Mbarara at a glance
- Mbarara ranks 7th of 10 priced cities in Uganda on cost: $413 a month in essentials, 18% above Arua, the cheapest.
- The average net salary of $144 covers that 0.3×.
- 90.2 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at district level.
- PM2.5 averages 22.6 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 Mbarara 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 | $413 | $390 | $24 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $124 | $112 | $12 |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $352 | $316 | $36 |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $73 | $69 | $4 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $67 | $64 | $3 |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $106 | $103 | $3 |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $43 | $42 | $1 |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $144 | $134 | $10 |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $230 | $206 | $24 |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $778 | $698 | $80 |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Mbarara, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $2.24 | $2.14 | $0.10 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $22.46 | $21.39 | $1.07 |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $6.52 | $6.21 | $0.31 |
| Cappuccino, regular | $2.19 | $2.09 | $0.10 |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $1.13 | $1.07 | $0.06 |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $1.69 | $1.61 | $0.08 |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $0.34 | $0.33 | $0.01 |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $0.24 | $0.23 | $0.01 |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $0.70 | $0.66 | $0.04 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $0.81 | $0.77 | $0.04 |
| White rice, 1 kg | $1.14 | $1.09 | $0.05 |
| Eggs, 12 | $1.30 | $1.24 | $0.06 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $3.99 | $3.80 | $0.19 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $4.08 | $3.89 | $0.19 |
| Apples, 1 kg | $2.00 | $1.90 | $0.10 |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $1.10 | $1.05 | $0.05 |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $1.08 | $1.03 | $0.05 |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $1.15 | $1.10 | $0.05 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $1.24 | $1.18 | $0.06 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $0.46 | $0.44 | $0.02 |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $0.74 | $0.72 | $0.02 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $42.79 | $41.86 | $0.93 |
| Taxi start | $0.49 | $0.48 | $0.01 |
| Taxi, 1 km | $0.30 | $0.30 | same |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $1.33 | $1.30 | $0.03 |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $69.59 | $68.08 | $1.51 |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $35.92 | $35.14 | $0.78 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $13.95 | $13.64 | $0.31 |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $50.54 | $48.14 | $2.40 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $6.17 | $5.88 | $0.29 |
Dating-age sex ratio
Mbarara has 90.2 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (district level). That is the 4th-highest of 10 Uganda cities we track. Uganda's national figure is 98.4, so Mbarara runs 8 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 Mbarara ranks against every city we track
Mbarara sits ahead of 92% of the 1001 cities we track on women aged 20–39. On cost of living it is ahead of 88% of 998. Its weakest measure is local salary, ahead of only 4% of 999.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Mbarara sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
Put Mbarara on the board
Ratio, cost and visa for Mbarara beside every other city we measure. Free, no sign-in.
Open Mbarara in the research deskOr unlock the Uganda deep-dive: visa, tax, scams, and the sub-national map.
Photo: Tonny Mpagi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Data updated