Living in Kampala as a Foreigner in 2026

Guides · Uganda

A foreigner living in Uganda pays about US$300 to US$800 a month for a one-bedroom flat in Kampala’s expat districts (asking prices), and a US citizen needs a visa first. A tourist visa costs US$50, while a work permit for six months costs US$1,250.

For a US reader, Uganda is cheap on the street and costly where bills are paid in dollars. The rules matter as much as the rent, so read the permit and health notes before you book.

Kampala and Entebbe: Where Foreigners Live

Kampala, Uganda’s capital, spreads across hills, and expats and diplomats favour the districts of Kololo, Nakasero, Naguru, Bugolobi and Muyenga. These are residential areas with shops and restaurants close by, and our Kampala guide for October lists events and venues.

Rent guides, whose asking prices we could not confirm, list an expat-oriented one-bedroom flat at US$500 to US$800 a month in Kololo. The same type of flat is US$350 to US$550 in Naguru and US$300 to US$450 in Bugolobi.

A three-bedroom house in Muyenga is asked at US$800 to US$1,500 a month. Good flats in Kololo, Nakasero and Naguru are listed at UGX 2.5 million to UGX 5 million (about US$625 to US$1,250).

We convert every shilling amount at about UGX 4,000 per US$1, the market level around 9 November 2026, and the shilling moves daily. Landlords commonly ask for two to three months’ deposit.

Entebbe is a lakeside town on Lake Victoria, about 40 km from Kampala, and it has Uganda’s international airport. We have no confirmed rents there, and our Uganda news page follows daily events.

Visas and Work Permits

Uganda’s Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control, the visa and border agency, says US citizens need a visa. A single-entry tourist visa costs US$50 and is valid for 90 days after approval, and the fee is not refundable.

The East African Tourist Visa costs US$100 and covers Uganda, Kenya and Rwanda with multiple entries. It allows tourism only, bars employment and cannot be renewed.

An official notice dated 2 October 2026 says a yellow fever vaccination certificate is no longer mandatory for entry. Our report on the yellow fever rule explains the change.

Working legally needs an entry permit, which an organisation or company holding an organisation code must sponsor. Class G2 covers foreign staff employed in Uganda, including salaried workers at charities.

G2 fees are US$1,250 for six months, US$2,500 for 12 months, US$5,000 for 24 months and US$7,500 for 36 months. The file needs a home-country police clearance and a tax clearance certificate, and the 12-month and longer fees include a US$1,500 non-refundable part.

Class H is for ordinary residents with assured income from abroad of at least US$36,000 a year who agree not to work. It costs US$750 for six months and US$1,500 for 12 months.

Health and the Ebola Outbreak

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has a Level 2 notice, “practice enhanced precautions”, for Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease, a strain of Ebola, in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), updated 28 August 2026. Uganda’s government has said it has no active Ebola cases and is reported to have declared its earlier outbreak over on 28 July 2026, which we could not confirm on a ministry page.

US citizens who were in Uganda or South Sudan, and not in the DRC, within 21 days of arriving home must enter through designated airports for enhanced screening. The CDC applies the same notice to parts of the DRC that the outbreak has not reached.

Expat guides name Nakasero Hospital and International Hospital Kampala as the main private options, and call public care underfunded. They also recommend international insurance with medical evacuation, since complex cases may go to Nairobi or South Africa.

Internet and Power

Home fibre internet is mostly in Kampala and parts of Wakiso, the district around the capital. Zuku, an internet provider, advertises 25 megabits a second for UGX 75,000 (about US$19) a month and 100 megabits for UGX 110,000 (about US$28), unconfirmed.

The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC), the telecoms regulator, licenses the mobile networks and internet providers. Uganda signed a licence with Starlink, a satellite internet firm, on 15 May 2026 at State House Entebbe, the president’s official residence and office, but we could not confirm retail sales.

UEDCL, the Uganda Electricity Distribution Company and the state distributor, is reported to charge UGX 250 (about US$0.06) per kilowatt-hour, a unit of electricity, for the first 15 units a month in October to December 2026. Units 16 to 80 cost UGX 779.4 (about US$0.19), so check your bill, because the Electricity Regulatory Authority (ERA), the power-price regulator, sets tariffs every quarter.

Schools

International schools in Kampala include Kampala International School Uganda and the International School of Uganda. A listing site gives 2026/27 tuition for the first between UGX 16.6 million (about US$4,150) and UGX 105.4 million (about US$26,350) a year, depending on age.

