Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mbarara and Budapest

For one person, living is cheaper in Mbarara: $504 a month against $1,619 in Budapest, rent and utilities included – about $13,400 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
79

Cost of Living Index in Budapest
Learn more

Budapest Living Index

Jump to prices

Mbarara

🇺🇬 Uganda

$504

/mo nomad

Budapest

🇭🇺 Hungary

$1,619

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mbarara and in Budapest

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

A single person spends $504 per month in Mbarara vs $1,619 in Budapest, rent included.

Mbarara $504
Budapest $1,619

A couple spends around $798 per month in Mbarara vs $2,524 in Budapest, rent included.

Mbarara $798
Budapest $2,524

A family of three spends $1,093 per month in Mbarara vs $3,429 in Budapest, rent included.

Mbarara $1,093
Budapest $3,429

Mbarara is about 69% cheaper than Budapest, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

Mbarara sits 63% below the global median, while Budapest is 20% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.48 UGX 10.2K

$13.94 Ft 4,503

-82.21%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.03 UGX 102.9K

$61.2 Ft 19.8K

-59.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.64 UGX 31.4K

$10.19 Ft 3,291

-25.02%

Cappuccino

$2.49 UGX 10.2K

$3.26 Ft 1,055

-23.62%

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

$0.35 UGX 1,455

$2.14 Ft 690

-83.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.28 UGX 1,165

$1.78 Ft 577

-84.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.22 UGX 4,998

$3.71 Ft 1,198

-67.12%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.89 UGX 7,765

$3.77 Ft 1,217

-49.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.49 UGX 2,012

$1.15 Ft 371

-57.39%

White Bread (500g)

$0.88 UGX 3,621

$1.79 Ft 578

-50.84%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.27 UGX 5,239

$2.49 Ft 804

-49.00%

Eggs

$1.56 UGX 6,409

$3.90 Ft 1,261

-60.00%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.49 UGX 18.5K

$11.10 Ft 3,587

-59.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.69 UGX 19.3K

$6.62 Ft 2,139

-29.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.42 UGX 14.1K

$14.69 Ft 4,745

-76.72%

Apples (1kg)

$2.11 UGX 8,662

$1.83 Ft 591

15.30%

Banana (1kg)

$1.28 UGX 5,284

$2.05 Ft 661

-37.56%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.29 UGX 5,316

$2.37 Ft 765

-45.57%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.17 UGX 4,820

$3.90 Ft 1,260

-70.00%

Potato (1kg)

$1.27 UGX 5,236

$0.99 Ft 320

28.28%

Onion (1kg)

$1.22 UGX 5,007

$1.00 Ft 322

22.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.75 UGX 3,065

$1.58 Ft 511

-52.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.52 UGX 2,149

$0.67 Ft 216

-22.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.44 UGX 10.0K

$7.96 Ft 2,572

-69.35%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.27 UGX 29.9K

$6.22 Ft 2,009

16.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.06 UGX 4,363

$1.27 Ft 411

-16.54%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 UGX 8,042

$2.03 Ft 654

-3.45%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.74 UGX 3,030

$1.52 Ft 490

-51.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.02 Ft 9,053

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.48 UGX 1,975

$3.31 Ft 1,070

-85.50%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.32 UGX 1,334

$1.37 Ft 442

-76.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.16 UGX 13.0K

$19.83 Ft 6,406

-84.06%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 UGX 5,972

$1.82 Ft 589

-20.33%

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

$7,458 UGX 30.7M

$29.8K Ft 9.6M

-74.97%

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

$7,349 UGX 30.2M

$33.8K Ft 10.9M

-78.27%

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

$70.7 UGX 290.7K

$171 Ft 55.3K

-58.70%

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

$11.88 UGX 48.9K

$23.51 Ft 7,596

-49.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$35.51 UGX 146.1K

$23.29 Ft 7,526

52.47%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$18.93 UGX 77.9K

$67.5 Ft 21.8K

-71.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.89 Ft 6,104

Cinema Ticket

$7.55 UGX 31.0K

$9.30 Ft 3,004

-18.82%

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

$255 UGX 1.0M

$533 Ft 172.3K

-52.16%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,455 UGX 34.8M

$16.8K Ft 5.4M

-49.54%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.07 UGX 57.9K

$99.6 Ft 32.2K

-85.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$13.15 UGX 54.1K

$43.49 Ft 14.0K

-69.76%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$32.11 UGX 132.1K

$110 Ft 35.7K

-70.90%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$44.20 UGX 181.8K

$119 Ft 38.4K

-62.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$85.9 UGX 353.5K

$830 Ft 268.3K

-89.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$74.2 UGX 305.2K

$622 Ft 200.9K

-88.07%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$239 UGX 981.4K

$1,594 Ft 514.9K

-85.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$172 UGX 708.1K

$1,170 Ft 378.1K

-85.29%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,832 Ft 1.9M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,889 Ft 1.3M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,651 Ft 533.4K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

20.75

6.45

221.71%

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

Last update for Mbarara: October 11, 2026

Last update for Budapest: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mbarara

$141 28%

Budapest

$258 15.9% 83.3% $117

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mbarara

$118 23.4%

Budapest

$218 13.5% 84.6% $100

Eating Out

Mbarara

$85 16.9%

Budapest

$223 13.8% 162% $138

Accommodation & Living

Mbarara

$74 14.7%

Budapest

$622 38.4% 738% $548

Clothing & Footwear

Mbarara

$47 9.3%

Budapest

$168 10.4% 260% $121

Sport & Entertainment

Mbarara

$34 6.8%

Budapest

$86 5.3% 153% $52

Getting Around

Mbarara

$5.1 * 1%

Budapest

$44 2.7% 776% $39

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

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $85.9 in Mbarara versus $830 in Budapest. 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 $25.00 in Mbarara versus $61.0 in Budapest. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $141 vs $258 – making Mbarara the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇺🇬 Mbarara

🇭🇺 Budapest

🕒 Local time

07:06 7:06 AM

06:06 6:06 AM

1 h behind Mbarara

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

195,013

1,686,222 Capital

💱 Currency

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

Hungarian Forint HUF Ft

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 UGX = 2.43 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.16 EUR

1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD

1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

HUF, 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).

Hungarian Forint exchange rates as of October 18, 2026: 1 USD = 323 HUF (1,000 HUF = 3.1 USD). 1 EUR = 363 HUF (1,000 HUF = 2.75 EUR).

USD to UGX in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mbarara Budapest 5,470 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Mbarara
Budapest

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 Budapest: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Budapest is pricier by about 221%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in eating out.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $755 per month in Mbarara and $2,428 in Budapest. 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. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $25.00 in Mbarara and $61.0 in Budapest. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

Groceries cost about 83% more in Budapest, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Mbarara, where all-in costs run around $504, than in Budapest at $1,619. In Mbarara it covers expenses comfortably, while in Budapest it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Mbarara – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Mbarara. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Budapest makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.