50 by 50 and 100 by 100 Plots in Uganda: Size, Cost, Use
Updated 3 November 2026 · Land & Property editorial team
A 50 by 50 ft plot is 2,500 square feet, about 5.7 decimals or 232 square metres. A 100 by 100 ft plot is 10,000 square feet, about 23 decimals or 929 square metres, which is a little under a quarter of an acre. Sellers in Uganda often call it 25 decimals. Neither size can be built on without a permit, and splitting one into smaller plots needs planning approval.
- 50 by 50 ft
- 2,500 sq ft, about 232 sq m, about 5.74 decimals
- 100 by 100 ft
- 10,000 sq ft, about 929 sq m, about 22.96 decimals, 0.23 acre
- One decimal
- One hundredth of an acre, 435.6 sq ft
- Trade habit
- A 100 by 100 ft plot is usually advertised as 25 decimals (Land & Property listings, Nov 2026)
- Building permit
- Required before any building operation (Building Control Act 2013, s.34)
How many decimals is a 50 by 50 plot?
An acre is exactly 43,560 square feet, or about 4,047 square metres (source 1). In Uganda land is counted in decimals, where 100 decimals make one acre, so one decimal is 435.6 square feet. A 50 by 50 ft plot is 2,500 square feet. Divide by 435.6 and you get about 5.74 decimals. In metric that is a square of 15.24 m by 15.24 m, or about 232 square metres.
A 100 by 100 ft plot is 10,000 square feet, which is about 22.96 decimals, 929 square metres or 0.23 of an acre. Our measurement pages explain the unit, with the decimal of land guide and the land size converter for checking any figure.
| Size | Square feet | Square metres | Decimals (true area) | Acre fraction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 50 by 50 ft | 2,500 | about 232 | about 5.74 | about 0.057 |
| 50 by 100 ft | 5,000 | about 465 | about 11.5 | about 0.115 |
| 100 by 100 ft | 10,000 | about 929 | about 22.96 | about 0.23 |
Is a 100 by 100 plot a quarter acre?
By strict arithmetic, no. A quarter of an acre is 10,890 square feet, so a 100 by 100 ft plot is about 890 square feet, or 2 decimals, short of it. In the market, though, sellers round up. Two of our Kampala listings describe a 100 by 100 ft plot as 25 decimals: one at Kyanja asking UGX 520,000,000 and one at Ntinda asking UGX 850,000,000 (Land & Property listings, Nov 2026).
That rounding matters when you pay by the decimal. At the Kyanja price, 25 decimals is UGX 20,800,000 per decimal, but 22.96 decimals is about UGX 22,650,000 per decimal. The gap is the difference between the label and the ground. Ask the seller which figure the price is based on, and ask a surveyor to measure it. The same habit applies to the middle size: our page on What Can You Build on a 50 by 100 Plot? explains why 50 by 100 is called 12 or 12.5 decimals although the true area is 11.5.
For the 50 by 50 plot, the trade convention would give 6.25 decimals, against 5.74 by area. Do the same check.
What can you build on a 50 by 50 plot?
A 50 by 50 ft plot is small. After the setbacks your planning office requires, parking space and a septic tank or sewer connection, the footprint left is modest, and a small family home or a compact storeyed house is the realistic use. We have not found a single, current national setback figure in the documents we opened, so we do not quote one: ask the physical planning office for the setbacks on your road. Section 34 of the Building Control Act, 2013 says no building operation may start without a valid building permit from a Building Committee, and breaching it is an offence (source 2).
Rental units on a plot this size are possible only if the plan, density rules and drainage allow it. Ask the planning office whether the zone permits multi-family use before you buy, because the density limit is set locally. Read What Can You Build on a 50 by 100 Plot? for the next size up.
What can you build on a 100 by 100 plot?
A 100 by 100 ft plot, about 23 decimals, gives much more room: a family house with a compound, a block of rental apartments or townhouses if the zone allows, or a small commercial building on a main road. The permit rule is the same. Because the plot is four times the size of a 50 by 50, parking and drainage planning matters more, and the planning committee will look at access and the effect on neighbours.
