Cost of living comparison

compared to

Kampala vs. Addis Ababa Cost of Living Summary

Kampala is 6.0% cheaper than Addis Ababa.

Restaurants
pay 15.9% less in Kampala
Groceries
pay 0.7% more in Kampala
Transportation
pay 51.4% more in Kampala
Housing
pay 61.3% less in Kampala
Childcare
pay 1.4% less in Kampala
Entertainment and Sports
pay 47.7% more in Kampala
Clothing
pay 62.9% less in Kampala

The cost of transportation, entertainment and sports, and groceries in Kampala are more expensive than in Addis Ababa. Expenses including clothing, housing, restaurants, and childcare are lower in Kampala.

Kampala vs. Addis Ababa Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Kampala instead of Addis Ababa, you would:

pay 15.9% less for restaurants

 
Addis Ababa
Kampala
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $4.26
ETB664.57
$2.86
UGX10,151
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$6.50
ETB1,014.02
$8.80
UGX31,228
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.61
ETB94.79
$0.49
UGX1,734

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pay 0.7% more for groceries

 
Addis Ababa
Kampala
Bread
1 loaf
$1.26
ETB196.39
$1.17
UGX4,135
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.34
ETB676.55
$2.18
UGX7,749
Milk (1 gallon) $5.42
ETB846.02
$2.80
UGX9,940

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pay 51.4% more for transportation

 
Addis Ababa
Kampala
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.81
ETB750.72
$5.73
UGX20,334
Monthly public transit pass $12.00
ETB1,872.03
$42.91
UGX152,261
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $55,000.00
ETB8,580,139.42
$10,011.73
UGX35,527,538

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pay 61.3% less for housing

 
Addis Ababa
Kampala
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$130.20
ETB20,311.53
$46.09
UGX163,539
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $815.99
ETB127,297.27
$411.55
UGX1,460,438
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $512.43
ETB79,940.16
$206.19
UGX731,698

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pay 1.4% less for childcare

 
Addis Ababa
Kampala
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $94.05
ETB14,671.77
$173.88
UGX617,019
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $30,187.50
ETB4,709,326.53
$3,718.64
UGX13,195,943

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pay 47.7% more for entertainment and sports

 
Addis Ababa
Kampala
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $0.90
ETB140.40
$1.43
UGX5,075
Cappuccino in mid-range area $1.09
ETB169.66
$2.86
UGX10,151
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$5.10
ETB795.61
$3.65
UGX12,942

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pay 62.9% less for clothing

 
Addis Ababa
Kampala
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$45.03
ETB7,025.24
$16.81
UGX59,636
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$75.17
ETB11,726.19
$15.94
UGX56,554
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$94.08
ETB14,676.99
$43.26
UGX153,530

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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