Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Buenos Aires and Kampala

For one person, living is cheaper in Kampala: $674 a month against $1,685 in Buenos Aires, rent and utilities included – about $12,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

81

Cost of Living Index in Buenos Aires
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Buenos Aires Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Kampala
Learn more

Kampala Living Index

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Buenos Aires

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,685

/mo nomad

Kampala

🇺🇬 Uganda

$674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,685 in Buenos Aires versus $674 in Kampala.

Buenos Aires $1,685
Kampala $674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,742 in Buenos Aires versus $1,045 in Kampala.

Buenos Aires $2,742
Kampala $1,045

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,799 in Buenos Aires versus $1,417 in Kampala.

Buenos Aires $3,799
Kampala $1,417

Living in Buenos Aires is roughly 150% more expensive than in Kampala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Buenos Aires is 26% above, Kampala is 50% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.73 ARS 28.4K

$2.54 UGX 10.3K

637.40%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$64.5 ARS 97.8K

$25.10 UGX 101.5K

156.89%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.88 ARS 19.5K

$7.40 UGX 29.9K

74.05%

Cappuccino

$3.98 ARS 6,029

$2.57 UGX 10.4K

54.86%

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

$2.05 ARS 3,103

$0.38 UGX 1,543

439.47%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.55 ARS 2,349

$0.26 UGX 1,044

496.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.84 ARS 5,830

$1.21 UGX 4,910

217.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.60 ARS 6,970

$1.92 UGX 7,748

139.58%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.44 ARS 2,181

$0.76 UGX 3,069

89.47%

White Bread (500g)

$2.46 ARS 3,738

$0.95 UGX 3,832

158.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.63 ARS 2,467

$1.33 UGX 5,360

22.56%

Eggs

$2.89 ARS 4,385

$1.64 UGX 6,631

76.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.65 ARS 16.1K

$4.37 UGX 17.7K

143.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$10.00 ARS 15.2K

$4.60 UGX 18.6K

117.39%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 ARS 20.8K

$4.87 UGX 19.7K

182.14%

Apples (1kg)

$2.75 ARS 4,166

$2.19 UGX 8,869

25.57%

Banana (1kg)

$2.18 ARS 3,300

$1.24 UGX 5,033

75.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.45 ARS 2,205

$1.30 UGX 5,253

11.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.99 ARS 3,013

$1.22 UGX 4,928

63.11%

Potato (1kg)

$1.24 ARS 1,885

$1.21 UGX 4,912

2.48%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 ARS 1,921

$1.25 UGX 5,061

1.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.70 ARS 2,575

$0.78 UGX 3,168

117.95%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.73 ARS 2,617

$0.50 UGX 2,020

246.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.18 ARS 6,337

$2.51 UGX 10.2K

66.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.80 ARS 8,790

$7.54 UGX 30.5K

-23.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.09 ARS 3,163

$1.10 UGX 4,458

90.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.77 ARS 4,198

$1.95 UGX 7,880

42.05%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 ARS 1,132

$0.72 UGX 2,913

4.17%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.15 ARS 41.2K

$42.82 UGX 173.2K

-36.60%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.62 ARS 2,451

$0.51 UGX 2,072

217.65%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.98 ARS 1,481

$0.32 UGX 1,297

206.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.72 ARS 11.7K

$3.19 UGX 12.9K

142.01%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.36 ARS 2,058

$1.45 UGX 5,866

-6.21%

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

$28.0K ARS 42.5M

$7,493 UGX 30.3M

273.85%

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

$34.5K ARS 52.4M

$7,453 UGX 30.1M

363.29%

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

$216 ARS 326.9K

$70.9 UGX 287.0K

203.88%

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

$25.61 ARS 38.8K

$11.85 UGX 47.9K

116.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$31.36 ARS 47.6K

$35.59 UGX 144.0K

-11.89%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$49.82 ARS 75.6K

$56.9 UGX 230.2K

-12.46%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.06 ARS 25.9K

$5.97 UGX 24.1K

185.76%

Cinema Ticket

$10.43 ARS 15.8K

$7.54 UGX 30.5K

38.33%

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

$466 ARS 706.7K

$254 UGX 1.0M

83.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,057 ARS 13.7M

$8,231 UGX 33.3M

10.03%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$122 ARS 185.2K

$14.16 UGX 57.3K

762.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$97.4 ARS 147.8K

$13.02 UGX 52.7K

648.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$117 ARS 177.4K

$32.01 UGX 129.5K

265.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$140 ARS 211.9K

$43.76 UGX 177.0K

219.31%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$763 ARS 1.2M

$495 UGX 2.0M

54.17%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$505 ARS 766.1K

$172 UGX 695.0K

194.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,598 ARS 2.4M

$1,044 UGX 4.2M

53.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,185 ARS 1.8M

$301 UGX 1.2M

294.20%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,678 ARS 4.1M

$1,214 UGX 4.9M

120.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,858 ARS 2.8M

$983 UGX 4.0M

88.98%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$954 ARS 1.4M

$176 UGX 712.8K

441.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

57.25

20.75

175.90%

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

Last update for Buenos Aires: October 6, 2026

Last update for Kampala: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Buenos Aires

$505 30.4%

Kampala

$172 24.9% 66% $333

Groceries & Markets

Buenos Aires

$284 17.1%

Kampala

$149 21.6% 47.5% $135

Eating Out

Buenos Aires

$279 16.8%

Kampala

$86 12.4% 69.2% $193

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Buenos Aires

$273 16.4%

Kampala

$118 17.1% 56.6% $154

Clothing & Footwear

Buenos Aires

$214 12.9%

Kampala

$46 6.7% 78.4% $168

Sport & Entertainment

Buenos Aires

$71 4.3%

Kampala

$72 10.4% 1.9% $1.3

Getting Around

Buenos Aires

$37 2.2%

Kampala

$48 6.9% 30.5% $11

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $763 in Buenos Aires and $495 in Kampala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Buenos Aires pays 442% 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: $64.0 in Buenos Aires vs $25.00 in Kampala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $284 vs $149 per month, with Kampala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇦🇷 Buenos Aires

🇺🇬 Kampala

🕒 Local time

02:01 2:01 AM

08:01 8:01 AM

6 h ahead of Buenos Aires

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

2,891,082 Capital

1,516,210 Capital

💱 Currency

Argentine Peso ARS $

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR

10,000 UGX = 2.47 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UGX, USD, EUR to ARS – Argentine Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,701 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.88 EUR).

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4,045 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.47 USD). 1 EUR = 4,537 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.2 EUR).

USD to ARS in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Buenos Aires Kampala 10,120 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Buenos Aires
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

Buenos Aires vs Kampala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Buenos Aires and Kampala differ by about 150% in total monthly costs ($1,685 vs $674 including rent). Kampala is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

Average pay runs 442% higher in Buenos Aires, 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: $763 in Buenos Aires versus $495 in Kampala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $466 in Buenos Aires versus $254 in Kampala. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 90% higher in Buenos Aires. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

At $674 in Kampala versus $1,685 in Buenos Aires, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kampala but tight or insufficient in Buenos Aires. 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.

Safety-wise, Buenos Aires 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 150% less than in Buenos Aires. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.