Cost of living comparison

compared to

Kampala vs. Beijing Cost of Living Summary

Kampala is 12.0% cheaper than Beijing.

Restaurants
pay 12.0% more in Kampala
Groceries
pay 10.8% more in Kampala
Transportation
pay 3.4% more in Kampala
Housing
pay 32.6% more in Kampala
Childcare
pay 79.8% less in Kampala
Entertainment and Sports
pay 6.3% less in Kampala
Clothing
pay 57.0% less in Kampala

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

Kampala vs. Beijing Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Kampala instead of Beijing, you would:

pay 12.0% more for restaurants

 
Beijing
Kampala
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $4.21
CN¥29.76
$2.86
UGX10,368
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$4.91
CN¥34.72
$8.80
UGX31,897
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.48
CN¥3.39
$0.49
UGX1,771

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pay 10.8% more for groceries

 
Beijing
Kampala
Bread
1 loaf
$1.71
CN¥12.07
$1.17
UGX4,223
Local cheese (8 oz) $7.47
CN¥52.84
$2.18
UGX7,915
Milk (1 gallon) $6.64
CN¥46.99
$2.80
UGX10,153

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pay 3.4% more for transportation

 
Beijing
Kampala
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.21
CN¥29.80
$5.73
UGX20,769
Monthly public transit pass $31.54
CN¥223.19
$42.91
UGX155,522
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $18,225.66
CN¥128,952.02
$10,011.73
UGX36,288,494

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pay 32.6% more for housing

 
Beijing
Kampala
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$12.93
CN¥91.49
$46.09
UGX167,042
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $935.23
CN¥6,617.06
$411.55
UGX1,491,719
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $504.41
CN¥3,568.82
$206.19
UGX747,370

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pay 79.8% less for childcare

 
Beijing
Kampala
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $710.76
CN¥5,028.87
$173.88
UGX630,235
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $23,242.73
CN¥164,449.26
$3,718.64
UGX13,478,584

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pay 6.3% less for entertainment and sports

 
Beijing
Kampala
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.12
CN¥7.94
$1.43
UGX5,184
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.90
CN¥20.53
$2.86
UGX10,368
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$4.21
CN¥29.76
$3.65
UGX13,219

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pay 57.0% less for clothing

 
Beijing
Kampala
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$62.30
CN¥440.79
$16.81
UGX60,913
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$36.37
CN¥257.35
$15.94
UGX57,765
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$81.74
CN¥578.34
$43.26
UGX156,818

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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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