Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kampala and Yiwu

For one person, living is cheaper in Yiwu: $550 a month against $616 in Kampala, rent and utilities included – about $790 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kampala outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

30

Cost of Living Index in Kampala
Learn more

Kampala Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Yiwu
Learn more

Yiwu Living Index

Jump to prices

Kampala

🇺🇬 Uganda

$616

/mo nomad

Yiwu

🇨🇳 China

$550

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kampala and in Yiwu

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $616 in Kampala versus $550 in Yiwu.

Kampala $616
Yiwu $550

Estimated couple costs with rent: $940 in Kampala versus $1,299 in Yiwu.

Kampala $940
Yiwu $1,299

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,263 in Kampala versus $2,048 in Yiwu.

Kampala $1,263
Yiwu $2,048

Living in Kampala is roughly 12% more expensive than in Yiwu, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in transport.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kampala 55% lower, Yiwu 60% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.19 UGX 9,620

$2.88 ¥19.18

-23.96%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.69 UGX 99.5K

$29.56 ¥197

-23.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.82 UGX 29.9K

$5.27 ¥35.12

29.41%

Cappuccino

$2.28 UGX 9,994

$3.41 ¥22.74

-33.14%

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

$0.32 UGX 1,389

$0.58 ¥3.85

-44.83%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.23 UGX 1,003

$0.38 ¥2.53

-39.47%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 UGX 4,986

$1.23 ¥8.21

-7.32%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 UGX 7,418

$2.30 ¥15.31

-26.52%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.68 UGX 2,983

$1.78 ¥11.83

-61.80%

White Bread (500g)

$0.80 UGX 3,522

$1.94 ¥12.93

-58.76%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.23 UGX 5,382

$1.03 ¥6.88

19.42%

Eggs

$1.47 UGX 6,433

$1.69 ¥11.29

-13.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.93 UGX 17.3K

$16.96 ¥113

-76.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.97 UGX 17.4K

$3.31 ¥22.08

19.94%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.53 UGX 19.9K

$12.92 ¥86.2

-64.94%

Apples (1kg)

$1.87 UGX 8,208

$2.15 ¥14.36

-13.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 UGX 5,595

$1.73 ¥11.50

-26.01%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.15 UGX 5,041

$2.03 ¥13.51

-43.35%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.12 UGX 4,929

$1.69 ¥11.29

-33.73%

Potato (1kg)

$1.14 UGX 4,999

$0.82 ¥5.45

39.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.14 UGX 4,991

$0.92 ¥6.10

23.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.66 UGX 2,902

$0.64 ¥4.26

3.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.45 UGX 1,967

$0.59 ¥3.92

-23.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.17 UGX 9,525

$3.84 ¥25.56

-43.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.80 UGX 29.8K

$10.77 ¥71.8

-36.86%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 UGX 4,457

$0.88 ¥5.90

15.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.71 UGX 7,481

$1.55 ¥10.34

10.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.69 UGX 3,007

$0.46 ¥3.07

50.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.32 UGX 159.3K

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.43 UGX 1,905

$1.39 ¥9.24

-69.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.29 UGX 1,272

$0.47 ¥3.10

-38.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.81 UGX 12.3K

$8.98 ¥59.8

-68.71%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.25 UGX 5,487

$1.27 ¥8.48

-1.57%

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

$6,811 UGX 29.9M

$19.8K ¥132.3K

-65.68%

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

$6,696 UGX 29.4M

$18.3K ¥121.7K

-63.31%

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

$64.4 UGX 282.4K

$57.7 ¥384

11.63%

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

$10.73 UGX 47.1K

$7.89 ¥52.6

35.99%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.03 UGX 140.5K

$10.44 ¥69.6

206.80%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$50.9 UGX 223.4K

$15.16 ¥101

236.02%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.36 UGX 23.5K

$11.35 ¥75.7

-52.78%

Cinema Ticket

$6.87 UGX 30.1K

$7.09 ¥47.27

-3.10%

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

$260 UGX 1.1M

$1,606 ¥10.7K

-83.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,974 UGX 35.0M

$28.1K ¥187.2K

-71.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.71 UGX 55.7K

$55.7 ¥371

-77.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$11.92 UGX 52.3K

$37.90 ¥253

-68.55%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$28.62 UGX 125.5K

$76.5 ¥510

-62.56%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$38.91 UGX 170.7K

$74.5 ¥496

-47.76%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$458 UGX 2.0M

$456 ¥3,040

0.45%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$151 UGX 662.8K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,151 UGX 5.1M

$1,055 ¥7,035

9.08%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$269 UGX 1.2M

$759 ¥5,059

-64.58%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,194 UGX 5.2M

$11.9K ¥79.2K

-89.95%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$922 UGX 4.0M

$2,935 ¥19.6K

-68.59%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$160 UGX 701.7K

$757 ¥5,043

-78.85%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.75

3.36

517.56%

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

Last update for Kampala: October 25, 2026

Last update for Yiwu: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kampala

$151 24.5%

Yiwu

- * 0% 100%

Groceries & Markets

Kampala

$134 21.7%

Yiwu

$235 42.7% 75.5% $101

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kampala

$107 17.4%

Yiwu

$76 13.8% 29.1% $31

Eating Out

Kampala

$77 12.4%

Yiwu

$94 17.2% 23.2% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Kampala

$65 10.5%

Yiwu

$29 5.3% 54.6% $35

Clothing & Footwear

Kampala

$41 6.7%

Yiwu

$110 20% 165% $69

Getting Around

Kampala

$41 6.7%

Yiwu

$5.6 * 1% 86.4% $35

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 $456 in Yiwu. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Yiwu pays about 4.7 times more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $23 in Kampala vs $30 in Yiwu for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $134 vs $235 per month, with Kampala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇬 Kampala

🇨🇳 Yiwu

🕒 Local time

12:51 12:51 PM

17:51 5:51 PM

5 h ahead of Kampala

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,516,210 Capital

1,234,015

💱 Currency

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

Chinese Yuan CNY ¥

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 UGX = 2.28 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.05 EUR

1 CNY = 0.15 USD

1 CNY = 0.135 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

CNY, 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).

Chinese Yuan exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 6.67 CNY (1 CNY = 0.15 USD). 1 EUR = 7.42 CNY (1 CNY = 0.135 EUR).

USD to UGX in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Kampala Yiwu 9,750 km ≈ 13 h nonstop flight

From you

Kampala
Yiwu

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 Yiwu: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yiwu is cheaper overall, especially in transport, leisure, and utilities. The 12% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 79% 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 $456 in Yiwu. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $260 in Kampala versus $1,606 in Yiwu. 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 $30 in Yiwu. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Yiwu 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.