How much does it cost to build a house in Uganda?

Ranges per m² by finish level and by city, and what they come to on a 120 m² house, from the surveys in the Uganda pack.

Updated August 30, 2026

Economy (self-build): $240 – $400 /m²
Standard: $400 – $590 /m²
Premium: $590 – $800 /m²

Build cost in Uganda is reasoned per square metre of finished floor, because that is the only measure that survives a change of plan. The ranges below are the ones this tool applies to Kampala, the country’s reference city, for a detached house in 2026. They cover the building itself: not the land, the taxes or the connections, which are listed further down.

Finish level	Price per m²	Basis
Economy (self-build)	900,000 USh – 1,500,000 USh ($240 – $400)	surveyed
Standard	1,500,000 USh – 2,201,000 USh ($400 – $590)	surveyed
Premium	2,201,000 USh – 3,000,000 USh ($590 – $800)	surveyed
Luxury	3,000,000 USh – 5,250,000 USh ($800 – $1,400)	derived

What that comes to on a 120 m² house

Finish level	Total for 120 m²
Economy (self-build)	108,000,000 USh – 180,000,000 USh ($29,000 – $48,000)
Standard	180,000,000 USh – 264,150,000 USh ($48,000 – $70,500)
Premium	264,150,000 USh – 360,000,000 USh ($70,500 – $96,000)
Luxury	360,000,000 USh – 630,000,000 USh ($96,000 – $168,000)

The town moves the number

The same drawing does not cost the same in two towns: hauling cement and steel, the price of labour and how many contractors are competing all move. Between Gulu and Kampala the spread applied here is 14%. The totals below are for a 120 m² house at standard finish.

City	Price per m² (standard)	Total for 120 m²
Gulu	1,320,000 USh – 1,937,000 USh ($350 – $520)	158,400,000 USh – 232,452,000 USh ($42,000 – $62,000)
Jinja	1,350,000 USh – 1,981,000 USh ($360 – $530)	162,000,000 USh – 237,735,000 USh ($43,000 – $63,500)
Entebbe	1,455,000 USh – 2,135,000 USh ($390 – $570)	174,600,000 USh – 256,226,000 USh ($46,500 – $68,500)
Kampala	1,500,000 USh – 2,201,000 USh ($400 – $590)	180,000,000 USh – 264,150,000 USh ($48,000 – $70,500)

What the number leaves out

The land, its title and the transfer fees, which in a city often outweigh the structure.
VAT, 18% in Uganda, where you build through a firm that charges it.
The building permit and design fees, which are counted separately.
Water and power connections, priced by how far the network is from the plot.

Cost your own project

These ranges are averages. The estimator adapts them to your area, your city and your specification.