Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lugazi and Busia, Uganda

Name: Busia
Address: Busia, UG

For one person, living is cheaper in Busia: $67.7 a month against $389 in Lugazi, rent and utilities included – about $3,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

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Cost of Living Index in Lugazi
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Lugazi Living Index

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Lugazi

🇺🇬 Uganda

$389

/mo nomad

Busia

🇺🇬 Uganda

$67.7

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lugazi and in Busia

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Lugazi and in Busia actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $389 in Lugazi versus $68 in Busia.

Lugazi $389
Busia $68

Estimated couple costs with rent: $614 in Lugazi versus $112 in Busia.

Lugazi $614
Busia $112

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $838 in Lugazi versus $155 in Busia.

Lugazi $838
Busia $155

Living in Lugazi is roughly 474% more expensive than in Busia, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Lugazi 71% lower, Busia 95% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.40 UGX 10.1K

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$22.97 UGX 96.9K

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.08 UGX 29.8K

Cappuccino

$2.39 UGX 10.1K

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

$0.33 UGX 1,409

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 UGX 1,010

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 UGX 4,795

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 UGX 7,479

Milk (1 liter)

$0.80 UGX 3,365

$0.27 UGX 1,131

196.30%

White Bread (500g)

$0.79 UGX 3,338

$1.15 UGX 4,867

-31.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 UGX 5,214

Eggs

$1.35 UGX 5,703

$1.38 UGX 5,831

-2.17%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.04 UGX 17.0K

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.16 UGX 17.6K

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.52 UGX 19.1K

$3.60 UGX 15.2K

25.56%

Apples (1kg)

$1.99 UGX 8,374

$2.28 UGX 9,631

-12.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.34 UGX 5,651

Oranges (1kg)

$1.25 UGX 5,266

Tomato (1kg)

$1.23 UGX 5,201

$0.69 UGX 2,894

78.26%

Potato (1kg)

$1.13 UGX 4,787

Onion (1kg)

$1.25 UGX 5,276

$1.44 UGX 6,055

-13.19%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 UGX 2,958

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.50 UGX 2,093

$0.24 UGX 1,013

108.33%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.37 UGX 10.0K

$1.03 UGX 4,352

130.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.05 UGX 29.7K

$4.79 UGX 20.2K

47.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 UGX 4,278

$0.92 UGX 3,875

9.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.83 UGX 7,725

$1.19 UGX 5,013

53.78%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.46 UGX 1,921

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 UGX 1,278

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.86 UGX 12.1K

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.37 UGX 5,757

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

$6,887 UGX 29.0M

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

$7,149 UGX 30.2M

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

$65.4 UGX 275.9K

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

$11.16 UGX 47.1K

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.67 UGX 137.8K

Cinema Ticket

$6.85 UGX 28.9K

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

$268 UGX 1.1M

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.2K UGX 68.3M

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$13.05 UGX 55.0K

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.49 UGX 52.7K

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$30.97 UGX 130.6K

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.40 UGX 174.6K

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 Lugazi: October 31, 2026

Last update for Busia: October 31, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Lugazi

$139 35.8%

Busia

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lugazi

$109 28.1%

Busia

–

Eating Out

Lugazi

$81 20.7%

Busia

–

Clothing & Footwear

Lugazi

$44 11.3%

Busia

–

Sport & Entertainment

Lugazi

$14 * 3.5%

Busia

–

Getting Around

Lugazi

$2 * 0.5%

Busia

–

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

Good to know

🇺🇬 Lugazi

🇺🇬 Busia

🕒 Local time

13:01 1:01 PM

Same time as Lugazi

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

128,400

64,900

💱 Currency

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 UGX = 2.37 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.11 EUR

10,000 UGX = 2.37 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.11 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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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

Lugazi vs Busia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Busia wins on cost – living expenses run 83% lower than in Lugazi. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Busia the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $583 in Lugazi and $102 in Busia 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.

Supermarket bills run roughly 106% higher in Lugazi. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $389 per month in Lugazi versus $68 in Busia – Busia is about 83% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Busia gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.