Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Kigali

For one person, living is cheaper in Kigali: $881 a month against $2,704 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $21,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

129

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Kigali
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Kigali Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,704

/mo nomad

Kigali

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$881

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Kigali

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Austin, TX and in Kigali actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,704 in Austin, TX versus $881 in Kigali.

Austin, TX $2,704
Kigali $881

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,376 in Kigali.

Austin, TX $4,133
Kigali $1,376

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,562 in Austin, TX versus $1,871 in Kigali.

Austin, TX $5,562
Kigali $1,871

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 207% more expensive than in Kigali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 102% above, Kigali is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.22 $20.22

$2.75 RWF 4,037

635.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.0 $85.0

$30.32 RWF 44.6K

180.44%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.35 $12.35

$6.73 RWF 9,895

83.51%

Cappuccino

$5.47 $5.47

$2.45 RWF 3,599

123.27%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.82 $3.82

$0.76 RWF 1,112

402.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$0.55 RWF 803

354.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.06 $8.06

$1.00 RWF 1,471

706.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.99 $8.99

$2.34 RWF 3,435

284.19%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.13 $1.13

$0.82 RWF 1,204

37.80%

White Bread (500g)

$3.78 $3.78

$1.07 RWF 1,577

253.27%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.25 $3.25

$1.32 RWF 1,935

146.21%

Eggs

$4.14 $4.14

$1.60 RWF 2,354

158.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$13.08 $13.08

$4.19 RWF 6,162

212.17%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.31 $14.31

$4.68 RWF 6,878

205.77%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.96 $15.96

$4.51 RWF 6,631

253.88%

Apples (1kg)

$4.38 $4.38

$2.45 RWF 3,601

78.78%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 $1.45

$0.74 RWF 1,093

95.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.54 $4.54

$1.54 RWF 2,263

194.81%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.19 $4.19

$1.06 RWF 1,564

295.28%

Potato (1kg)

$2.63 $2.63

$0.49 RWF 719

436.73%

Onion (1kg)

$2.36 $2.36

$0.71 RWF 1,050

232.39%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.76 $1.76

$0.70 RWF 1,024

151.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.16 $2.16

$0.82 RWF 1,204

163.41%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.81 $9.81

$1.97 RWF 2,897

397.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.72 $14.72

$10.28 RWF 15.1K

43.19%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.78 $2.78

$1.00 RWF 1,468

178.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.48 $3.48

$1.59 RWF 2,342

118.87%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$0.35 RWF 516

325.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$40.51 $40.51

$25.24 RWF 37.1K

60.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 $2.67

$2.67 RWF 3,920

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.58 $1.58

$2.01 RWF 2,957

-21.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.29 $35.29

$3.31 RWF 4,869

966.16%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.99 $0.99

$1.84 RWF 2,702

-46.20%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$35.8K $35.8K

$26.5K RWF 38.9M

35.23%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$27.2K $27.2K

$29.1K RWF 42.7M

-6.48%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$219 $219

$82.6 RWF 121.5K

165.36%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$58.0 $58.0

$7.06 RWF 10.4K

721.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$68.4 $68.4

$20.85 RWF 30.6K

227.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.9 $57.9

$26.26 RWF 38.6K

120.49%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 $14.82

$4.16 RWF 6,115

256.25%

Cinema Ticket

$14.13 $14.13

$3.49 RWF 5,126

304.87%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,509 $1,509

$112 RWF 164.1K

1251.88%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

$9,532 RWF 14.0M

125.10%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$51.7 $51.7

$17.17 RWF 25.2K

200.87%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.05 $44.05

$15.74 RWF 23.1K

179.86%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.1 $85.1

$22.31 RWF 32.8K

281.40%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$105 $105

$34.12 RWF 50.2K

208.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,932 $1,932

$670 RWF 984.8K

188.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,272 $1,272

$411 RWF 604.6K

209.38%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,670 $3,670

$1,361 RWF 2.0M

169.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,525 $2,525

$837 RWF 1.2M

201.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,617 $7,617

$3,404 RWF 5.0M

123.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,199 $3,199

$3,062 RWF 4.5M

4.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,105 $5,105

$275 RWF 404.6K

1754.38%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

16.2

-58.09%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Austin, TX: October 5, 2026

Last update for Kigali: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 48.2%

Kigali

$411 47.1% 67.7% $861

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$403 15.3%

Kigali

$153 17.5% 62.1% $250

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$348 13.2%

Kigali

$86 9.9% 75.2% $262

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$346 13.1%

Kigali

$111 12.7% 68% $235

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$129 4.9%

Kigali

$40 4.6% 68.8% $89

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.3%

Kigali

$33 3.8% 61.4% $53

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$57 2.2%

Kigali

$39 4.5% 30.9% $18

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,932 in Austin, TX and $670 in Kigali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 1754% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $30.00 in Kigali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $403 vs $153 per month, with Kigali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇷🇼 Kigali

🕒 Local time

07:10 7:10 AM

14:10 2:10 PM

7 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

1,132,686 Capital

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.892 EUR

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RWF, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇷🇼 Rwandan Franc (Fr)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.892 EUR).

Rwandan Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,470 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD). 1 EUR = 1,647 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.07 EUR).

RWF to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Austin, TX Kigali 13,690 km ≈ 18 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Kigali

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Austin, TX vs Kigali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kigali wins on cost – living expenses run 207% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kigali the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 1754% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,932 in Austin, TX versus $670 in Kigali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

All in, you'll spend $2,704 per month in Austin, TX versus $881 in Kigali – a 207% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

A monthly transit pass in Kigali runs roughly 60% less than in Austin, TX. Both cities have functional networks, but the price difference matters if you're watching your budget.

At $881 in Kigali versus $2,704 in Austin, TX, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kigali but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Kigali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kigali delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $881 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kigali hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Kigali are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Kigali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 207% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.