Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Phuket and Mbarara

For one person, living is cheaper in Mbarara: $504 a month against $1,207 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $8,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
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Phuket Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Mbarara
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Mbarara Living Index

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Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,207

/mo nomad

Mbarara

🇺🇬 Uganda

$504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Phuket and in Mbarara

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

A single person spends $1,207 per month in Phuket vs $504 in Mbarara, rent included.

Phuket $1,207
Mbarara $504

A couple spends around $2,037 per month in Phuket vs $798 in Mbarara, rent included.

Phuket $2,037
Mbarara $798

A family of three spends $2,867 per month in Phuket vs $1,093 in Mbarara, rent included.

Phuket $2,867
Mbarara $1,093

Phuket costs about 140% more than Mbarara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Phuket and Mbarara are more affordable than the global median – Phuket 11% lower, Mbarara 63% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.58 ฿153

$2.48 UGX 10.2K

84.68%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$32.48 ฿1,086

$25.03 UGX 102.9K

29.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.55 ฿286

$7.64 UGX 31.4K

11.91%

Cappuccino

$2.72 ฿91.0

$2.49 UGX 10.2K

9.24%

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

$0.94 ฿31.25

$0.35 UGX 1,455

168.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.49 ฿16.39

$0.28 UGX 1,165

75.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.59 ฿86.6

$1.22 UGX 4,998

112.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.83 ฿128

$1.89 UGX 7,765

102.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$0.49 UGX 2,012

255.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 ฿47.82

$0.88 UGX 3,621

62.50%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.0

$1.27 UGX 5,239

20.47%

Eggs

$2.17 ฿72.7

$1.56 UGX 6,409

39.10%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$19.15 ฿640

$4.49 UGX 18.5K

326.50%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.30 ฿110

$4.69 UGX 19.3K

-29.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.14 ฿372

$3.42 UGX 14.1K

225.73%

Apples (1kg)

$2.95 ฿98.5

$2.11 UGX 8,662

39.81%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 ฿56.1

$1.28 UGX 5,284

31.25%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.30 ฿76.8

$1.29 UGX 5,316

78.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.13 ฿71.3

$1.17 UGX 4,820

82.05%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 ฿51.1

$1.27 UGX 5,236

20.47%

Onion (1kg)

$1.36 ฿45.55

$1.22 UGX 5,007

11.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.12 ฿37.44

$0.75 UGX 3,065

49.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 ฿18.24

$0.52 UGX 2,149

5.77%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.26 ฿142

$2.44 UGX 10.0K

74.59%

Wine (Bottle)

$18.19 ฿608

$7.27 UGX 29.9K

150.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.74 ฿58.2

$1.06 UGX 4,363

64.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.79 ฿93.3

$1.96 UGX 8,042

42.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.22 ฿74.1

$0.74 UGX 3,030

200.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.06 ฿737

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.91 ฿97.3

$0.48 UGX 1,975

506.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.01 ฿33.79

$0.32 UGX 1,334

215.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.83 ฿128

$3.16 UGX 13.0K

21.20%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.49 ฿49.85

$1.45 UGX 5,972

2.76%

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

$26.7K ฿891.6K

$7,458 UGX 30.7M

257.73%

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

$26.7K ฿892.7K

$7,349 UGX 30.2M

263.48%

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

$99.4 ฿3,321

$70.7 UGX 290.7K

40.61%

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

$11.28 ฿377

$11.88 UGX 48.9K

-5.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.36 ฿580

$35.51 UGX 146.1K

-51.11%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.3 ฿1,747

$18.93 UGX 77.9K

176.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.85 ฿362

Cinema Ticket

$7.57 ฿253

$7.55 UGX 31.0K

0.26%

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

$558 ฿18.7K

$255 UGX 1.0M

118.85%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K ฿383.9K

$8,455 UGX 34.8M

35.86%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$62.9 ฿2,102

$14.07 UGX 57.9K

346.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$28.58 ฿955

$13.15 UGX 54.1K

117.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$96.1 ฿3,213

$32.11 UGX 132.1K

199.41%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.1 ฿2,943

$44.20 UGX 181.8K

99.23%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$729 ฿24.4K

$85.9 UGX 353.5K

748.73%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$460 ฿15.4K

$74.2 UGX 305.2K

519.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,096 ฿70.0K

$239 UGX 981.4K

778.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,222 ฿40.8K

$172 UGX 708.1K

609.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,459 ฿115.6K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,489 ฿83.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$493 ฿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: October 13, 2026

Last update for Mbarara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Phuket

$460 38.1%

Mbarara

$74 14.7% 83.9% $386

Groceries & Markets

Phuket

$268 22.2%

Mbarara

$141 28% 47.4% $127

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Phuket

$128 10.6%

Mbarara

$118 23.4% 7.8% $9.9

Clothing & Footwear

Phuket

$124 10.3%

Mbarara

$47 9.3% 62.5% $77

Eating Out

Phuket

$121 10.1%

Mbarara

$85 16.9% 29.9% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Phuket

$67 5.6%

Mbarara

$34 6.8% 49.5% $33

Getting Around

Phuket

$39 3.2%

Mbarara

$5.1 * 1% 87% $34

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $729 in Phuket versus $85.9 in Mbarara. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket versus $25.00 in Mbarara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $268 vs $141 – making Mbarara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Phuket

🇺🇬 Mbarara

🕒 Local time

12:50 12:50 PM

08:50 8:50 AM

4 h behind Phuket

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

79,308

195,013

💱 Currency

Thai Baht THB ฿

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

10,000 UGX = 2.43 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.16 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 October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 33.42 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.57 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4,113 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.43 USD). 1 EUR = 4,624 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.16 EUR).

USD to THB in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Phuket Mbarara 7,570 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Phuket
Mbarara

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 Mbarara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Phuket is pricier by about 140%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in groceries.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,811 per month in Phuket and $755 in Mbarara. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mbarara, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $32.00 in Phuket and $25.00 in Mbarara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 90% more in Phuket, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mbarara, where all-in costs run around $504, than in Phuket at $1,207. In Mbarara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Phuket it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

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

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

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