Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Soroti and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Soroti: $382 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.

Soroti, Uganda
Chiang Mai, Thailand
Soroti
🇺🇬 Uganda
$382
/mo nomad
Chiang Mai
🇹🇭 Thailand
$935
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $382 per month in Soroti vs $935 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Soroti $382
  • Chiang Mai $935

A couple spends around $600 per month in Soroti vs $1,467 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Soroti $600
  • Chiang Mai $1,467

A family of three spends $818 per month in Soroti vs $1,999 in Chiang Mai, rent included.

  • Soroti $818
  • Chiang Mai $1,999

Soroti is about 59% cheaper than Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both Soroti and Chiang Mai are more affordable than the global median – Soroti 72% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Soroti
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.35 UGX 9,913
$2.13 ฿71.7
10.33%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.94 UGX 96.7K
$18.62 ฿625
23.20%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$7.11 UGX 30.0K
$5.60 ฿188
26.96%
Cappuccino
$2.47 UGX 10.4K
$1.66 ฿55.9
48.80%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 UGX 1,521
$0.65 ฿21.73
-44.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.24 UGX 1,002
$0.30 ฿10.24
-20.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.19 UGX 5,005
$2.32 ฿78.0
-48.71%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.71 UGX 7,228
$3.67 ฿123
-53.41%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Soroti
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.75 UGX 3,179
$2.02 ฿67.7
-62.87%
White Bread (500g)
$0.86 UGX 3,638
$1.41 ฿47.29
-39.01%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.97 UGX 4,106
$1.39 ฿46.75
-30.22%
Eggs
$1.41 UGX 5,947
$2.37 ฿79.5
-40.51%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$4.22 UGX 17.8K
$16.52 ฿555
-74.46%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.32 UGX 18.2K
$2.67 ฿89.7
61.80%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$2.79 UGX 11.8K
$9.02 ฿303
-69.07%
Apples (1kg)
$2.01 UGX 8,482
$2.40 ฿80.6
-16.25%
Banana (1kg)
$1.37 UGX 5,761
$1.04 ฿34.98
31.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.25 UGX 5,277
$1.66 ฿55.7
-24.70%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.68 UGX 2,868
$1.56 ฿52.4
-56.41%
Potato (1kg)
$0.49 UGX 2,053
$1.24 ฿41.57
-60.48%
Onion (1kg)
$1.20 UGX 5,041
$1.09 ฿36.50
10.09%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.69 UGX 2,919
$0.76 ฿25.59
-9.21%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.49 UGX 2,082
$0.51 ฿17.27
-3.92%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.32 UGX 9,802
$4.12 ฿138
-43.69%
Wine (Bottle)
$7.19 UGX 30.3K
$17.93 ฿602
-59.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.05 UGX 4,412
$1.62 ฿54.5
-35.19%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.85 UGX 7,809
$2.82 ฿94.8
-34.40%
🚌 Getting Around
Soroti
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$0.93 ฿31.39
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$52.9 ฿1,777
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.48 UGX 2,026
$1.18 ฿39.52
-59.32%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.30 UGX 1,275
$0.17 ฿5.76
76.47%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.88 UGX 12.2K
$1.81 ฿60.9
59.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.40 UGX 5,885
$1.47 ฿49.47
-4.76%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$7,086 UGX 29.9M
$21.0K ฿705.8K
-66.28%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$7,112 UGX 30.0M
$26.5K ฿890.7K
-73.18%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Soroti
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$66.3 UGX 279.4K
$62.6 ฿2,101
5.91%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.89 UGX 45.9K
$11.60 ฿390
-6.12%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$33.17 UGX 139.9K
$20.30 ฿682
63.40%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Soroti
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$37.88 ฿1,272
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$3.70 ฿124
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.86 UGX 28.9K
$6.51 ฿219
5.38%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Soroti
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$264 UGX 1.1M
$727 ฿24.4K
-63.75%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.1K UGX 67.8M
$16.6K ฿556.7K
-3.01%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Soroti
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$13.32 UGX 56.2K
$53.5 ฿1,798
-75.12%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$12.06 UGX 50.9K
$24.80 ฿833
-51.37%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$30.60 UGX 129.0K
$90.4 ฿3,036
-66.15%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$41.24 UGX 173.9K
$72.0 ฿2,418
-42.70%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Soroti
Chiang Mai
Difference
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
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Soroti
Chiang Mai
Difference
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 Soroti: November 2, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Soroti
$131
Chiang Mai
$237 80.9% $106
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Soroti
$110
Chiang Mai
$94 14.4% $16
Eating Out
Soroti
$82
Chiang Mai
$77 6.1% $5
Clothing & Footwear
Soroti
$44
Chiang Mai
$108 148% $65
Sport & Entertainment
Soroti
$14 *
Chiang Mai
$51 271% $37
Getting Around
Soroti
$2 *
Chiang Mai
$59 2848% $57
Accommodation & Living
Soroti
- *
Chiang Mai
$310

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 Soroti versus $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries tell a different story – $131 in Soroti vs $237 in Chiang Mai – so Soroti wins on supermarket bills even if dining out costs more.

Good to know
🇺🇬 Soroti
🇹🇭 Chiang Mai
🕒 Local time
14:17 2:17 PM
18:17 6:17 PM
4 h ahead of Soroti
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
60,900
127,240
💱 Currency
Thai Baht THB ฿
Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to UGX – Ugandan Shilling Converter

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).

On the map
Between locations
  • Soroti Chiang Mai 7,360 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Soroti
  • 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
Soroti vs Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Which city is more expensive, Soroti or Chiang Mai?
Chiang Mai costs about 145% more than Soroti, 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.
How much do you need to earn to live comfortably in Soroti and in Chiang Mai?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $573 per month in Soroti and $1,403 in Chiang Mai. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
How do dining costs compare in Soroti and in Chiang Mai?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Soroti and $19 in Chiang Mai. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Are groceries more expensive in Soroti or in Chiang Mai?
Groceries cost about 81% more in Chiang Mai, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city offers a better quality of life: Soroti or Chiang Mai?
It depends on your priorities. Chiang Mai has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $382 in Soroti to $935 in Chiang Mai. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.

Soroti vs other spots: cost of living compared

Similar cities

Show times on the 12-hour clock, temperatures in °F and distances in miles?