Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bansko and Mbarara

For one person, living is cheaper in Mbarara: $477 a month against $968 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

46

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
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Bansko Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Mbarara
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Mbarara Living Index

Jump to prices

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$968

/mo nomad

Mbarara

🇺🇬 Uganda

$477

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $968 per month in Bansko vs $477 in Mbarara, rent included.

Bansko $968
Mbarara $477

A couple spends around $1,479 per month in Bansko vs $755 in Mbarara, rent included.

Bansko $1,479
Mbarara $755

A family of three spends $1,989 per month in Bansko vs $1,032 in Mbarara, rent included.

Bansko $1,989
Mbarara $1,032

Bansko costs about 103% more than Mbarara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Bansko and Mbarara are more affordable than the global median – Bansko 28% lower, Mbarara 65% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.83 BGN 15.37

$2.36 UGX 9,967

274.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$45.43 BGN 79.1

$23.34 UGX 98.4K

94.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.92 BGN 15.52

$7.09 UGX 29.9K

25.81%

Cappuccino

$2.33 BGN 4.06

$2.45 UGX 10.3K

-4.90%

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

$1.49 BGN 2.60

$0.36 UGX 1,525

313.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.83 BGN 1.44

$0.24 UGX 1,011

245.83%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.75 BGN 3.05

$1.14 UGX 4,787

53.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 BGN 3.49

$1.77 UGX 7,485

13.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.72 BGN 3.00

$0.49 UGX 2,064

251.02%

White Bread (500g)

$0.86 BGN 1.49

$0.81 UGX 3,411

6.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.46 BGN 2.55

$1.18 UGX 4,978

23.73%

Eggs

$2.33 BGN 4.06

$1.41 UGX 5,940

65.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.54 BGN 16.60

$4.17 UGX 17.6K

128.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.30 BGN 10.96

$4.29 UGX 18.1K

46.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.64 BGN 15.04

$3.18 UGX 13.4K

171.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.32 BGN 2.29

$1.95 UGX 8,217

-32.31%

Banana (1kg)

$1.65 BGN 2.86

$1.36 UGX 5,755

21.32%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.74 BGN 3.02

$1.26 UGX 5,328

38.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.94 BGN 3.38

$1.19 UGX 5,001

63.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.95 BGN 1.66

$1.20 UGX 5,063

-20.83%

Onion (1kg)

$0.72 BGN 1.26

$1.20 UGX 5,063

-40.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.55 BGN 0.96

$0.74 UGX 3,139

-25.68%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.59 BGN 1.03

$0.49 UGX 2,067

20.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.33 BGN 5.79

$2.32 UGX 9,803

43.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.08 BGN 8.84

$7.19 UGX 30.3K

-29.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 BGN 1.95

$1.06 UGX 4,468

5.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 BGN 3.01

$1.84 UGX 7,749

-5.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.89 BGN 1.55

$0.72 UGX 3,039

23.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.08 BGN 47.11

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.64 BGN 2.85

$0.49 UGX 2,073

234.69%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.91 BGN 1.59

$0.30 UGX 1,271

203.33%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$10.00 BGN 17.39

$2.89 UGX 12.2K

246.02%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.50 BGN 2.61

$1.34 UGX 5,647

11.94%

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

$28.6K BGN 49.7K

$7,152 UGX 30.2M

299.28%

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

$21.2K BGN 36.9K

$6,894 UGX 29.1M

208.04%

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

$92.5 BGN 161

$66.6 UGX 280.8K

38.95%

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

$14.59 BGN 25.39

$11.18 UGX 47.2K

30.50%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$12.13 BGN 21.11

$32.93 UGX 138.9K

-63.16%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.84 BGN 55.4

$17.74 UGX 74.8K

79.48%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.46 BGN 14.72

Cinema Ticket

$5.51 BGN 9.59

$6.84 UGX 28.9K

-19.44%

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

$227 BGN 395

$265 UGX 1.1M

-14.28%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,311 BGN 4,021

$15.8K UGX 66.5M

-85.35%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$30.56 BGN 53.2

$12.89 UGX 54.4K

137.08%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.95 BGN 32.97

$12.43 UGX 52.4K

52.45%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$45.80 BGN 79.7

$30.15 UGX 127.2K

51.91%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$48.28 BGN 84.0

$41.63 UGX 175.6K

15.97%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$510 BGN 887

$83.3 UGX 351.3K

511.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$364 BGN 634

$71.1 UGX 300.0K

412.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$624 BGN 1,085

$220 UGX 928.3K

183.39%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$566 BGN 985

$162 UGX 684.1K

249.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,166 BGN 2,028

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$969 BGN 1,686

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,680 BGN 2,923

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

2.99

20.75

-85.59%

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

Last update for Bansko: November 3, 2026

Last update for Mbarara: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bansko

$364 37.6%

Mbarara

$71 14.9% 80.5% $293

Groceries & Markets

Bansko

$193 19.9%

Mbarara

$134 28.1% 30.6% $59

Eating Out

Bansko

$147 15.2%

Mbarara

$81 17% 44.9% $66

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bansko

$119 12.3%

Mbarara

$111 23.2% 7.2% $8.5

Clothing & Footwear

Bansko

$65 6.7%

Mbarara

$44 9.2% 32.4% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Bansko

$43 4.4%

Mbarara

$31 6.6% 26.7% $11

Getting Around

Bansko

$37 3.8%

Mbarara

$4.9 * 1% 86.8% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $510 in Bansko versus $83 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 $45 in Bansko versus $23 in Mbarara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $193 vs $134 – making Mbarara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇧🇬 Bansko

🇺🇬 Mbarara

🕒 Local time

01:51 1:51 AM

02:51 2:51 AM

1 h ahead of Bansko

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

8,000

195,013

💱 Currency

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

10,000 UGX = 2.37 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UGX, USD, EUR to BGN – Bulgarian Lev Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇧🇬 Bulgarian Lev (лв.)

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 5, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of November 5, 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 BGN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Bansko Mbarara 4,770 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Bansko
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

Bansko vs Mbarara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $968 in Bansko, $477 in Mbarara – Mbarara comes out roughly 51% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,452 per month in Bansko and $716 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: a one-bedroom in the center costs $83 there versus $510 in Bansko.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $968 in Bansko and $477 in Mbarara. That makes Mbarara about 51% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $227 per month in Bansko and $265 in Mbarara. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Bansko has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $477 in Mbarara to $968 in Bansko. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.