Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kampala and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Kampala: $674 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $10,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

33

Cost of Living Index in Kampala
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Kampala Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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Kampala

🇺🇬 Uganda

$674

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kampala and in Cape Town

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Kampala and in Cape Town actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $674 per month in Kampala vs $1,568 in Cape Town, rent included.

Kampala $674
Cape Town $1,568

A couple spends around $1,045 per month in Kampala vs $2,438 in Cape Town, rent included.

Kampala $1,045
Cape Town $2,438

A family of three spends $1,417 per month in Kampala vs $3,307 in Cape Town, rent included.

Kampala $1,417
Cape Town $3,307

Kampala is about 57% cheaper than Cape Town, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Kampala sits 50% below the global median, while Cape Town is 17% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.54 UGX 10.3K

$11.78 R 194

-78.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.10 UGX 101.5K

$46.55 R 768

-46.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.40 UGX 29.9K

$5.96 R 98.4

24.16%

Cappuccino

$2.57 UGX 10.4K

$2.47 R 40.80

4.05%

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

$0.38 UGX 1,543

$1.33 R 21.91

-71.43%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 UGX 1,044

$1.03 R 16.99

-74.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 UGX 4,910

$3.01 R 49.72

-59.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 UGX 7,748

$3.66 R 60.4

-47.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 UGX 3,069

$1.39 R 22.96

-45.32%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 UGX 3,832

$1.19 R 19.60

-20.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 UGX 5,360

$2.11 R 34.84

-36.97%

Eggs

$1.64 UGX 6,631

$3.01 R 49.58

-45.51%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.37 UGX 17.7K

$8.96 R 148

-51.23%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.60 UGX 18.6K

$6.65 R 110

-30.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.87 UGX 19.7K

$9.29 R 153

-47.58%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 UGX 8,869

$1.83 R 30.13

19.67%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 UGX 5,033

$1.90 R 31.31

-34.74%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.30 UGX 5,253

$1.75 R 28.83

-25.71%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 UGX 4,928

$2.09 R 34.41

-41.63%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 UGX 4,912

$1.55 R 25.64

-21.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 UGX 5,061

$1.49 R 24.53

-16.11%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 UGX 3,168

$1.30 R 21.41

-40.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 UGX 2,020

$1.16 R 19.19

-56.90%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.51 UGX 10.2K

$3.71 R 61.2

-32.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.54 UGX 30.5K

$6.06 R 100

24.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 UGX 4,458

$1.39 R 22.85

-20.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 UGX 7,880

$2.20 R 36.32

-11.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 UGX 2,913

$1.51 R 24.98

-52.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.82 UGX 173.2K

$61.0 R 1,006

-29.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.51 UGX 2,072

$0.63 R 10.33

-19.05%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 UGX 1,297

$1.53 R 25.29

-79.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 UGX 12.9K

$4.81 R 79.4

-33.68%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 UGX 5,866

$1.58 R 26.08

-8.23%

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

$7,493 UGX 30.3M

$35.5K R 585.7K

-78.89%

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

$7,453 UGX 30.1M

$31.7K R 523.8K

-76.52%

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

$70.9 UGX 287.0K

$116 R 1,920

-39.04%

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

$11.85 UGX 47.9K

$28.37 R 468

-58.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.59 UGX 144.0K

$40.69 R 671

-12.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.9 UGX 230.2K

$48.85 R 806

16.50%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.97 UGX 24.1K

$11.13 R 184

-46.36%

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 UGX 30.5K

$8.83 R 146

-14.61%

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

$254 UGX 1.0M

$261 R 4,314

-3.03%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,231 UGX 33.3M

$6,702 R 110.6K

22.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.16 UGX 57.3K

$55.4 R 914

-74.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.02 UGX 52.7K

$32.27 R 532

-59.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$32.01 UGX 129.5K

$118 R 1,939

-72.76%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$43.76 UGX 177.0K

$107 R 1,766

-59.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$495 UGX 2.0M

$1,015 R 16.7K

-51.21%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$172 UGX 695.0K

$715 R 11.8K

-75.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,044 UGX 4.2M

$1,801 R 29.7K

-42.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$301 UGX 1.2M

$1,330 R 22.0K

-77.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,214 UGX 4.9M

$2,331 R 38.5K

-47.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$983 UGX 4.0M

$1,513 R 25.0K

-35.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$176 UGX 712.8K

$1,636 R 27.0K

-89.23%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.75

10.97

89.15%

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

Last update for Kampala: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kampala

$172 24.9%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 316% $544

Groceries & Markets

Kampala

$149 21.6%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 49.1% $73

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kampala

$118 17.1%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 56.6% $67

Eating Out

Kampala

$86 12.4%

Cape Town

$174 11% 102% $88

Sport & Entertainment

Kampala

$72 10.4%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 7.6% $5.5

Getting Around

Kampala

$48 6.9%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 57.5% $27

Clothing & Footwear

Kampala

$46 6.7%

Cape Town

$141 8.9% 203% $94

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $495 in Kampala versus $1,015 in Cape Town. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 828% higher in Cape Town, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Kampala versus $47.00 in Cape Town. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $149 vs $222 – making Kampala the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇬 Kampala

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

08:09 8:09 AM

07:09 7:09 AM

1 h behind Kampala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,516,210 Capital

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 UGX = 2.47 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.2 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to UGX – Ugandan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇬 Ugandan Shilling (Sh)

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).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to UGX in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kampala Cape Town 4,080 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Kampala
Cape Town

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

Kampala vs Cape Town: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cape Town costs about 133% more than Kampala, and outside of rent the gap comes mainly from clothing. That's enough to noticeably affect everyday spending and lifestyle for anyone choosing between the two.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,011 per month in Kampala and $2,352 in Cape Town. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Kampala, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $674 in Kampala and $1,568 in Cape Town. That's a gap of about 133%.

Public transport costs about 42% less in Kampala. For daily commuters, that gap adds up to noticeable savings over a year.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Kampala, where all-in costs run around $674, than in Cape Town at $1,568. In Kampala it covers expenses comfortably, while in Cape Town it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

For digital nomads, it depends on budget. Kampala costs $674 versus $1,568 in Cape Town. Both have workable remote work infrastructure, but the cost gap matters when income varies month to month.

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