Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Bishkek and Kampala

For one person, living is cheaper in Kampala: $669 a month against $980 in Bishkek, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Bishkek
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Bishkek Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Kampala
Learn more

Kampala Living Index

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Bishkek

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstan

$980

/mo nomad

Kampala

🇺🇬 Uganda

$669

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $980 in Bishkek versus $669 in Kampala.

Bishkek $980
Kampala $669

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,503 in Bishkek versus $1,022 in Kampala.

Bishkek $1,503
Kampala $1,022

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,026 in Bishkek versus $1,376 in Kampala.

Bishkek $2,026
Kampala $1,376

Living in Bishkek is roughly 46% more expensive than in Kampala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Bishkek 27% lower, Kampala 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.02 KGS 614

$2.35 UGX 9,669

198.72%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.73 KGS 2,513

$24.24 UGX 99.7K

18.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.73 KGS 501

$7.32 UGX 30.1K

-21.72%

Cappuccino

$2.40 KGS 210

$2.48 UGX 10.2K

-3.23%

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

$0.75 KGS 66.0

$0.35 UGX 1,433

114.29%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.40 KGS 35.19

$0.25 UGX 1,021

60.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.41 KGS 123

$1.19 UGX 4,891

18.49%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 KGS 165

$1.79 UGX 7,359

5.59%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.03 KGS 90.1

$0.73 UGX 3,004

41.10%

White Bread (500g)

$0.38 KGS 33.63

$0.90 UGX 3,709

-57.78%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 KGS 144

$1.34 UGX 5,514

22.39%

Eggs

$1.77 KGS 155

$1.60 UGX 6,596

10.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.70 KGS 674

$4.36 UGX 17.9K

76.61%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.51 KGS 395

$4.58 UGX 18.8K

-1.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.00 KGS 787

$4.84 UGX 19.9K

85.95%

Apples (1kg)

$1.36 KGS 119

$2.12 UGX 8,718

-35.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.88 KGS 165

$1.27 UGX 5,238

48.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.01 KGS 176

$1.26 UGX 5,197

59.52%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.53 KGS 134

$1.16 UGX 4,766

31.90%

Potato (1kg)

$0.58 KGS 50.8

$1.24 UGX 5,103

-53.23%

Onion (1kg)

$0.48 KGS 41.73

$1.18 UGX 4,846

-59.32%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 KGS 61.2

$0.78 UGX 3,197

-10.26%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.61 KGS 53.8

$0.52 UGX 2,145

17.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.02 KGS 177

$2.37 UGX 9,746

-14.77%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.18 KGS 803

$7.39 UGX 30.4K

24.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.42 KGS 124

$1.07 UGX 4,416

32.71%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.01 KGS 176

$1.82 UGX 7,485

10.44%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.22 KGS 19.13

$0.72 UGX 2,954

-69.44%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$11.78 KGS 1,031

$41.77 UGX 171.8K

-71.80%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 KGS 76.4

$0.46 UGX 1,912

89.13%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.47 KGS 41.43

$0.29 UGX 1,182

62.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.65 KGS 494

$3.09 UGX 12.7K

82.85%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.02 KGS 89.4

$1.40 UGX 5,746

-27.14%

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

$30.0K KGS 2.6M

$7,189 UGX 29.6M

316.71%

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

$33.6K KGS 2.9M

$7,180 UGX 29.5M

367.44%

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

$50.2 KGS 4,393

$69.3 UGX 285.0K

-27.54%

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

$5.62 KGS 491

$11.61 UGX 47.8K

-51.59%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$11.77 KGS 1,029

$33.60 UGX 138.2K

-64.97%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.0 KGS 4,813

$54.2 UGX 222.9K

1.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.87 KGS 1,301

$5.86 UGX 24.1K

153.75%

Cinema Ticket

$5.68 KGS 497

$7.10 UGX 29.2K

-20.00%

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

$222 KGS 19.4K

$248 UGX 1.0M

-10.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,839 KGS 685.7K

$8,313 UGX 34.2M

-5.70%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 KGS 4,843

$13.54 UGX 55.7K

308.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$42.81 KGS 3,745

$12.51 UGX 51.5K

242.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$89.6 KGS 7,841

$31.32 UGX 128.8K

186.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$91.8 KGS 8,030

$42.57 UGX 175.1K

115.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$612 KGS 53.5K

$477 UGX 2.0M

28.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$410 KGS 35.8K

$165 UGX 679.4K

148.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,041 KGS 91.1K

$1,031 UGX 4.2M

0.94%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$708 KGS 62.0K

$297 UGX 1.2M

138.26%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,803 KGS 157.7K

$1,217 UGX 5.0M

48.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,224 KGS 107.0K

$948 UGX 3.9M

29.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$514 KGS 45.0K

$173 UGX 709.9K

197.86%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.1

20.75

-3.13%

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

Last update for Bishkek: October 12, 2026

Last update for Kampala: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Bishkek

$410 41.8%

Kampala

$165 24.7% 59.7% $245

Groceries & Markets

Bishkek

$177 18%

Kampala

$147 22% 16.8% $30

Clothing & Footwear

Bishkek

$126 12.8%

Kampala

$45 6.7% 64.3% $81

Eating Out

Bishkek

$118 12%

Kampala

$82 12.3% 29.8% $35

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Bishkek

$68 6.9%

Kampala

$115 17.1% 69.4% $47

Sport & Entertainment

Bishkek

$66 6.8%

Kampala

$68 10.2% 3% $2

Getting Around

Bishkek

$16 1.6%

Kampala

$47 7% 193% $31

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $612 in Bishkek and $477 in Kampala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Bishkek pays 198% 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: $29.00 in Bishkek vs $24.00 in Kampala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $177 vs $147 per month, with Kampala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇰🇬 Bishkek

🇺🇬 Kampala

🕒 Local time

10:19 10:19 AM

07:19 7:19 AM

3 h behind Bishkek

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,012,500 Capital

1,516,210 Capital

💱 Currency

Kyrgyzstani Som KGS сом

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 KGS = 1.14 USD

100 KGS = 1.02 EUR

10,000 UGX = 2.43 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.16 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UGX, USD, EUR to KGS – Kyrgyzstani Som Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇰🇬 Kyrgyzstani Som (сом)

Kyrgyzstani Som exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 87.48 KGS (100 KGS = 1.14 USD). 1 EUR = 98.35 KGS (100 KGS = 1.02 EUR).

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of October 19, 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 KGS in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Bishkek Kampala 6,310 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Bishkek
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

Bishkek vs Kampala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kampala is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, clothing, and eating out. The 46% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 198% higher in Bishkek, 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: $612 in Bishkek versus $477 in Kampala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $222 in Bishkek versus $248 in Kampala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 20% higher in Bishkek. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $669 in Kampala versus $980 in Bishkek, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kampala but tight or insufficient in Bishkek. The gap between the two cities makes Kampala the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Kampala is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Bishkek, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Safety-wise, Bishkek 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 46% less than in Bishkek. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.