Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kampala and Playa del Carmen

For one person, living is cheaper in Kampala: $616 a month against $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, rent and utilities included – about $7,100 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

30

Cost of Living Index in Kampala
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Kampala Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in Playa del Carmen
Learn more

Playa del Carmen Living Index

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Kampala

🇺🇬 Uganda

$616

/mo nomad

Playa del Carmen

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,204

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kampala and in Playa del Carmen

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 Playa del Carmen actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $616 in Kampala versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen.

Kampala $616
Playa del Carmen $1,204

Estimated couple costs with rent: $940 in Kampala versus $2,082 in Playa del Carmen.

Kampala $940
Playa del Carmen $2,082

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,263 in Kampala versus $2,959 in Playa del Carmen.

Kampala $1,263
Playa del Carmen $2,959

Living in Kampala costs roughly 49% less than in Playa del Carmen, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kampala 55% lower, Playa del Carmen 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.19 UGX 9,620

$10.92 MX$204

-79.95%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.69 UGX 99.5K

$43.37 MX$810

-47.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.82 UGX 29.9K

$11.78 MX$220

-42.11%

Cappuccino

$2.28 UGX 9,994

$3.81 MX$71.2

-40.16%

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

$0.32 UGX 1,389

$1.28 MX$23.96

-75.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 UGX 1,003

$0.78 MX$14.63

-70.51%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 UGX 4,986

$3.17 MX$59.2

-64.04%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 UGX 7,418

$4.93 MX$92.2

-65.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.68 UGX 2,983

$1.41 MX$26.28

-51.77%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 UGX 3,522

$2.22 MX$41.43

-63.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.23 UGX 5,382

$1.42 MX$26.48

-13.38%

Eggs

$1.47 UGX 6,433

$2.52 MX$47.14

-41.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.93 UGX 17.3K

$7.26 MX$136

-45.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.97 UGX 17.4K

$7.70 MX$144

-48.44%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.53 UGX 19.9K

$12.69 MX$237

-64.30%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 UGX 8,208

$2.78 MX$52.0

-32.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 UGX 5,595

$1.37 MX$25.56

-6.57%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 UGX 5,041

$2.55 MX$47.66

-54.90%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 UGX 4,929

$2.12 MX$39.67

-47.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 UGX 4,999

$1.94 MX$36.22

-41.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 UGX 4,991

$1.89 MX$35.24

-39.68%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 UGX 2,902

$1.15 MX$21.42

-42.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 UGX 1,967

$1.18 MX$22.03

-61.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.17 UGX 9,525

$4.30 MX$80.3

-49.53%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.80 UGX 29.8K

$9.95 MX$186

-31.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 UGX 4,457

$1.58 MX$29.59

-35.44%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 UGX 7,481

$2.67 MX$49.91

-35.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 UGX 3,007

$0.55 MX$10.34

25.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.32 UGX 159.3K

$26.62 MX$497

36.44%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.43 UGX 1,905

$4.97 MX$92.9

-91.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 UGX 1,272

$3.33 MX$62.2

-91.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 UGX 12.3K

$5.36 MX$100

-47.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 UGX 5,487

$1.44 MX$26.98

-13.19%

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

$6,811 UGX 29.9M

$20.7K MX$386.2K

-67.04%

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

$6,696 UGX 29.4M

$23.5K MX$438.5K

-71.46%

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

$64.4 UGX 282.4K

$84.8 MX$1,584

-24.06%

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

$10.73 UGX 47.1K

$23.41 MX$437

-54.16%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.03 UGX 140.5K

$28.66 MX$535

11.76%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 UGX 223.4K

$57.1 MX$1,066

-10.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.36 UGX 23.5K

$28.91 MX$540

-81.46%

Cinema Ticket

$6.87 UGX 30.1K

$5.14 MX$96.0

33.66%

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

$260 UGX 1.1M

$207 MX$3,860

26.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,974 UGX 35.0M

$3,927 MX$73.4K

103.04%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.71 UGX 55.7K

$43.35 MX$810

-70.68%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.92 UGX 52.3K

$41.44 MX$774

-71.24%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$28.62 UGX 125.5K

$74.2 MX$1,386

-61.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.91 UGX 170.7K

$89.3 MX$1,668

-56.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$458 UGX 2.0M

$980 MX$18.3K

-53.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$151 UGX 662.8K

$381 MX$7,116

-60.32%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,151 UGX 5.1M

$1,708 MX$31.9K

-32.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$269 UGX 1.2M

$1,075 MX$20.1K

-75.00%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,194 UGX 5.2M

$3,943 MX$73.7K

-69.71%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$922 UGX 4.0M

$6,158 MX$115.1K

-85.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$160 UGX 701.7K

$735 MX$13.7K

-78.22%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.75

11.45

81.22%

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

Last update for Kampala: October 25, 2026

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kampala

$151 24.5%

Playa del Carmen

$381 31.6% 152% $230

Groceries & Markets

Kampala

$134 21.7%

Playa del Carmen

$255 21.2% 90.3% $121

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kampala

$107 17.4%

Playa del Carmen

$137 11.4% 27.7% $30

Eating Out

Kampala

$77 12.4%

Playa del Carmen

$202 16.8% 164% $126

Sport & Entertainment

Kampala

$65 10.5%

Playa del Carmen

$67 5.6% 4.1% $2.6

Clothing & Footwear

Kampala

$41 6.7%

Playa del Carmen

$112 9.3% 169% $70

Getting Around

Kampala

$41 6.7%

Playa del Carmen

$50 4.2% 23.2% $9.5

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $458 in Kampala and $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Playa del Carmen pays about 4.6 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $23 in Kampala vs $43 in Playa del Carmen for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $134 vs $255 per month, with Kampala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇬 Kampala

🇲🇽 Playa del Carmen

🕒 Local time

17:05 5:05 PM

09:05 9:05 AM

8 h behind Kampala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,516,210 Capital

149,923

💱 Currency

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

Mexican Peso MXN $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 UGX = 2.28 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.05 EUR

100 MXN = 5.35 USD

100 MXN = 4.81 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

MXN, USD, EUR to UGX – Ugandan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇬 Ugandan Shilling (Sh)

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 4,386 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.28 USD). 1 EUR = 4,882 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.05 EUR).

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 18.69 MXN (100 MXN = 5.35 USD). 1 EUR = 20.8 MXN (100 MXN = 4.81 EUR).

USD to UGX in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kampala Playa del Carmen 13,060 km ≈ 17 h nonstop flight

From you

Kampala
Playa del Carmen

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 Playa del Carmen: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kampala is cheaper overall, especially in eating out, groceries, and clothing. The 96% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 78% lower in Kampala. 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: $458 in Kampala versus $980 in Playa del Carmen. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

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

Dining out is cheaper in Kampala – a meal for two runs $23 versus $43 in Playa del Carmen. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $616 in Kampala versus $1,204 in Playa del Carmen, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kampala but tight or insufficient in Playa del Carmen. 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.

It comes down to priorities – Kampala wins on affordability, Playa del Carmen on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.