Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kampala and Cebu

For one person, living is cheaper in Kampala: $674 a month against $934 in Cebu, rent and utilities included – about $3,100 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
44

Cost of Living Index in Cebu
Learn more

Cebu Living Index

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Kampala

🇺🇬 Uganda

$674

/mo nomad

Cebu

🇵🇭 Philippines

$934

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kampala and in Cebu

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 Cebu actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $674 in Kampala versus $934 in Cebu.

Kampala $674
Cebu $934

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,045 in Kampala versus $1,415 in Cebu.

Kampala $1,045
Cebu $1,415

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,417 in Kampala versus $1,896 in Cebu.

Kampala $1,417
Cebu $1,896

Living in Kampala costs roughly 28% less than in Cebu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kampala 50% lower, Cebu 30% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.54 UGX 10.3K

$3.03 ₱190

-16.17%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.10 UGX 101.5K

$23.48 ₱1,473

6.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.40 UGX 29.9K

$4.09 ₱256

80.93%

Cappuccino

$2.57 UGX 10.4K

$2.52 ₱158

1.98%

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

$0.38 UGX 1,543

$1.54 ₱96.9

-75.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.26 UGX 1,044

$0.49 ₱30.98

-46.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.21 UGX 4,910

$1.79 ₱112

-32.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.92 UGX 7,748

$2.26 ₱142

-15.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.76 UGX 3,069

$1.95 ₱122

-61.03%

White Bread (500g)

$0.95 UGX 3,832

$1.43 ₱89.7

-33.57%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.33 UGX 5,360

$1.02 ₱63.8

30.39%

Eggs

$1.64 UGX 6,631

$2.06 ₱129

-20.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.37 UGX 17.7K

$9.81 ₱615

-55.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.60 UGX 18.6K

$4.61 ₱289

-0.22%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.87 UGX 19.7K

$7.70 ₱483

-36.75%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 UGX 8,869

$3.31 ₱207

-33.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.24 UGX 5,033

$1.45 ₱90.9

-14.48%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.30 UGX 5,253

$2.36 ₱148

-44.92%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.22 UGX 4,928

$1.54 ₱96.4

-20.78%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 UGX 4,912

$2.36 ₱148

-48.73%

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 UGX 5,061

$1.99 ₱125

-37.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 UGX 3,168

$1.15 ₱72.1

-32.17%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 UGX 2,020

$0.67 ₱42.15

-25.37%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.51 UGX 10.2K

$3.00 ₱188

-16.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.54 UGX 30.5K

$6.35 ₱398

18.74%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 UGX 4,458

$1.31 ₱81.9

-16.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 UGX 7,880

$1.73 ₱108

12.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 UGX 2,913

$0.25 ₱15.78

188.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.82 UGX 173.2K

$12.65 ₱793

238.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.51 UGX 2,072

$0.74 ₱46.32

-31.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 UGX 1,297

$0.21 ₱13.11

52.38%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.19 UGX 12.9K

$4.33 ₱271

-26.33%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 UGX 5,866

$1.33 ₱83.5

9.02%

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

$7,493 UGX 30.3M

$21.8K ₱1.4M

-65.58%

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

$7,453 UGX 30.1M

$19.4K ₱1.2M

-61.58%

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

$70.9 UGX 287.0K

$121 ₱7,563

-41.17%

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

$11.85 UGX 47.9K

$14.45 ₱907

-17.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.59 UGX 144.0K

$28.29 ₱1,774

25.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$56.9 UGX 230.2K

$32.68 ₱2,050

74.14%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.97 UGX 24.1K

$6.39 ₱401

-6.57%

Cinema Ticket

$7.54 UGX 30.5K

$5.46 ₱342

38.10%

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

$254 UGX 1.0M

$273 ₱17.1K

-7.27%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,231 UGX 33.3M

$8,156 ₱511.5K

0.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.16 UGX 57.3K

$49.57 ₱3,109

-71.43%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.02 UGX 52.7K

$24.87 ₱1,560

-47.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$32.01 UGX 129.5K

$76.6 ₱4,804

-58.21%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$43.76 UGX 177.0K

$59.3 ₱3,717

-26.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$495 UGX 2.0M

$506 ₱31.7K

-2.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$172 UGX 695.0K

$309 ₱19.4K

-44.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,044 UGX 4.2M

$1,052 ₱66.0K

-0.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$301 UGX 1.2M

$619 ₱38.8K

-51.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,214 UGX 4.9M

$2,915 ₱182.9K

-58.36%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$983 UGX 4.0M

$1,867 ₱117.1K

-47.34%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$176 UGX 712.8K

$341 ₱21.4K

-48.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.75

7.2

188.19%

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

Last update for Kampala: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cebu: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kampala

$172 24.9%

Cebu

$309 33.5% 80.1% $138

Groceries & Markets

Kampala

$149 21.6%

Cebu

$210 22.7% 41.1% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kampala

$118 17.1%

Cebu

$163 17.7% 38% $45

Eating Out

Kampala

$86 12.4%

Cebu

$88 9.6% 3% $2.6

Sport & Entertainment

Kampala

$72 10.4%

Cebu

$44 4.7% 39.4% $28

Getting Around

Kampala

$48 6.9%

Cebu

$15 1.7% 67.7% $32

Clothing & Footwear

Kampala

$46 6.7%

Cebu

$95 10.2% 104% $48

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $495 in Kampala and $506 in Cebu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Cebu pays 94% 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: $25.00 in Kampala vs $23.00 in Cebu. Groceries flip the comparison at $149 vs $210, with Kampala cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇺🇬 Kampala

🇵🇭 Cebu

🕒 Local time

08:24 8:24 AM

13:24 1:24 PM

5 h ahead of Kampala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,516,210 Capital

964,169

💱 Currency

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

Philippine Peso PHP ₱

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 UGX = 2.47 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.2 EUR

100 PHP = 1.59 USD

100 PHP = 1.42 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

PHP, 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).

Philippine Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 62.72 PHP (100 PHP = 1.59 USD). 1 EUR = 70.35 PHP (100 PHP = 1.42 EUR).

USD to UGX in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kampala Cebu 10,150 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Kampala
Cebu

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 Cebu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kampala is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 39% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 94% lower in Cebu. That's worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $495 in Kampala versus $506 in Cebu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $674 per month in Kampala versus $934 in Cebu – a 39% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kampala runs roughly 238% less than in Cebu. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

Either city works on $1,000 a month, though Kampala gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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

Safety-wise, Kampala and Cebu 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 39% less than in Cebu. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.