazi

$139 35.8%

Chiang Mai

$237 25.3% 69.8% $97

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lugazi

$109 28.1%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 13.5% $15

Eating Out

Lugazi

$81 20.7%

Chiang Mai

$77 8.2% 5% $4.1

Clothing & Footwear

Lugazi

$44 11.3%

Chiang Mai

$108 11.6% 146% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Lugazi

$14 * 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$51 5.4% 272% $37

Getting Around

Lugazi

$2 * 0.5%

Chiang Mai

$59 6.3% 2878% $57

Accommodation & Living

Lugazi

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$310 33.1%

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 $23 in Lugazi versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $139 in Lugazi vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Lugazi wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know

🇺🇬 Lugazi

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

13:12 1:12 PM

17:12 5:12 PM

4 h ahead of Lugazi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

128,400

127,240

💱 Currency

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 UGX = 2.37 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.11 EUR

100 THB = 2.98 USD

100 THB = 2.65 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 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).

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).

USD to UGX in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

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

From you

Lugazi
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

Lugazi vs Chiang Mai: 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 $583 per month in Lugazi 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 $23 in Lugazi 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 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.