Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mbarara and Austin, TX

For one person, living is cheaper in Mbarara: $504 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $25,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

25

Cost of Living Index in Mbarara
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Mbarara Living Index
130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index

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Mbarara

🇺🇬 Uganda

$504

/mo nomad

Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mbarara and in Austin, TX

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $504 in Mbarara versus $2,663 in Austin, TX.

Mbarara $504
Austin, TX $2,663

Estimated couple costs with rent: $798 in Mbarara versus $4,133 in Austin, TX.

Mbarara $798
Austin, TX $4,133

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,093 in Mbarara versus $5,603 in Austin, TX.

Mbarara $1,093
Austin, TX $5,603

Living in Mbarara costs roughly 81% less than in Austin, TX, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mbarara is 63% below, Austin, TX is 97% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.48 UGX 10.2K

$20.77 $20.77

-88.06%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.03 UGX 102.9K

$84.6 $84.6

-70.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.64 UGX 31.4K

$12.32 $12.32

-37.99%

Cappuccino

$2.49 UGX 10.2K

$5.63 $5.63

-55.77%

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

$0.35 UGX 1,455

$3.72 $3.72

-90.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 UGX 1,165

$2.50 $2.50

-88.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 UGX 4,998

$8.05 $8.05

-84.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 UGX 7,765

$9.01 $9.01

-79.02%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.49 UGX 2,012

$1.12 $1.12

-56.25%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 UGX 3,621

$3.75 $3.75

-76.53%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 UGX 5,239

$3.26 $3.26

-61.04%

Eggs

$1.56 UGX 6,409

$4.17 $4.17

-62.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.49 UGX 18.5K

$12.90 $12.90

-65.19%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.69 UGX 19.3K

$14.16 $14.16

-66.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.42 UGX 14.1K

$16.22 $16.22

-78.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.11 UGX 8,662

$4.33 $4.33

-51.27%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 UGX 5,284

$1.46 $1.46

-12.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.29 UGX 5,316

$4.51 $4.51

-71.40%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 UGX 4,820

$4.34 $4.34

-73.04%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 UGX 5,236

$2.58 $2.58

-50.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 UGX 5,007

$2.35 $2.35

-48.09%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 UGX 3,065

$1.78 $1.78

-57.87%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 UGX 2,149

$2.22 $2.22

-76.58%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.44 UGX 10.0K

$9.88 $9.88

-75.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.27 UGX 29.9K

$15.08 $15.08

-51.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 UGX 4,363

$2.92 $2.92

-63.70%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 UGX 8,042

$3.46 $3.46

-43.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 UGX 3,030

$1.49 $1.49

-50.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 UGX 1,975

$2.73 $2.73

-82.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 UGX 1,334

$1.66 $1.66

-80.72%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.16 UGX 13.0K

$35.30 $35.30

-91.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 UGX 5,972

$0.95 $0.95

52.63%

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

$7,458 UGX 30.7M

$36.0K $36.0K

-79.31%

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

$7,349 UGX 30.2M

$27.1K $27.1K

-72.86%

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

$70.7 UGX 290.7K

$229 $229

-69.14%

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

$11.88 UGX 48.9K

$59.4 $59.4

-80.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.51 UGX 146.1K

$69.9 $69.9

-49.21%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.93 UGX 77.9K

$57.2 $57.2

-66.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$7.55 UGX 31.0K

$14.28 $14.28

-47.13%

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

$255 UGX 1.0M

$1,506 $1,506

-83.06%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,455 UGX 34.8M

$21.5K $21.5K

-60.59%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.07 UGX 57.9K

$52.8 $52.8

-73.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.15 UGX 54.1K

$43.82 $43.82

-69.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$32.11 UGX 132.1K

$84.8 $84.8

-62.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.20 UGX 181.8K

$103 $103

-57.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$85.9 UGX 353.5K

$1,907 $1,907

-95.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$74.2 UGX 305.2K

$1,274 $1,274

-94.18%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$239 UGX 981.4K

$3,664 $3,664

-93.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$172 UGX 708.1K

$2,538 $2,538

-93.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.75

6.79

205.60%

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

Last update for Mbarara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mbarara

$141 28%

Austin, TX

$405 15.2% 188% $264

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mbarara

$118 23.4%

Austin, TX

$358 13.5% 204% $240

Eating Out

Mbarara

$85 16.9%

Austin, TX

$354 13.3% 316% $269

Accommodation & Living

Mbarara

$74 14.7%

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8% 1617% $1.2K

Clothing & Footwear

Mbarara

$47 9.3%

Austin, TX

$128 4.8% 175% $81

Sport & Entertainment

Mbarara

$34 6.8%

Austin, TX

$86 3.2% 152% $52

Getting Around

Mbarara

$5.1 * 1%

Austin, TX

$59 2.2% 1062% $54

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 $85.9 in Mbarara and $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Dining out: $25.00 in Mbarara vs $85.0 in Austin, TX for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $141 vs $405 per month, with Mbarara cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇬 Mbarara

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🕒 Local time

06:25 6:25 AM

22:25 10:25 PM

8 h behind Mbarara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

195,013

974,447

💱 Currency

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 UGX = 2.43 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.16 EUR

1 USD = 0.89 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to UGX – Ugandan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇬 Ugandan Shilling (Sh)

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 4,113 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.43 USD). 1 EUR = 4,624 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.16 EUR).

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.89 EUR).

USD to UGX in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mbarara Austin, TX 13,660 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mbarara
Austin, TX

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

Mbarara vs Austin, TX: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Mbarara wins on cost – living expenses run 429% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Mbarara the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You'd need roughly $755 in Mbarara and $3,995 in Austin, TX 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: $85.9 in Mbarara versus $1,907 in Austin, TX. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $255 in Mbarara versus $1,506 in Austin, TX. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Mbarara – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $504 in Mbarara versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Mbarara but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Mbarara 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.

Expats usually find Mbarara gentler on the wallet – expenses run 429% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.