Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Samut Prakan and Kampala

For one person, living is cheaper in Kampala: $666 a month against $886 in Samut Prakan, rent and utilities included – about $2,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

43

Cost of Living Index in Samut Prakan
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Samut Prakan Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Kampala
Learn more

Kampala Living Index

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Samut Prakan

🇹🇭 Thailand

$886

/mo nomad

Kampala

🇺🇬 Uganda

$666

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Samut Prakan and in Kampala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $886 in Samut Prakan versus $666 in Kampala.

Samut Prakan $886
Kampala $666

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,378 in Samut Prakan versus $1,013 in Kampala.

Samut Prakan $1,378
Kampala $1,013

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,869 in Samut Prakan versus $1,360 in Kampala.

Samut Prakan $1,869
Kampala $1,360

Living in Samut Prakan is roughly 33% more expensive than in Kampala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Samut Prakan 35% lower, Kampala 51% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.30 ฿110

$2.47 UGX 10.2K

33.60%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$15.12 ฿505

$24.34 UGX 100.1K

-37.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.48 ฿250

$7.30 UGX 30.0K

2.47%

Cappuccino

$1.38 ฿46.13

$2.46 UGX 10.1K

-43.90%

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

$0.52 ฿17.54

$0.38 UGX 1,550

36.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 ฿8.77

$0.27 UGX 1,115

-3.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.02 ฿67.6

$1.24 UGX 5,083

62.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.92 ฿97.4

$1.81 UGX 7,456

61.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.46 ฿48.92

$0.71 UGX 2,934

105.63%

White Bread (500g)

$0.98 ฿32.62

$0.87 UGX 3,580

12.64%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.88 ฿29.34

$1.31 UGX 5,405

-32.82%

Eggs

$1.84 ฿61.5

$1.51 UGX 6,205

21.85%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.31 ฿411

$4.40 UGX 18.1K

179.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.49 ฿83.1

$4.31 UGX 17.7K

-42.23%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$10.20 ฿341

$4.81 UGX 19.8K

112.06%

Apples (1kg)

$1.84 ฿61.5

$2.02 UGX 8,325

-8.91%

Banana (1kg)

$0.77 ฿25.67

$1.20 UGX 4,936

-35.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.31 ฿43.68

$1.30 UGX 5,357

0.77%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.21 ฿40.59

$1.14 UGX 4,691

6.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.52 ฿50.7

$1.17 UGX 4,822

29.91%

Onion (1kg)

$0.77 ฿25.78

$1.19 UGX 4,877

-35.29%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 ฿25.99

$0.72 UGX 2,948

8.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 ฿15.01

$0.51 UGX 2,085

-11.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.50 ฿151

$2.37 UGX 9,741

89.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.10 ฿304

$7.14 UGX 29.4K

27.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 ฿34.32

$1.04 UGX 4,295

-0.96%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 ฿63.2

$1.88 UGX 7,716

0.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.51 ฿16.95

$0.70 UGX 2,885

-27.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.39 UGX 174.4K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.74 ฿58.1

$0.49 UGX 2,030

255.10%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.61 ฿53.7

$0.29 UGX 1,177

455.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.85 ฿196

$2.95 UGX 12.1K

98.31%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 ฿35.84

$1.37 UGX 5,619

-21.90%

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

$12.1K ฿405.1K

$7,292 UGX 30.0M

66.26%

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

$24.3K ฿811.4K

$7,173 UGX 29.5M

238.46%

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

$83.1 ฿2,776

$67.4 UGX 277.3K

23.21%

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

$9.40 ฿314

$11.55 UGX 47.5K

-18.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$16.35 ฿547

$33.95 UGX 139.6K

-51.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$47.72 ฿1,595

$54.7 UGX 225.0K

-12.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.06 ฿503

$5.69 UGX 23.4K

164.67%

Cinema Ticket

$6.41 ฿214

$7.33 UGX 30.1K

-12.55%

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

$148 ฿4,933

$250 UGX 1.0M

-41.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,950 ฿198.9K

$8,286 UGX 34.1M

-28.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$15.09 ฿504

$13.33 UGX 54.8K

13.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$35.66 ฿1,192

$12.84 UGX 52.8K

177.73%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$70.9 ฿2,369

$31.38 UGX 129.1K

125.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$120 ฿4,004

$42.58 UGX 175.1K

181.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$478 ฿16.0K

$476 UGX 2.0M

0.36%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$330 ฿11.0K

$165 UGX 680.4K

99.34%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,147 ฿38.3K

$1,046 UGX 4.3M

9.67%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$691 ฿23.1K

$288 UGX 1.2M

140.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,726 ฿57.7K

$1,185 UGX 4.9M

45.69%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,607 ฿53.7K

$967 UGX 4.0M

66.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$671 ฿22.4K

$170 UGX 697.8K

295.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.75

-85.54%

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

Last update for Samut Prakan: October 19, 2026

Last update for Kampala: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Samut Prakan

$330 37.2%

Kampala

$165 24.8% 49.8% $164

Groceries & Markets

Samut Prakan

$182 20.5%

Kampala

$143 21.4% 21.7% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Samut Prakan

$109 12.3%

Kampala

$113 17% 3.8% $4.1

Clothing & Footwear

Samut Prakan

$109 12.3%

Kampala

$45 6.8% 58.5% $64

Eating Out

Samut Prakan

$84 9.5%

Kampala

$84 12.6% 1.1% $0.9

Sport & Entertainment

Samut Prakan

$61 6.8%

Kampala

$69 10.4% 14.5% $8.8

Getting Around

Samut Prakan

$12 * 1.3%

Kampala

$47 7.1% 299% $35

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $478 in Samut Prakan and $476 in Kampala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Samut Prakan pays 295% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $15.00 in Samut Prakan vs $24.00 in Kampala. Groceries flip the comparison at $182 vs $143, with Kampala cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇹🇭 Samut Prakan

🇺🇬 Kampala

🕒 Local time

17:50 5:50 PM

13:50 1:50 PM

4 h behind Samut Prakan

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

50,843

1,516,210 Capital

💱 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 20, 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 20, 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

Samut Prakan Kampala 7,630 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Samut Prakan
Kampala

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

Samut Prakan vs Kampala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kampala is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 33% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 295% higher in Samut Prakan, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $478 in Samut Prakan versus $476 in Kampala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $148 in Samut Prakan versus $250 in Kampala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kampala – a meal for two runs $24.00 versus $15.00 in Samut Prakan. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Kampala gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Samut Prakan and Kampala are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Kampala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 33% less than in Samut Prakan. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.