Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kampala and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Kampala: $616 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

Kampala, Uganda
Tbilisi, Georgia
Kampala
🇺🇬 Uganda
$616
/mo nomad
Tbilisi
🇬🇪 Georgia
$1,269
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kampala and in Tbilisi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $616 in Kampala versus $1,269 in Tbilisi.

  • Kampala $616
  • Tbilisi $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $940 in Kampala versus $2,016 in Tbilisi.

  • Kampala $940
  • Tbilisi $2,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,263 in Kampala versus $2,763 in Tbilisi.

  • Kampala $1,263
  • Tbilisi $2,763

Living in Kampala costs roughly 51% less than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kampala 55% lower, Tbilisi 7% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kampala
Tbilisi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.19 UGX 9,529
$11.63 ₾30.07
-81.17%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$22.69 UGX 98.6K
$37.83 ₾97.8
-40.02%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.82 UGX 29.6K
$9.66 ₾24.98
-29.40%
Cappuccino
$2.28 UGX 9,900
$3.57 ₾9.24
-36.13%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.32 UGX 1,376
$1.08 ₾2.78
-70.37%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.23 UGX 994
$0.56 ₾1.45
-58.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.14 UGX 4,939
$2.62 ₾6.78
-56.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 UGX 7,348
$3.04 ₾7.85
-44.41%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kampala
Tbilisi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.68 UGX 2,955
$2.17 ₾5.60
-68.66%
White Bread (500g)
$0.80 UGX 3,489
$0.80 ₾2.06
-
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.23 UGX 5,331
$1.74 ₾4.51
-29.31%
Eggs
$1.47 UGX 6,372
$2.83 ₾7.31
-48.06%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.93 UGX 17.1K
$9.31 ₾24.07
-57.79%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.97 UGX 17.2K
$6.52 ₾16.85
-39.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.53 UGX 19.7K
$12.95 ₾33.50
-65.02%
Apples (1kg)
$1.87 UGX 8,130
$1.68 ₾4.33
11.31%
Banana (1kg)
$1.28 UGX 5,542
$1.85 ₾4.79
-30.81%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.15 UGX 4,994
$1.97 ₾5.10
-41.62%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.12 UGX 4,882
$2.42 ₾6.25
-53.72%
Potato (1kg)
$1.14 UGX 4,951
$0.82 ₾2.11
39.02%
Onion (1kg)
$1.14 UGX 4,943
$0.74 ₾1.91
54.05%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.66 UGX 2,874
$1.34 ₾3.47
-50.75%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.45 UGX 1,948
$0.77 ₾2.00
-41.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.17 UGX 9,435
$3.57 ₾9.24
-39.22%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.80 UGX 29.5K
$7.67 ₾19.83
-11.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.02 UGX 4,415
$1.70 ₾4.39
-40.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.71 UGX 7,411
$2.40 ₾6.21
-28.75%
🚌 Getting Around
Kampala
Tbilisi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.69 UGX 2,978
$0.40 ₾1.05
72.50%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$36.32 UGX 157.8K
$15.23 ₾39.38
138.48%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.43 UGX 1,887
$1.14 ₾2.95
-62.28%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.29 UGX 1,260
$0.78 ₾2.02
-62.82%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$2.81 UGX 12.2K
$11.83 ₾30.58
-76.25%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.25 UGX 5,435
$1.45 ₾3.75
-13.79%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$6,811 UGX 29.6M
$24.6K ₾63.6K
-72.29%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$6,696 UGX 29.1M
$22.3K ₾57.8K
-70.02%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kampala
Tbilisi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$64.4 UGX 279.8K
$88.8 ₾230
-27.49%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$10.73 UGX 46.6K
$13.12 ₾33.93
-18.22%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.03 UGX 139.2K
$19.67 ₾50.9
62.84%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kampala
Tbilisi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$50.9 UGX 221.3K
$64.1 ₾166
-20.47%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.36 UGX 23.3K
$19.04 ₾49.24
-71.85%
Cinema Ticket
$6.87 UGX 29.9K
$7.12 ₾18.42
-3.51%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kampala
Tbilisi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$260 UGX 1.1M
$375 ₾971
-30.65%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$7,974 UGX 34.6M
$10.5K ₾27.1K
-23.84%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kampala
Tbilisi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$12.71 UGX 55.2K
$104 ₾268
-87.74%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$11.92 UGX 51.8K
$39.26 ₾102
-69.64%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$28.62 UGX 124.3K
$117 ₾303
-75.61%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$38.91 UGX 169.1K
$122 ₾315
-68.04%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kampala
Tbilisi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$458 UGX 2.0M
$695 ₾1,798
-34.12%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$151 UGX 656.6K
$451 ₾1,167
-66.50%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,151 UGX 5.0M
$1,355 ₾3,504
-15.03%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$269 UGX 1.2M
$906 ₾2,343
-70.34%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,194 UGX 5.2M
$2,295 ₾5,934
-47.96%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$922 UGX 4.0M
$1,345 ₾3,478
-31.45%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kampala
Tbilisi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$160 UGX 695.1K
$664 ₾1,718
-75.91%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
20.75
12.62
64.42%

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

Last update for Kampala: October 25, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Accommodation & Living
Kampala
$151
Tbilisi
$451 199% $300
Groceries & Markets
Kampala
$134
Tbilisi
$234 74.8% $100
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kampala
$107
Tbilisi
$122 13.5% $14
Eating Out
Kampala
$77
Tbilisi
$191 149% $114
Sport & Entertainment
Kampala
$65
Tbilisi
$78 21.1% $14
Clothing & Footwear
Kampala
$41
Tbilisi
$172 315% $130
Getting Around
Kampala
$41
Tbilisi
$22 46.5% $19

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $458 in Kampala and $695 in Tbilisi. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Tbilisi pays about 4.2 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $23 in Kampala vs $38 in Tbilisi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $134 vs $234 per month, with Kampala cheaper across the board.

Good to know
🇺🇬 Kampala
🇬🇪 Tbilisi
🕒 Local time
13:51 1:51 PM
14:51 2:51 PM
1 h ahead of Kampala
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
1,516,210 Capital
1,241,700 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to UGX – Ugandan Shilling Converter

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 4,345 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.3 USD). 1 EUR = 4,851 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.06 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.89 GEL (1 GEL = 0.346 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Kampala Tbilisi 4,760 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Kampala
  • Tbilisi

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 Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is Kampala cheaper than Tbilisi?
Kampala is about 51% cheaper overall, especially in clothing, eating out, and groceries. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.
Where can you earn more: Kampala or Tbilisi?
On paper, salaries run 76% 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.
What is the rent difference between Kampala and Tbilisi?
Rent for a central apartment: $458 in Kampala versus $695 in Tbilisi. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.
How do food prices compare in Kampala and in Tbilisi?
Supermarket bills run roughly 75% higher in Tbilisi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.
Is eating out cheaper in Kampala or in Tbilisi?
Dining out is cheaper in Kampala – a meal for two runs $23 versus $38 in Tbilisi. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.
Is $1,000 a realistic budget for living in Kampala or in Tbilisi?
At $616 in Kampala versus $1,269 in Tbilisi, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kampala but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Kampala the clear choice for anyone on this budget.
Is it better to live in Kampala or in Tbilisi?
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.
Which city is the better choice to relocate to?
It comes down to priorities – Kampala wins on affordability, Tbilisi on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.

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