Cost of living in Kampala

Real monthly costs in Kampala, Uganda: USD, from the same data behind the Pro model.

Kampala, UgandaKampala
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Kampala at a glance

Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.

Essentials / mo$512rent + bills + food + transit
Men per 100 women85.9ages 20โ€“39, district level
Avg net salary$192monthly, after tax
Safety score46/100higher = safer

Monthly cost breakdown

Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget.

Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit$512
Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD$183
Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD$517
Groceriesmonthly, one person$87
Dining outmonthly, one person$80
Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet$115
Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent$47
Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median$192
Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD$338
Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD$1,144

Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.

Everyday prices

What single items cost in Kampala, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.

Eating out

Meal, inexpensive restaurant$2.67
Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses$26.74
McMeal at McDonald's$7.76
Cappuccino, regular$2.61
Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught$1.34
Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle$2.01
Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L$0.41
Water, 0.33 L bottle$0.29

Groceries

Milk, 1 L$0.83
White bread, 500 g$0.96
White rice, 1 kg$1.36
Eggs, 12$1.55
Local cheese, 1 kg$4.75
Chicken fillets, 1 kg$4.86
Apples, 1 kg$2.38
Bananas, 1 kg$1.31
Tomatoes, 1 kg$1.29
Potatoes, 1 kg$1.37
Onions, 1 kg$1.48
Water, 1.5 L bottle$0.55

Transport & bills

One-way ticket, local transport$0.80
Monthly transit pass$46.51
Taxi start$0.53
Taxi, 1 km$0.33
Gasoline, 1 L$1.45
Basic utilities, 85 mยฒ flat$75.64
Internet, 60 Mbps+$39.04
Mobile plan, monthly$15.16

Leisure

Gym, monthly$60.17
Cinema, one seat$7.35

Dating-age sex ratio

Kampala has 85.9 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (district level). That is the 7th-highest of 10 Uganda cities we track. Uganda's national figure is 98.4, so Kampala runs 12 below the country as a whole.

A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.

How Kampala ranks against every city we track

Kampala sits ahead of 96% of the 892 cities we track on women aged 20โ€“39. On cost of living it is ahead of 86% of 542. Its weakest measure is salary against local costs, ahead of only 3% of 534.

More women aged 20โ€“39men per 100 women, census85.9
96% of 892
Cheaper to liveessentials a month$512
86% of 542
Cheaper city-centre rentone-bed a month$517
66% of 553
Higher local salaryaverage net, monthly$192
4% of 545
Salary goes furtheressentials covered by one salary0.37ร—
3% of 534
Safersafety score, perception-based46/100
22% of 562
Cleaner airPM2.5 ยตg/mยณ a year26.5
10% of 898

Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Kampala sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.

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Kampala, Uganda

Photo: Chapelle musa, CC BY-SA 4.0.