Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Mbarara

For one person, living is cheaper in Mbarara: $504 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $25,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Mbarara
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Mbarara Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Mbarara

🇺🇬 Uganda

$504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX 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 Austin, TX and in Mbarara actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $504 in Mbarara.

Austin, TX $2,663
Mbarara $504

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $798 in Mbarara.

Austin, TX $4,133
Mbarara $798

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $1,093 in Mbarara.

Austin, TX $5,603
Mbarara $1,093

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 429% more expensive than in Mbarara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Mbarara is 63% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$2.48 UGX 10.2K

737.50%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$25.03 UGX 102.9K

237.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$7.64 UGX 31.4K

61.26%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$2.49 UGX 10.2K

126.10%

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

$3.72 $3.72

$0.35 UGX 1,455

962.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.28 UGX 1,165

792.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$1.22 UGX 4,998

559.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$1.89 UGX 7,765

376.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$0.49 UGX 2,012

128.57%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$0.88 UGX 3,621

326.14%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.27 UGX 5,239

156.69%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.56 UGX 6,409

167.31%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$4.49 UGX 18.5K

187.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$4.69 UGX 19.3K

201.92%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$3.42 UGX 14.1K

374.27%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$2.11 UGX 8,662

105.21%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.28 UGX 5,284

14.06%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$1.29 UGX 5,316

249.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$1.17 UGX 4,820

270.94%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$1.27 UGX 5,236

103.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$1.22 UGX 5,007

92.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$0.75 UGX 3,065

137.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$0.52 UGX 2,149

326.92%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$2.44 UGX 10.0K

304.92%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$7.27 UGX 29.9K

107.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.06 UGX 4,363

175.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$1.96 UGX 8,042

76.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.74 UGX 3,030

101.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$0.48 UGX 1,975

468.75%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.32 UGX 1,334

418.75%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

$3.16 UGX 13.0K

1017.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.45 UGX 5,972

-34.48%

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

$36.0K $36.0K

$7,458 UGX 30.7M

383.35%

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

$27.1K $27.1K

$7,349 UGX 30.2M

268.42%

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

$229 $229

$70.7 UGX 290.7K

224.03%

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

$59.4 $59.4

$11.88 UGX 48.9K

399.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$35.51 UGX 146.1K

96.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$18.93 UGX 77.9K

202.38%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$7.55 UGX 31.0K

89.14%

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

$1,506 $1,506

$255 UGX 1.0M

490.26%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$8,455 UGX 34.8M

153.77%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$14.07 UGX 57.9K

275.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$13.15 UGX 54.1K

233.23%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$32.11 UGX 132.1K

164.00%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$44.20 UGX 181.8K

133.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$85.9 UGX 353.5K

2119.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$74.2 UGX 305.2K

1616.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$239 UGX 981.4K

1435.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$172 UGX 708.1K

1374.45%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

20.75

-67.28%

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

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Mbarara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Mbarara

$74 14.7% 94.2% $1.2K

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Mbarara

$141 28% 65.2% $264

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Mbarara

$118 23.4% 67% $240

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Mbarara

$85 16.9% 76% $269

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Mbarara

$47 9.3% 63.6% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Mbarara

$34 6.8% 60.3% $52

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Mbarara

$5.1 * 1% 91.4% $54

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 $1,907 in Austin, TX and $85.9 in Mbarara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $25.00 in Mbarara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $141 per month, with Mbarara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇺🇬 Mbarara

🕒 Local time

23:09 11:09 PM

07:09 7:09 AM

8 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

195,013

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

10,000 UGX = 2.43 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.16 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UGX, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇺🇬 Ugandan Shilling (Sh)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 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).

UGX to USD in detail →

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Between locations

Austin, TX Mbarara 13,660 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
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

Austin, TX vs Mbarara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mbarara wins on cost – living expenses run 429% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mbarara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $3,995 in Austin, TX and $755 in Mbarara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $85.9 in Mbarara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $255 in Mbarara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mbarara – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $504 in Mbarara versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mbarara but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Mbarara 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.

Expats usually find Mbarara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 429% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.