Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kampala and Mbarara

For one person, living is cheaper in Mbarara: $488 a month against $616 in Kampala, rent and utilities included – about $1,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Kampala
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Kampala Living Index
23

Cost of Living Index in Mbarara
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Mbarara Living Index

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Kampala

🇺🇬 Uganda

$616

/mo nomad

Mbarara

🇺🇬 Uganda

$488

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $616 in Kampala versus $488 in Mbarara.

Kampala $616
Mbarara $488

Estimated couple costs with rent: $940 in Kampala versus $776 in Mbarara.

Kampala $940
Mbarara $776

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,263 in Kampala versus $1,063 in Mbarara.

Kampala $1,263
Mbarara $1,063

Living in Kampala is roughly 26% more expensive than in Mbarara, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kampala 55% lower, Mbarara 64% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.19 UGX 9,620

$2.35 UGX 10.3K

-6.81%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.69 UGX 99.5K

$24.42 UGX 107.1K

-7.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.82 UGX 29.9K

$7.07 UGX 31.0K

-3.54%

Cappuccino

$2.28 UGX 9,994

$2.43 UGX 10.7K

-6.17%

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

$0.32 UGX 1,389

$0.34 UGX 1,504

-5.88%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 UGX 1,003

$0.27 UGX 1,191

-14.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 UGX 4,986

$1.22 UGX 5,340

-6.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 UGX 7,418

$1.83 UGX 8,029

-7.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.68 UGX 2,983

$0.50 UGX 2,180

36.00%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 UGX 3,522

$0.93 UGX 4,089

-13.98%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.23 UGX 5,382

$1.17 UGX 5,138

5.13%

Eggs

$1.47 UGX 6,433

$1.53 UGX 6,691

-3.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.93 UGX 17.3K

$4.23 UGX 18.6K

-7.09%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.97 UGX 17.4K

$4.51 UGX 19.8K

-11.97%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.53 UGX 19.9K

$3.46 UGX 15.2K

30.92%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 UGX 8,208

$2.00 UGX 8,792

-6.50%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 UGX 5,595

$1.24 UGX 5,442

3.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 UGX 5,041

$1.30 UGX 5,714

-11.54%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 UGX 4,929

$1.19 UGX 5,207

-5.88%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 UGX 4,999

$1.23 UGX 5,397

-7.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 UGX 4,991

$1.17 UGX 5,133

-2.56%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 UGX 2,902

$0.72 UGX 3,163

-8.33%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 UGX 1,967

$0.51 UGX 2,221

-11.76%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.17 UGX 9,525

$2.43 UGX 10.6K

-10.70%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.80 UGX 29.8K

$7.39 UGX 32.4K

-7.98%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 UGX 4,457

$1.08 UGX 4,736

-5.56%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 UGX 7,481

$1.81 UGX 7,960

-5.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 UGX 3,007

$0.70 UGX 3,060

-1.43%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.32 UGX 159.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.43 UGX 1,905

$0.46 UGX 2,038

-6.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 UGX 1,272

$0.29 UGX 1,268

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 UGX 12.3K

$3.03 UGX 13.3K

-7.26%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 UGX 5,487

$1.37 UGX 5,990

-8.76%

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

$6,811 UGX 29.9M

$7,154 UGX 31.4M

-4.79%

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

$6,696 UGX 29.4M

$7,202 UGX 31.6M

-7.02%

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

$64.4 UGX 282.4K

$69.2 UGX 303.3K

-6.88%

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

$10.73 UGX 47.1K

$11.20 UGX 49.1K

-4.20%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.03 UGX 140.5K

$33.55 UGX 147.1K

-4.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 UGX 223.4K

$17.82 UGX 78.1K

185.86%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.36 UGX 23.5K

Cinema Ticket

$6.87 UGX 30.1K

$7.15 UGX 31.4K

-3.92%

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

$260 UGX 1.1M

$247 UGX 1.1M

5.46%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,974 UGX 35.0M

$8,140 UGX 35.7M

-2.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.71 UGX 55.7K

$13.66 UGX 59.9K

-6.95%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.92 UGX 52.3K

$12.69 UGX 55.7K

-6.07%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$28.62 UGX 125.5K

$31.67 UGX 138.9K

-9.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.91 UGX 170.7K

$42.04 UGX 184.4K

-7.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$458 UGX 2.0M

$83.7 UGX 367.0K

447.53%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$151 UGX 662.8K

$73.0 UGX 320.0K

107.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,151 UGX 5.1M

$231 UGX 1.0M

398.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$269 UGX 1.2M

$171 UGX 750.9K

57.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,194 UGX 5.2M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$922 UGX 4.0M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$160 UGX 701.7K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.75

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

Last update for Kampala: October 25, 2026

Last update for Mbarara: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kampala

$151 24.5%

Mbarara

$73 14.9% 51.7% $78

Groceries & Markets

Kampala

$134 21.7%

Mbarara

$138 28.3% 3.2% $4.3

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kampala

$107 17.4%

Mbarara

$114 23.3% 6.3% $6.7

Eating Out

Kampala

$77 12.4%

Mbarara

$81 16.7% 6.3% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Kampala

$65 10.5%

Mbarara

$32 6.6% 50.3% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Kampala

$41 6.7%

Mbarara

$45 9.2% 8.6% $3.6

Getting Around

Kampala

$41 6.7%

Mbarara

$4.7 * 1% 88.5% $36

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $458 in Kampala and $84 in Mbarara. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $23 in Kampala vs $24 in Mbarara for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $134 vs $138 per month, with Kampala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇬 Kampala

🇺🇬 Mbarara

🕒 Local time

08:25 8:25 AM

Same time as Kampala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,516,210 Capital

195,013

💱 Currency

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 UGX = 2.28 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.05 EUR

10,000 UGX = 2.28 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

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Kampala Mbarara 240 km

From you

Kampala
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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 Mbarara: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mbarara is about 21% cheaper overall, especially in transport and leisure. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

You’d need roughly $924 in Kampala and $732 in Mbarara to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Rent for a central apartment: $458 in Kampala versus $84 in Mbarara. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $260 in Kampala versus $247 in Mbarara. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Kampala – a meal for two runs $23 versus $24 in Mbarara. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

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

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.