Mbale at a glance
- Mbale ranks 4th of 10 priced cities in Uganda on cost: $379 a month in essentials, 8% above Arua, the cheapest.
- The average net salary of $130 covers that 0.3×.
- 82.9 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at district level.
- PM2.5 averages 24.2 µg/m³ a year, 5× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget. The middle column is the median across the 10 Uganda cities we track, so every row says whether Mbale is the cheap side of its own market or the dear one. Green is the better side of each row.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $379 | $390 | $10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $106 | $112 | $6 |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $300 | $316 | $16 |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $68 | $69 | $1 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $62 | $64 | $2 |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $102 | $103 | $1 |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $41 | $42 | $1 |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $130 | $134 | $4 |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $196 | $206 | $10 |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $664 | $698 | $34 |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Mbale, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $2.08 | $2.14 | $0.06 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $20.86 | $21.39 | $0.53 |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $6.05 | $6.21 | $0.16 |
| Cappuccino, regular | $2.04 | $2.09 | $0.05 |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $1.05 | $1.07 | $0.02 |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $1.57 | $1.61 | $0.04 |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $0.32 | $0.33 | $0.01 |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $0.23 | $0.23 | same |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $0.65 | $0.66 | $0.01 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $0.75 | $0.77 | $0.02 |
| White rice, 1 kg | $1.06 | $1.09 | $0.03 |
| Eggs, 12 | $1.21 | $1.24 | $0.03 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $3.71 | $3.80 | $0.09 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $3.79 | $3.89 | $0.10 |
| Apples, 1 kg | $1.86 | $1.90 | $0.04 |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $1.02 | $1.05 | $0.03 |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $1.01 | $1.03 | $0.02 |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $1.07 | $1.10 | $0.03 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $1.15 | $1.18 | $0.03 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $0.43 | $0.44 | $0.01 |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $0.71 | $0.72 | $0.01 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $41.39 | $41.86 | $0.47 |
| Taxi start | $0.47 | $0.48 | $0.01 |
| Taxi, 1 km | $0.29 | $0.30 | $0.01 |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $1.29 | $1.30 | $0.01 |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $67.32 | $68.08 | $0.76 |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $34.75 | $35.14 | $0.39 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $13.49 | $13.64 | $0.15 |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $46.93 | $48.14 | $1.21 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $5.73 | $5.88 | $0.15 |
Dating-age sex ratio
Mbale has 82.9 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (district level). That is the 8th-highest of 10 Uganda cities we track. Uganda's national figure is 98.4, so Mbale runs 16 below the country as a whole.
Every Uganda region by male-to-female ratio →
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Mbale ranks against every city we track
Mbale sits ahead of 98% of the 1001 cities we track on women aged 20–39. On cost of living it is ahead of 90% of 998. Its weakest measure is local salary, ahead of only 3% of 999.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Mbale sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
Put Mbale on the board
Ratio, cost and visa for Mbale beside every other city we measure. Free, no sign-in.
Open Mbale in the research deskOr unlock the Uganda deep-dive: visa, tax, scams, and the sub-national map.
Photo: Dixon099, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Data updated