Sending money between the US and Uganda: what it actually costs

A free tool comparing what recipients really receive after fees and exchange-rate markups. Every rate below was checked by hand in Kampala in July 2026 — at agent counters, in bank branches, and inside each app — not copied from marketing pages.

Sending money from the USA to Uganda

Costs range from roughly 1% to over 6% of the amount sent, depending on the provider and how the recipient is paid. Most services advertise "no fees" while taking their margin in the exchange rate instead, so the headline fee is rarely the real cost. Providers compared: LemFi, Sendwave, NALA, Eversend, Wise, Remitly, WorldRemit, Western Union and MoneyGram, across cash pickup, bank deposit and mobile money (MTN MoMo and Airtel Money).

Sending money from Uganda to the USA

This direction is far harder and far more expensive, and almost nothing online documents it. MTN MoMo's international transfers reach 22 countries but not the United States. Airtel Money lists the USA in its menu but returns "service not live" — though a completed Uganda-to-UK transfer in September 2025 suggests this corridor was switched off rather than never launched. Ria's app blocks registration from Uganda. WorldRemit ended outbound service from Uganda in 2022. Bank apps do not send internationally; the bank's international counter is Western Union.

What does work: two apps and the agent counters. Chipper Cash and Eversend both send from a Ugandan wallet to a US bank account entirely from the phone, at roughly 3.4% and 4.4% below the mid-market rate respectively. Western Union and MoneyGram work from a forex bureau with cash and a national ID, costing about 6.3% and 5.4%. Peer-to-peer stablecoin trading carries the smallest spread, around 2.5%, but brings real scam risk and unclear regulation.

How this is researched

Quotes are collected in person and in-app, dated, and published with the method shown. Readers correct it — several providers on this map were added or fixed because someone who uses them wrote in. Corrections and quotes from your own bureau or bank are welcome.

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