Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Uganda Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Uganda

😐 Solo nomad: South Africa is 24.5% more expensive than Uganda without rent, and 52.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: South Africa is 28.8% more expensive than Uganda without rent, and 58.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
South Africa
Uganda
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.05 R 161
$2.72 UGX 9,745
232.72%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.84 R 691
$24.89 UGX 89.2K
56.05%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.9 R 87.1
$8.87 UGX 31.8K
-44.76%
Cappuccino
$1.98 R 35.28
$2.75 UGX 9,857
-28.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.96 R 17.06
$0.42 UGX 1,491
128.57%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.75 R 13.31
$0.3 UGX 1,087
150.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.18 R 38.72
$1.35 UGX 4,839
61.48%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 R 45.1
$2.84 UGX 10.2K
-10.56%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
South Africa
Uganda
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.1 R 19.58
$0.66 UGX 2,365
66.67%
White Bread (500g)
$1.03 R 18.32
$1.19 UGX 4,266
-13.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.56 R 27.71
$1.3 UGX 4,662
20.00%
Eggs
$2.25 R 39.93
$1.86 UGX 6,651
20.97%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.67 R 136
$4.87 UGX 17.5K
57.49%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.62 R 82.2
$5.11 UGX 18.3K
-9.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.86 R 122
$4.22 UGX 15.1K
62.56%
Apples (1kg)
$1.58 R 28.02
$2.74 UGX 9,835
-42.34%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 R 25.3
$1.49 UGX 5,343
-4.70%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.44 R 25.58
$1.76 UGX 6,293
-18.18%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.49 R 26.5
$1.46 UGX 5,229
2.05%
Potato (1kg)
$1.25 R 22.16
$1.48 UGX 5,307
-15.54%
Onion (1kg)
$1.34 R 23.81
$1.71 UGX 6,124
-21.64%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.09 R 19.31
$1.06 UGX 3,810
2.83%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.96 R 17.15
$0.58 UGX 2,073
65.52%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.9 R 51.6
$2.86 UGX 10.2K
1.40%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.07 R 90.3
$11.21 UGX 40.2K
-54.77%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.38 R 24.49
$1.15 UGX 4,139
20.00%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 R 29.79
$1.97 UGX 7,051
-14.72%
🚌 Getting Around
South Africa
Uganda
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.71 R 30.47
$0.87 UGX 3,103
96.55%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$45.01 R 801
$36.84 UGX 132K
22.18%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.1 R 19.61
$0.72 UGX 2,574
52.78%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.09 R 19.41
$0.28 UGX 1,010
289.29%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.8 R 85.3
$2.98 UGX 10.7K
61.07%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 R 23.23
$1.45 UGX 5,205
-9.66%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21K R 374.2K
$9,110 UGX 32.7M
130.95%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.7K R 421.3K
$8,926 UGX 32M
165.41%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Africa
Uganda
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$113 R 2,009
$40.49 UGX 145.1K
178.96%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.11 R 589
$13.85 UGX 49.6K
139.06%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$41.49 R 738
$54.7 UGX 196.1K
-24.18%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
South Africa
Uganda
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.69 R 564
$39.73 UGX 142.4K
-20.24%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.45 R 168
$6.51 UGX 23.3K
45.16%
Cinema Ticket
$6.7 R 119
$6.32 UGX 22.7K
6.01%
🧸 Childcare & Education
South Africa
Uganda
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$186 R 3,303
$135 UGX 484.3K
37.47%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,336 R 77.1K
$3,903 UGX 14M
11.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
South Africa
Uganda
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.56 R 864
$16.23 UGX 58.2K
199.20%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.74 R 547
$14.44 UGX 51.8K
112.88%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92 R 1,636
$37.98 UGX 136.1K
142.23%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.6 R 1,415
$46.24 UGX 165.7K
72.08%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
South Africa
Uganda
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$442 R 7,860
$340 UGX 1.2M
30.09%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$370 R 6,579
$189 UGX 677.5K
95.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$880 R 15.7K
$940 UGX 3.4M
-6.36%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$724 R 12.9K
$302 UGX 1.1M
139.88%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,021 R 18.2K
$987 UGX 3.5M
3.47%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$803 R 14.3K
$1,040 UGX 3.7M
-22.78%
💵 Salaries & Financials
South Africa
Uganda
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,406 R 25K
$193 UGX 693K
627.43%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.55
20.8
-44.47%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 29, 2025

Last update for Uganda: October 28, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.