Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Athens and Kampala

For one person, living is cheaper in Kampala: $643 a month against $1,779 in Athens, rent and utilities included – about $13,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

85

Cost of Living Index in Athens
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Athens Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Kampala
Learn more

Kampala Living Index

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Athens

🇬🇷 Greece

$1,779

/mo nomad

Kampala

🇺🇬 Uganda

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Athens 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 Athens and in Kampala actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,779 in Athens versus $643 in Kampala.

Athens $1,779
Kampala $643

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,721 in Athens versus $981 in Kampala.

Athens $2,721
Kampala $981

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,663 in Athens versus $1,320 in Kampala.

Athens $3,663
Kampala $1,320

Living in Athens is roughly 177% more expensive than in Kampala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Athens is 32% above, Kampala is 52% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$16.83 €14.99

$2.36 UGX 9,965

613.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$66.0 €58.8

$23.23 UGX 98.0K

184.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.21 €9.99

$7.17 UGX 30.2K

56.35%

Cappuccino

$4.08 €3.64

$2.49 UGX 10.5K

63.86%

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

$2.77 €2.47

$0.37 UGX 1,548

648.65%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 €0.48

$0.24 UGX 1,011

125.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.70 €5.08

$1.18 UGX 4,983

383.05%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.26 €5.58

$1.78 UGX 7,523

251.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.84 €1.64

$0.76 UGX 3,226

142.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.43 €1.27

$0.86 UGX 3,624

66.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.67 €2.38

$1.26 UGX 5,319

111.90%

Eggs

$4.95 €4.41

$1.38 UGX 5,807

258.70%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$15.09 €13.45

$4.11 UGX 17.4K

267.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.99 €9.79

$4.12 UGX 17.4K

166.75%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$19.77 €17.61

$4.62 UGX 19.5K

327.92%

Apples (1kg)

$2.12 €1.89

$2.06 UGX 8,668

2.91%

Banana (1kg)

$1.98 €1.76

$1.40 UGX 5,912

41.43%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.25 UGX 5,264

6.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.16 €1.92

$1.20 UGX 5,061

80.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.06 €0.94

$1.20 UGX 5,045

-11.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.15 €1.02

$1.24 UGX 5,229

-7.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 €0.97

$0.71 UGX 2,984

52.11%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 €0.75

$0.50 UGX 2,094

70.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.46 €4.86

$2.30 UGX 9,704

137.39%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.03 €8.93

$7.19 UGX 30.3K

39.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.04 €1.82

$1.01 UGX 4,254

101.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 €2.12

$1.84 UGX 7,762

29.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.35 €1.20

$0.72 UGX 3,049

87.50%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.52 €27.19

$37.73 UGX 159.1K

-19.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.81 €3.39

$0.49 UGX 2,058

677.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.03 €0.92

$0.30 UGX 1,276

243.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.49 €14.68

$2.94 UGX 12.4K

460.88%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.34 €2.09

$1.41 UGX 5,962

65.96%

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

$27.8K €24.7K

$6,948 UGX 29.3M

299.66%

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

$26.6K €23.7K

$7,038 UGX 29.7M

278.00%

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

$202 €180

$64.9 UGX 273.7K

211.59%

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

$26.81 €23.88

$11.26 UGX 47.5K

138.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.49 €27.16

$33.28 UGX 140.3K

-8.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$54.1 €48.17

$51.9 UGX 218.8K

4.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.40 €24.41

$5.66 UGX 23.9K

384.10%

Cinema Ticket

$10.44 €9.30

$7.05 UGX 29.7K

48.09%

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

$568 €506

$262 UGX 1.1M

116.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.2K €13.5K

$15.6K UGX 65.9M

-2.90%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.7 €80.8

$13.27 UGX 56.0K

583.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.32 €35.03

$12.05 UGX 50.8K

226.31%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$105 €93.7

$30.16 UGX 127.2K

248.84%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$129 €115

$41.28 UGX 174.1K

212.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$742 €661

$460 UGX 1.9M

61.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$648 €578

$158 UGX 665.9K

310.61%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,271 €1,132

$1,198 UGX 5.1M

6.14%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,122 €999

$281 UGX 1.2M

299.38%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,999 €3,562

$1,224 UGX 5.2M

226.61%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,281 €2,923

$938 UGX 4.0M

249.90%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,245 €1,109

$169 UGX 711.3K

638.26%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.44

20.75

-78.60%

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

Last update for Athens: October 31, 2026

Last update for Kampala: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Athens

$648 36.4%

Kampala

$158 24.6% 75.6% $490

Groceries & Markets

Athens

$316 17.8%

Kampala

$141 22% 55.4% $175

Eating Out

Athens

$272 15.3%

Kampala

$82 12.8% 69.7% $189

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Athens

$260 14.6%

Kampala

$109 17% 57.8% $150

Clothing & Footwear

Athens

$164 9.2%

Kampala

$44 6.8% 73.4% $120

Sport & Entertainment

Athens

$75 4.2%

Kampala

$66 10.3% 12% $9

Getting Around

Athens

$45 2.5%

Kampala

$43 6.6% 5% $2.3

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $742 in Athens and $460 in Kampala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Athens pays about 7.4 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $66 in Athens vs $23 in Kampala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $316 vs $141 per month, with Kampala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇬🇷 Athens

🇺🇬 Kampala

🕒 Local time

02:31 2:31 AM

03:31 3:31 AM

1 h ahead of Athens

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,090,508 Capital

1,516,210 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.37 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UGX, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 0.891 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4,217 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.37 USD). 1 EUR = 4,734 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.11 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Athens Kampala 4,280 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

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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

Athens vs Kampala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kampala wins on cost – living expenses run 64% lower than in Athens. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Kampala the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay in Athens is about 7.4 times higher, 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: $742 in Athens versus $460 in Kampala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Dining out is cheaper in Kampala – a meal for two runs $23 versus $66 in Athens. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

All in, you’ll spend $1,779 per month in Athens versus $643 in Kampala – Kampala is about 64% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $643 in Kampala versus $1,779 in Athens, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kampala but tight or insufficient in Athens. The gap between the two cities makes Kampala the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

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.

It comes down to priorities – Kampala wins on affordability, Athens on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.