Is it better to buy one 100 by 100 or four 50 by 50 plots? The answer depends on use. If you plan to subdivide, remember that the Physical Planning Act, 2010 says land shall not be subdivided except in accordance with the approved local physical development plan, that the subdivision plan must be prepared by a qualified physical planner, and that no subdivision may be effected without approval by the relevant physical planning committee (source 3, sections 36 and 51). The ministry's standard for approving a subdivision or mutation is 5 working days at a cost of UGX 20,000, and a further 15 working days to process the subdivision at the registry (source 4). Real times can be longer.
How do prices scale with plot size in our listings?
Price per decimal does not stay flat as plots get bigger. Using our November 2026 snapshot and the 12.5-decimal habit for a 50 by 100 ft plot:
| Plot | Asking price | Per decimal (UGX) |
|---|---|---|
| 50 by 100 ft, Gayaza Manyangwa | UGX 42,000,000 | about 3,400,000 |
| 50 by 100 ft, Kitende | UGX 70,000,000 | about 5,600,000 |
| 50 by 100 ft, Kira Nsasa | UGX 85,000,000 | about 6,800,000 |
| 100 by 100 ft, Kyanja (Kampala) | UGX 520,000,000 | about 20,800,000 |
| 100 by 100 ft, Ntinda (Kampala) | UGX 850,000,000 | about 34,000,000 |
Location moves price far more than size. Our snapshot has no 50 by 50 plot, so we cannot quote one; half the price of a 50 by 100 in the same area is only a starting point for negotiation (Land & Property listings, Nov 2026). Check the area pages for current prices in Plots for Sale in Kampala and Cheap Plots for Sale in Wakiso, and the acre ladder in Price of an Acre of Land in Uganda by Region (2026). See also How Many Plots Are in an Acre in Uganda?
What should I check before buying either size?
- Measure the plot on the ground with a surveyor. Plots are rarely perfect squares.
- Ask the seller whether the price is per plot or per decimal, and which decimal figure it is based on.
- Search the title and check the plot number matches the one you were shown.
- Ask the planning office for setbacks, density and any road or utility reserve across the plot.
For a walk-through of the plot with a verified person, book an escorted site visit. When you are ready, browse plot listings. Our main guide is Land for Sale in Uganda: The Complete Buyer's Guide.
Frequently asked questions
How many decimals is a 50 by 50 plot?
About 5.74 decimals by area, because 50 by 50 ft is 2,500 square feet and one decimal is 435.6 square feet. Some sellers round to 6 or 6.25 decimals, so ask which figure the price uses.
Can I build rental units on a 50 by 50?
Only if the plan, zone and drainage allow it. You need a building permit before any building operation, and density limits are set locally. Ask the physical planning office before you buy, not after.
Is a 100 by 100 plot a quarter acre?
Not exactly. A quarter acre is 10,890 square feet and a 100 by 100 ft plot is 10,000, about 22.96 decimals. Sellers commonly call it 25 decimals, so check the figure used for the price.
Can I split a 100 by 100 into four 50 by 50 plots?
Only with planning approval. The Physical Planning Act, 2010 says no subdivision may be effected without approval by the relevant physical planning committee, and the plan must be prepared by a qualified physical planner. The resulting plots then need registering.
Sources
- Acre (definition in square feet, square metres and hectares), Wikipedia (accessed 2026-11)
- Building Control Act, 2013 (Act 10 of 2013), section 34, KCCA (Act text) (accessed 2026-11)
- Physical Planning Act, 2010, sections 36 and 51, KCCA (Act text) (accessed 2026-11)
- Lands, Housing and Urban Development Service Delivery Standards FY2025/26 to FY2028/29, Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development (accessed 2026-11)
- Land & Property listings snapshot, 3 November 2026 (our own data), Land & Property (accessed 2026-11)
Related guides
- Land for Sale in Uganda: Verified Plots and the Complete Buyer's Guide
- What Can You Build on a 50 by 100 Plot?
- What Is a Decimal of Land? (Uganda Measure Explained)
- How Many Plots Are in an Acre in Uganda?
- Price of an Acre of Land in Uganda by Region (2026)
- Land Size Converter: Acres, Decimals, Hectares, Plots