Cost of living comparison

Uganda

compared to

Rwanda

Kigali vs. Kampala Cost of Living Summary

Kigali is 20.7% more expensive than Kampala.

Restaurants: pay 17.9% more in Kigali
Groceries: pay 12.3% less in Kigali
Transportation: pay 70.4% more in Kigali
Housing: pay 64.0% more in Kigali
Childcare: pay 28.2% less in Kigali
Entertainment and Sports: pay 35.7% less in Kigali
Clothing: pay 4.5% less in Kigali

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

Planning a move to Rwanda? Get up to 5 free, no-obligation quotes from vetted international movers. Get free quotes →

Kigali vs. Kampala Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 17.9% more for restaurants

	Kampala	Kigali
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$2.45 UGX10,151	$2.71 RWF4,005	+10.4%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$7.36 UGX30,452	$6.77 RWF10,013	-8.0%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$0.37 UGX1,523	$0.78 RWF1,155	+112.3%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.27 UGX1,107	$0.56 RWF826	+108.8%
Average			+17.9%

Kampala vs. Kigali - Cost of restaurants

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 12.3% less for groceries

	Kampala	Kigali
Bread 1 loaf	$0.91 UGX3,747	$1.05 RWF1,548	+15.6%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$2.18 UGX9,009	$2.11 RWF3,115	-3.2%
Milk (1 gallon)	$2.90 UGX11,976	$3.16 RWF4,675	+9.2%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.58 UGX6,530	$1.63 RWF2,412	+3.4%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.05 UGX8,472	$2.08 RWF3,078	+1.7%
Apples (1 lb)	$0.95 UGX3,939	$1.09 RWF1,618	+14.9%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.57 UGX2,353	$0.35 RWF522	-37.9%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.59 UGX2,430	$0.69 RWF1,019	+17.4%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.54 UGX2,225	$0.48 RWF707	-11.2%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.56 UGX2,302	$0.23 RWF333	-59.5%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.56 UGX2,302	$0.34 RWF499	-39.3%
Average			-12.3%

Kampala vs. Kigali - Cost of groceries

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 70.4% more for transportation

	Kampala	Kigali
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$5.31 UGX21,961	$7.00 RWF10,345	+31.8%
Monthly public transit pass	$42.68 UGX177K	$25.40 RWF37,550	-40.5%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$7,361.98 UGX30M	$26,080.15 RWF39M	+254.3%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$2.94 UGX12,181	$18.97 RWF28,037	+544.1%
Average			+70.4%

Kampala vs. Kigali - Cost of transportation

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 64.0% more for housing

	Kampala	Kigali
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$34.66 UGX143K	$21.00 RWF31,041	-39.4%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$482.64 UGX2M	$666.07 RWF985K	+38.0%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$167.36 UGX692K	$413.79 RWF612K	+147.2%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$53.08 UGX220K	$64.32 RWF95,077	+21.2%
Average			+64.0%

Kampala vs. Kigali - Cost of housing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 28.2% less for childcare

	Kampala	Kigali
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$251.43 UGX1M	$112.90 RWF167K	-55.1%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$8,279.19 UGX34M	$9,510.48 RWF14M	+14.9%
Average			-28.2%

Kampala vs. Kigali - Cost of childcare

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 35.7% less for entertainment and sports

	Kampala	Kigali
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$1.23 UGX5,075	$1.02 RWF1,502	-17.2%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.53 UGX10,471	$2.42 RWF3,578	-4.4%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$2.45 UGX10,151	$2.03 RWF3,004	-17.2%
Monthly membership at local gym	$55.21 UGX228K	$26.72 RWF39,497	-51.6%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$7.36 UGX30,452	$3.39 RWF5,007	-54.0%
Average			-35.7%

Kampala vs. Kigali - Cost of entertainment and sports

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

pay 4.5% less for clothing

	Kampala	Kigali
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$13.80 UGX57,098	$17.39 RWF25,701	+26.0%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$12.88 UGX53,292	$15.58 RWF23,031	+20.9%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$31.90 UGX132K	$22.24 RWF32,877	-30.3%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$43.25 UGX179K	$33.87 RWF50,067	-21.7%
Average			-4.5%

Kampala vs. Kigali - Cost of clothing

Improve prices · Change currency (USD)

We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

Compare further: Kampala vs. Kigali

Salary Calculator · Free tool

What salary would you need in Kigali?

More cost comparisons

Kampala vs.

Sydney

Kampala vs.

Ho Chi Minh City

Kampala vs.

Moscow

Kampala vs.

London

Kampala vs.

Berlin

Kampala vs.

New York City

Kampala vs.

Shanghai

Kampala vs.

Bangkok

Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

See the cost of living in Uganda vs. Rwanda. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Uganda and Rwanda.

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

Add prices for Kampala

Add prices for Kigali

Ask the Elsewhere Community

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Kigali or Kampala. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.