That listing may carry over 2025/26 fees, so confirm with the school. Foreign pupils over age 4 need a student pass, which costs US$100 from immigration.

Banking and Mobile Money

Mobile money is a bank-like wallet tied to a phone number, and the main wallets are MTN MoMo and Airtel Money, run by two telecoms firms. The UCC reported 36.7 million active users in the first quarter of 2026, from 58.7 million registered accounts.

Uganda’s finance minister, in the budget speech of 11 June 2026, put mobile money transactions at UGX 392.7 trillion (about US$98 billion) in the year to March 2026. Rules for foreigners opening a bank account are not confirmed.

The Bank of Uganda, the central bank, raised its Central Bank Rate, the main policy interest rate, by 2.25 percentage points to 12% at an emergency meeting on 14 October 2026, citing a weak shilling and higher energy prices. It expects inflation of 7.0% to 7.5% over the next 12 months, after the Uganda Bureau of Statistics (UBOS), the national statistics office, was reported to record 5.8% for October, a trend our guide to Uganda’s economy follows.

Safety and the Law

The US State Department, America’s foreign ministry, is reported to have set Level 4, Do Not Travel, for Uganda on 4 June 2026, a level we could not open on its own site. Check travel.state.gov for the current level before you book.

Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 provides life imprisonment for same-sex sexual acts and the death penalty for so-called aggravated homosexuality. The law applies to everyone in Uganda, including foreigners.

Uganda’s Constitutional Court upheld most of the law in April 2024 and struck down some provisions on health, privacy and religion. An appeal to Uganda’s Supreme Court was set for 31 March 2026 but was postponed, and we could confirm no judgment.

Travellers and residents should read their own government’s travel advice before they go, and our guide to who holds power in Uganda gives the political background. Laws and notices can change, so check again before each trip.

What It Means for US Readers

A US citizen can enter on a US$50 visa but cannot work on it, so anyone planning to earn money in Uganda needs a sponsored permit. Dollar income stretches furthest on shilling-priced daily costs, while many rents are quoted in dollars.

Budget for health insurance with evacuation, and re-check the Ebola and State Department notices before you fly. Inflation rose from 4.6% in September to 5.8% in October, and the central bank expects 7.0% to 7.5% over the next 12 months.

What Is Not Known

We do not know whether remote work for a foreign employer fits Class H, which bars income-generating activity in Uganda. Entebbe rents, hospital prices, current school fees and bank account rules for foreigners are also unconfirmed.

We have not confirmed whether Starlink retail service is live, the October inflation figure on the statistics office’s own page, or the State Department level on its own site. The date of the Bank of Uganda’s next rate decision is not confirmed, so convert and check each figure again before you commit.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to live in Uganda as a foreigner?

Asking prices for an expat one-bedroom flat in Kampala run from about US$300 to US$800 a month, not confirmed. Add health insurance, school fees for children, and permit costs from US$1,250 for six months for a salaried worker.

Does a US citizen need a visa for Uganda?

Yes, the immigration directorate’s visa-exempt list does not include the United States. A single-entry tourist visa costs US$50 and is valid for 90 days after approval.

Is Ebola a risk in Uganda in 2026?

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has a Level 2 notice, “practice enhanced precautions”, for Ebola Bundibugyo virus disease, a strain of Ebola, in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Uganda’s government has said it has no active Ebola cases and is reported to have declared its earlier outbreak over on 28 July 2026, which we could not confirm on a ministry page.

What does Ugandan law say about same-sex relations?

The Anti-Homosexuality Act 2023 provides life imprisonment for same-sex sexual acts, and it applies to foreigners too. The Constitutional Court upheld most of it in April 2024, and we could confirm no Supreme Court judgment.

Sources read on 10 November 2026: Uganda Directorate of Citizenship and Immigration Control (https://immigration.go.ug/services/tourist-visa, https://immigration.go.ug/services/east-african-tourist-visa, https://immigration.go.ug/entry-permit/class-g2, https://immigration.go.ug/entry-permit/class-h, https://immigration.go.ug/services/dependant-pass); US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Uganda travel page (https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/traveler/none/uganda); Bank of Uganda (https://www.bou.or.ug/); Uganda Bureau of Statistics (https://www.ubos.org/); Uganda Communications Commission (https://www.ucc.co.ug/); Electricity Regulatory Authority (https://www.era.go.ug/); listing sites for asking rents, school fees and internet prices.

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