Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Lugazi

For one person, living is cheaper in Lugazi: $389 a month against $1,294 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $10,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

62

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index
19

Cost of Living Index in Lugazi
Learn more

Lugazi Living Index

Jump to prices

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,294

/mo nomad

Lugazi

🇺🇬 Uganda

$389

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Lugazi

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

A single person spends $1,294 per month in Phuket vs $389 in Lugazi, rent included.

Phuket $1,294
Lugazi $389

A couple spends around $2,204 per month in Phuket vs $614 in Lugazi, rent included.

Phuket $2,204
Lugazi $614

A family of three spends $3,115 per month in Phuket vs $838 in Lugazi, rent included.

Phuket $3,115
Lugazi $838

Phuket costs about 233% more than Lugazi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Lugazi are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 4% lower, Lugazi 71% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.39 ฿147

$2.40 UGX 10.1K

82.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.31 ฿1,085

$22.97 UGX 96.9K

40.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.70 ฿292

$7.08 UGX 29.8K

22.88%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.5

$2.39 UGX 10.1K

13.81%

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

$0.93 ฿31.25

$0.33 UGX 1,409

181.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.50 ฿16.78

$0.24 UGX 1,010

108.33%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.53 ฿85.0

$1.14 UGX 4,795

121.93%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.63 ฿122

$1.77 UGX 7,479

105.08%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.4

$0.80 UGX 3,365

117.50%

White Bread (500g)

$1.45 ฿48.73

$0.79 UGX 3,338

83.54%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.50 ฿50.5

$1.24 UGX 5,214

20.97%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿73.0

$1.35 UGX 5,703

60.74%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.09 ฿641

$4.04 UGX 17.0K

372.52%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.40 ฿114

$4.16 UGX 17.6K

-18.27%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.90 ฿366

$4.52 UGX 19.1K

141.15%

Apples (1kg)

$2.94 ฿98.8

$1.99 UGX 8,374

47.74%

Banana (1kg)

$1.69 ฿56.8

$1.34 UGX 5,651

26.12%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.19 ฿73.7

$1.25 UGX 5,266

75.20%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.12 ฿71.4

$1.23 UGX 5,201

72.36%

Potato (1kg)

$1.46 ฿48.99

$1.13 UGX 4,787

29.20%

Onion (1kg)

$1.37 ฿45.95

$1.25 UGX 5,276

9.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 ฿36.14

$0.70 UGX 2,958

54.29%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.32

$0.50 UGX 2,093

10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.43 ฿149

$2.37 UGX 10.0K

86.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.25 ฿613

$7.05 UGX 29.7K

158.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 ฿59.5

$1.01 UGX 4,278

75.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.88 ฿96.8

$1.83 UGX 7,725

57.38%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.45 ฿48.62

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.9 ฿1,844

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.51 ฿50.8

$0.46 UGX 1,921

228.26%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 ฿26.06

$0.30 UGX 1,278

160.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 ฿129

$2.86 UGX 12.1K

34.27%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.96

$1.37 UGX 5,757

8.76%

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

$26.9K ฿902.9K

$6,887 UGX 29.0M

290.33%

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

$26.3K ฿884.9K

$7,149 UGX 30.2M

268.51%

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

$97.8 ฿3,285

$65.4 UGX 275.9K

49.51%

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

$11.29 ฿379

$11.16 UGX 47.1K

1.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.19 ฿577

$32.67 UGX 137.8K

-47.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.3 ฿2,295

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.92 ฿367

Cinema Ticket

$7.43 ฿250

$6.85 UGX 28.9K

8.47%

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

$530 ฿17.8K

$268 UGX 1.1M

98.14%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.8K ฿630.9K

$16.2K UGX 68.3M

15.97%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$61.7 ฿2,072

$13.05 UGX 55.0K

372.57%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.25 ฿949

$12.49 UGX 52.7K

126.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.0 ฿3,225

$30.97 UGX 130.6K

209.98%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$86.8 ฿2,916

$41.40 UGX 174.6K

109.69%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$721 ฿24.2K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$509 ฿17.1K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,950 ฿65.5K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,397 ฿46.9K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,192 ฿140.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,298 ฿110.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$492 ฿16.5K

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 Phuket: November 2, 2026

Last update for Lugazi: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$509 39.3%

Lugazi

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$267 20.6%

Lugazi

$139 35.8% 47.8% $128

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$126 9.8%

Lugazi

$109 28.1% 13.5% $17

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$123 9.5%

Lugazi

$44 11.3% 64.1% $79

Eating Out

Phuket

$120 9.2%

Lugazi

$81 20.7% 32.6% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$83 6.4%

Lugazi

$14 * 3.5% 83.5% $69

Getting Around

Phuket

$66 5.1%

Lugazi

$2 * 0.5% 97% $64

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 $32 in Phuket versus $23 in Lugazi. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $267 vs $139 – making Lugazi the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇬 Lugazi

🕒 Local time

17:28 5:28 PM

13:28 1:28 PM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

128,400

💱 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

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Phuket Lugazi 7,300 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Lugazi

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

Phuket vs Lugazi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Phuket costs about 233% 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 $1,940 per month in Phuket and $583 in Lugazi. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32 in Phuket and $23 in Lugazi. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 91% more in Phuket, 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 Phuket at $1,294. In Lugazi it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

It depends on your priorities. Phuket has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $389 in Lugazi to $1,294 in Phuket. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.