Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mbarara and Bansko

For one person, living is cheaper in Mbarara: $477 a month against $968 in Bansko, rent and utilities included – about $5,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

23

Cost of Living Index in Mbarara
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Mbarara Living Index
46

Cost of Living Index in Bansko
Learn more

Bansko Living Index

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Mbarara

🇺🇬 Uganda

$477

/mo nomad

Bansko

🇧🇬 Bulgaria

$968

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mbarara and in Bansko

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

A single person spends $477 per month in Mbarara vs $968 in Bansko, rent included.

Mbarara $477
Bansko $968

A couple spends around $755 per month in Mbarara vs $1,479 in Bansko, rent included.

Mbarara $755
Bansko $1,479

A family of three spends $1,032 per month in Mbarara vs $1,989 in Bansko, rent included.

Mbarara $1,032
Bansko $1,989

Mbarara is about 51% cheaper than Bansko, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Both Mbarara and Bansko are more affordable than the global median – Mbarara 65% lower, Bansko 28% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.36 UGX 9,967

$8.83 BGN 15.37

-73.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$23.34 UGX 98.4K

$45.43 BGN 79.1

-48.62%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.09 UGX 29.9K

$8.92 BGN 15.52

-20.52%

Cappuccino

$2.45 UGX 10.3K

$2.33 BGN 4.06

5.15%

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

$0.36 UGX 1,525

$1.49 BGN 2.60

-75.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.24 UGX 1,011

$0.83 BGN 1.44

-71.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.14 UGX 4,787

$1.75 BGN 3.05

-34.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.77 UGX 7,485

$2.01 BGN 3.49

-11.94%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.49 UGX 2,064

$1.72 BGN 3.00

-71.51%

White Bread (500g)

$0.81 UGX 3,411

$0.86 BGN 1.49

-5.81%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.18 UGX 4,978

$1.46 BGN 2.55

-19.18%

Eggs

$1.41 UGX 5,940

$2.33 BGN 4.06

-39.48%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.17 UGX 17.6K

$9.54 BGN 16.60

-56.29%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.29 UGX 18.1K

$6.30 BGN 10.96

-31.90%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.18 UGX 13.4K

$8.64 BGN 15.04

-63.19%

Apples (1kg)

$1.95 UGX 8,217

$1.32 BGN 2.29

47.73%

Banana (1kg)

$1.36 UGX 5,755

$1.65 BGN 2.86

-17.58%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.26 UGX 5,328

$1.74 BGN 3.02

-27.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.19 UGX 5,001

$1.94 BGN 3.38

-38.66%

Potato (1kg)

$1.20 UGX 5,063

$0.95 BGN 1.66

26.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.20 UGX 5,063

$0.72 BGN 1.26

66.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.74 UGX 3,139

$0.55 BGN 0.96

34.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.49 UGX 2,067

$0.59 BGN 1.03

-16.95%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.32 UGX 9,803

$3.33 BGN 5.79

-30.33%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.19 UGX 30.3K

$5.08 BGN 8.84

41.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 UGX 4,468

$1.12 BGN 1.95

-5.36%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.84 UGX 7,749

$1.73 BGN 3.01

6.36%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.72 UGX 3,039

$0.89 BGN 1.55

-19.10%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.08 BGN 47.11

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.49 UGX 2,073

$1.64 BGN 2.85

-70.12%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.30 UGX 1,271

$0.91 BGN 1.59

-67.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$2.89 UGX 12.2K

$10.00 BGN 17.39

-71.10%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.34 UGX 5,647

$1.50 BGN 2.61

-10.67%

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

$7,152 UGX 30.2M

$28.6K BGN 49.7K

-74.95%

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

$6,894 UGX 29.1M

$21.2K BGN 36.9K

-67.54%

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

$66.6 UGX 280.8K

$92.5 BGN 161

-28.03%

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

$11.18 UGX 47.2K

$14.59 BGN 25.39

-23.37%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$32.93 UGX 138.9K

$12.13 BGN 21.11

171.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$17.74 UGX 74.8K

$31.84 BGN 55.4

-44.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.46 BGN 14.72

Cinema Ticket

$6.84 UGX 28.9K

$5.51 BGN 9.59

24.14%

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

$265 UGX 1.1M

$227 BGN 395

16.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.8K UGX 66.5M

$2,311 BGN 4,021

582.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$12.89 UGX 54.4K

$30.56 BGN 53.2

-57.82%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$12.43 UGX 52.4K

$18.95 BGN 32.97

-34.41%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$30.15 UGX 127.2K

$45.80 BGN 79.7

-34.17%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$41.63 UGX 175.6K

$48.28 BGN 84.0

-13.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$83.3 UGX 351.3K

$510 BGN 887

-83.66%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$71.1 UGX 300.0K

$364 BGN 634

-80.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$220 UGX 928.3K

$624 BGN 1,085

-64.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$162 UGX 684.1K

$566 BGN 985

-71.35%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,166 BGN 2,028

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$969 BGN 1,686

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,680 BGN 2,923

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.75

2.99

593.98%

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

Last update for Mbarara: October 31, 2026

Last update for Bansko: November 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mbarara

$134 28.1%

Bansko

$193 19.9% 44.1% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mbarara

$111 23.2%

Bansko

$119 12.3% 7.7% $8.5

Eating Out

Mbarara

$81 17%

Bansko

$147 15.2% 81.5% $66

Accommodation & Living

Mbarara

$71 14.9%

Bansko

$364 37.6% 412% $293

Clothing & Footwear

Mbarara

$44 9.2%

Bansko

$65 6.7% 47.9% $21

Sport & Entertainment

Mbarara

$31 6.6%

Bansko

$43 4.4% 36.4% $11

Getting Around

Mbarara

$4.9 * 1%

Bansko

$37 3.8% 655% $32

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $83 in Mbarara versus $510 in Bansko. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $23 in Mbarara versus $45 in Bansko. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $134 vs $193 – making Mbarara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇬 Mbarara

🇧🇬 Bansko

🕒 Local time

03:31 3:31 AM

02:31 2:31 AM

1 h behind Mbarara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

195,013

8,000

💱 Currency

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

Bulgarian Lev BGN лв.

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 UGX = 2.37 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.11 EUR

1 BGN = 0.575 USD

1 BGN = 0.512 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

BGN, USD, EUR to UGX – Ugandan Shilling Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇺🇬 Ugandan Shilling (Sh)

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 4,217 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.37 USD). 1 EUR = 4,734 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.11 EUR).

Bulgarian Lev exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1.74 BGN (1 BGN = 0.575 USD). 1 EUR = 1.95 BGN (1 BGN = 0.512 EUR).

USD to UGX in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mbarara Bansko 4,770 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Mbarara
Bansko

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 Bansko: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly costs with rent: $477 in Mbarara, $968 in Bansko – Mbarara comes out roughly 51% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $716 per month in Mbarara and $1,452 in Bansko. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Mbarara, especially for central apartments: a one-bedroom in the center costs $83 there versus $510 in Bansko.

Monthly expenses with rent come to $477 in Mbarara and $968 in Bansko. That makes Mbarara about 51% cheaper.

Kindergarten costs $265 per month in Mbarara and $227 in Bansko. For families with young kids, this one expense can tip the scales when choosing between the two cities.

It depends on your priorities. Bansko has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $477 in Mbarara to $968 in Bansko. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.