Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mexico City and Kampala

For one person, living is cheaper in Kampala: $674 a month against $1,561 in Mexico City, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

77

Cost of Living Index in Mexico City
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Mexico City Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Kampala
Learn more

Kampala Living Index

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Mexico City

🇲🇽 Mexico

$1,561

/mo nomad

Kampala

🇺🇬 Uganda

$674

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Mexico City and in Kampala

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,561 in Mexico City versus $674 in Kampala.

Mexico City $1,561
Kampala $674

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,440 in Mexico City versus $1,045 in Kampala.

Mexico City $2,440
Kampala $1,045

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,319 in Mexico City versus $1,417 in Kampala.

Mexico City $3,319
Kampala $1,417

Living in Mexico City is roughly 132% more expensive than in Kampala, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Mexico City is 16% above, Kampala is 50% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$11.12 MX$204

$2.54 UGX 10.3K

337.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$48.99 MX$900

$25.10 UGX 101.5K

95.18%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.23 MX$206

$7.40 UGX 29.9K

51.76%

Cappuccino

$3.76 MX$69.0

$2.57 UGX 10.4K

46.30%

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

$1.65 MX$30.34

$0.38 UGX 1,543

334.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.28 MX$23.48

$0.26 UGX 1,044

392.31%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.26 MX$59.8

$1.21 UGX 4,910

169.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.66 MX$104

$1.92 UGX 7,748

194.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.81 MX$33.23

$0.76 UGX 3,069

138.16%

White Bread (500g)

$2.94 MX$54.0

$0.95 UGX 3,832

209.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.05 MX$37.62

$1.33 UGX 5,360

54.14%

Eggs

$2.93 MX$53.7

$1.64 UGX 6,631

78.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$11.95 MX$219

$4.37 UGX 17.7K

173.46%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.51 MX$175

$4.60 UGX 18.6K

106.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.84 MX$273

$4.87 UGX 19.7K

204.72%

Apples (1kg)

$3.14 MX$57.7

$2.19 UGX 8,869

43.38%

Banana (1kg)

$2.01 MX$36.99

$1.24 UGX 5,033

62.10%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.08 MX$38.10

$1.30 UGX 5,253

60.00%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.22 MX$40.72

$1.22 UGX 4,928

81.97%

Potato (1kg)

$2.06 MX$37.82

$1.21 UGX 4,912

70.25%

Onion (1kg)

$1.88 MX$34.46

$1.25 UGX 5,061

50.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.48 MX$27.18

$0.78 UGX 3,168

89.74%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.35 MX$24.70

$0.50 UGX 2,020

170.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.41 MX$99.3

$2.51 UGX 10.2K

115.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$16.86 MX$310

$7.54 UGX 30.5K

123.61%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 MX$36.43

$1.10 UGX 4,458

80.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 MX$79.4

$1.95 UGX 7,880

121.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 MX$6.33

$0.72 UGX 2,913

-52.78%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$20.23 MX$371

$42.82 UGX 173.2K

-52.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.10 MX$38.47

$0.51 UGX 2,072

311.76%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 MX$9.74

$0.32 UGX 1,297

65.63%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.41 MX$99.3

$3.19 UGX 12.9K

69.59%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.52 MX$27.91

$1.45 UGX 5,866

4.83%

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

$21.7K MX$399.0K

$7,493 UGX 30.3M

190.04%

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

$24.8K MX$455.6K

$7,453 UGX 30.1M

232.91%

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

$63.0 MX$1,156

$70.9 UGX 287.0K

-11.23%

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

$28.88 MX$530

$11.85 UGX 47.9K

143.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.93 MX$623

$35.59 UGX 144.0K

-4.66%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.8 MX$1,024

$56.9 UGX 230.2K

-1.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$24.90 MX$457

$5.97 UGX 24.1K

317.09%

Cinema Ticket

$6.77 MX$124

$7.54 UGX 30.5K

-10.21%

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

$428 MX$7,854

$254 UGX 1.0M

68.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.9K MX$218.0K

$8,231 UGX 33.3M

44.24%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$70.0 MX$1,286

$14.16 UGX 57.3K

394.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$53.7 MX$986

$13.02 UGX 52.7K

312.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$110 MX$2,016

$32.01 UGX 129.5K

242.96%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 MX$2,115

$43.76 UGX 177.0K

163.28%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,062 MX$19.5K

$495 UGX 2.0M

114.58%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$671 MX$12.3K

$172 UGX 695.0K

290.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,379 MX$43.7K

$1,044 UGX 4.2M

127.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,260 MX$23.1K

$301 UGX 1.2M

319.30%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,716 MX$68.2K

$1,214 UGX 4.9M

206.08%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,976 MX$36.3K

$983 UGX 4.0M

100.97%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$997 MX$18.3K

$176 UGX 712.8K

465.75%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.3

20.75

-45.54%

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

Last update for Mexico City: October 6, 2026

Last update for Kampala: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mexico City

$671 42.4%

Kampala

$172 24.9% 74.4% $499

Groceries & Markets

Mexico City

$327 20.7%

Kampala

$149 21.6% 54.4% $178

Eating Out

Mexico City

$207 13.1%

Kampala

$86 12.4% 58.6% $121

Clothing & Footwear

Mexico City

$157 9.9%

Kampala

$46 6.7% 70.5% $111

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mexico City

$126 8%

Kampala

$118 17.1% 5.9% $7.4

Sport & Entertainment

Mexico City

$69 4.4%

Kampala

$72 10.4% 3.8% $2.7

Getting Around

Mexico City

$26 1.7%

Kampala

$48 6.9% 81.4% $21

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,062 in Mexico City and $495 in Kampala. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Mexico City pays 466% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $49.00 in Mexico City vs $25.00 in Kampala for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $327 vs $149 per month, with Kampala cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇲🇽 Mexico City

🇺🇬 Kampala

🕒 Local time

00:32 12:32 AM

09:32 9:32 AM

9 h ahead of Mexico City

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

9,209,944 Capital

1,516,210 Capital

💱 Currency

Mexican Peso MXN $

Ugandan Shilling UGX Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 MXN = 5.45 USD

100 MXN = 4.86 EUR

10,000 UGX = 2.47 USD

10,000 UGX = 2.2 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

UGX, USD, EUR to MXN – Mexican Peso Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇲🇽 Mexican Peso ($)

Mexican Peso exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 18.36 MXN (100 MXN = 5.45 USD). 1 EUR = 20.59 MXN (100 MXN = 4.86 EUR).

Ugandan Shilling exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 4,045 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.47 USD). 1 EUR = 4,537 UGX (10,000 UGX = 2.2 EUR).

USD to MXN in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Mexico City Kampala 14,310 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Mexico City
Kampala

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

Mexico City vs Kampala: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kampala is cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and clothing. The 132% gap adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

Average pay runs 466% higher in Mexico City, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,062 in Mexico City versus $495 in Kampala. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 119% higher in Mexico City. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Kampala – a meal for two runs $25.00 versus $49.00 in Mexico City. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $674 in Kampala versus $1,561 in Mexico City, a $1,500 budget is realistic in Kampala but tight or insufficient in Mexico City. The gap between the two cities makes Kampala the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

For families, Kampala is more practical. Housing and childcare are both notably cheaper than in Mexico City, and the savings on those two alone free up budget for education, activities, and family trips.

Expats usually find Kampala gentler on the wallet – expenses run 132% less than in Mexico City. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.