Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Budapest and Mbarara

For one person, living is cheaper in Mbarara: $504 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
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Budapest Living Index
25

Cost of Living Index in Mbarara
Learn more

Mbarara Living Index

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Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Mbarara

🇺🇬 Uganda

$504

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,619 per month in Budapest vs $504 in Mbarara, rent included.

Budapest $1,619
Mbarara $504

A couple spends around $2,524 per month in Budapest vs $798 in Mbarara, rent included.

Budapest $2,524
Mbarara $798

A family of three spends $3,429 per month in Budapest vs $1,093 in Mbarara, rent included.

Budapest $3,429
Mbarara $1,093

Budapest costs about 221% more than Mbarara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Budapest sits 20% above the global median, while Mbarara is 63% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.94 Ft 4,503

$2.48 UGX 10.2K

462.10%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

$25.03 UGX 102.9K

144.59%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.19 Ft 3,291

$7.64 UGX 31.4K

33.38%

Cappuccino

$3.26 Ft 1,055

$2.49 UGX 10.2K

30.92%

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

$2.14 Ft 690

$0.35 UGX 1,455

511.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.78 Ft 577

$0.28 UGX 1,165

535.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.71 Ft 1,198

$1.22 UGX 4,998

204.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.77 Ft 1,217

$1.89 UGX 7,765

99.47%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.15 Ft 371

$0.49 UGX 2,012

134.69%

White Bread (500g)

$1.79 Ft 578

$0.88 UGX 3,621

103.41%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.49 Ft 804

$1.27 UGX 5,239

96.06%

Eggs

$3.90 Ft 1,261

$1.56 UGX 6,409

150.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.10 Ft 3,587

$4.49 UGX 18.5K

147.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.62 Ft 2,139

$4.69 UGX 19.3K

41.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.69 Ft 4,745

$3.42 UGX 14.1K

329.53%

Apples (1kg)

$1.83 Ft 591

$2.11 UGX 8,662

-13.27%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 Ft 661

$1.28 UGX 5,284

60.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.37 Ft 765

$1.29 UGX 5,316

83.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.90 Ft 1,260

$1.17 UGX 4,820

233.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.99 Ft 320

$1.27 UGX 5,236

-22.05%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 Ft 322

$1.22 UGX 5,007

-18.03%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.58 Ft 511

$0.75 UGX 3,065

110.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.67 Ft 216

$0.52 UGX 2,149

28.85%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$7.96 Ft 2,572

$2.44 UGX 10.0K

226.23%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.22 Ft 2,009

$7.27 UGX 29.9K

-14.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 Ft 411

$1.06 UGX 4,363

19.81%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 Ft 654

$1.96 UGX 8,042

3.57%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.52 Ft 490

$0.74 UGX 3,030

105.41%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 Ft 1,070

$0.48 UGX 1,975

589.58%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.37 Ft 442

$0.32 UGX 1,334

328.13%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$19.83 Ft 6,406

$3.16 UGX 13.0K

527.53%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 Ft 589

$1.45 UGX 5,972

25.52%

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

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

$7,458 UGX 30.7M

299.54%

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

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

$7,349 UGX 30.2M

360.12%

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

$171 Ft 55.3K

$70.7 UGX 290.7K

142.14%

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

$23.51 Ft 7,596

$11.88 UGX 48.9K

97.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$23.29 Ft 7,526

$35.51 UGX 146.1K

-34.41%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

$18.93 UGX 77.9K

256.74%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$9.30 Ft 3,004

$7.55 UGX 31.0K

23.18%

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

$533 Ft 172.3K

$255 UGX 1.0M

109.05%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

$8,455 UGX 34.8M

98.18%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

$14.07 UGX 57.9K

607.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

$13.15 UGX 54.1K

230.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 Ft 35.7K

$32.11 UGX 132.1K

243.69%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$119 Ft 38.4K

$44.20 UGX 181.8K

169.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$830 Ft 268.3K

$85.9 UGX 353.5K

866.35%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$622 Ft 200.9K

$74.2 UGX 305.2K

738.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

$239 UGX 981.4K

567.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

$172 UGX 708.1K

579.83%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.45

20.75

-68.92%

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

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Last update for Mbarara: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Budapest

$622 38.4%

Mbarara

$74 14.7% 88.1% $548

Groceries & Markets

Budapest

$258 15.9%

Mbarara

$141 28% 45.4% $117

Eating Out

Budapest

$223 13.8%

Mbarara

$85 16.9% 61.9% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Budapest

$218 13.5%

Mbarara

$118 23.4% 45.8% $100

Clothing & Footwear

Budapest

$168 10.4%

Mbarara

$47 9.3% 72.2% $121

Sport & Entertainment

Budapest

$86 5.3%

Mbarara

$34 6.8% 60.5% $52

Getting Around

Budapest

$44 2.7%

Mbarara

$5.1 * 1% 88.6% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $830 in Budapest versus $85.9 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 $61.0 in Budapest versus $25.00 in Mbarara. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $258 vs $141 – making Mbarara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇭🇺 Budapest

🇺🇬 Mbarara

🕒 Local time

06:58 6:58 AM

07:58 7:58 AM

1 h ahead of Budapest

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,686,222 Capital

195,013

💱 Currency

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

10,000 UGX = 2.43 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.16 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UGX, USD, EUR to HUF – Hungarian Forint Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇭🇺 Hungarian Forint (Ft)

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 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).

USD to HUF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Budapest Mbarara 5,470 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Budapest
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

Budapest vs Mbarara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 221%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $2,428 per month in Budapest and $755 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $61.0 in Budapest and $25.00 in Mbarara. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 83% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mbarara, where all-in costs run around $504, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Mbarara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mbarara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Mbarara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.