Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Australia and Rwanda

Name: Rwanda
Address: RW

For one person, living is cheaper in Rwanda: $804 a month against $2,539 in Australia, rent and utilities included – about $20,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

124

Cost of Living Index in Australia
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Australia Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Rwanda
Learn more

Rwanda Living Index

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🇦🇺 Australia

$2,539

/mo nomad

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$804

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Australia and in Rwanda

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

A single person spends $2,542 per month in Australia vs $804 in Rwanda, rent included.

Australia $2,542
Rwanda $804

A couple spends around $3,717 per month in Australia vs $1,298 in Rwanda, rent included.

Australia $3,717
Rwanda $1,298

A family of three spends $4,893 per month in Australia vs $1,793 in Rwanda, rent included.

Australia $4,893
Rwanda $1,793

The regional cost range is wider in Australia ($1,646–$3,152) than in Rwanda ($369–$877), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Australia is about 216% higher than in Rwanda on average.

Australia sits 88% above the global median, while Rwanda is 40% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.35 A$24.97

$3.13 RWF 4,609

454.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.5 A$122

$24.93 RWF 36.7K

239.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.98 A$15.79

$6.87 RWF 10.1K

59.83%

Cappuccino

$3.84 A$5.53

$2.28 RWF 3,352

68.42%

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

$2.89 A$4.16

$0.79 RWF 1,163

265.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 A$3.29

$0.53 RWF 772

332.08%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.79 A$11.21

$1.00 RWF 1,464

679.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.42 A$12.12

$2.02 RWF 2,970

316.83%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.75 A$2.52

$0.79 RWF 1,160

121.52%

White Bread (500g)

$2.78 A$4.00

$1.04 RWF 1,527

167.31%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 A$3.33

$1.23 RWF 1,805

87.80%

Eggs

$4.89 A$7.04

$1.58 RWF 2,330

209.49%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.95 A$14.32

$3.86 RWF 5,682

157.77%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.06 A$13.03

$4.33 RWF 6,363

109.24%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.92 A$21.46

$4.19 RWF 6,158

256.09%

Apples (1kg)

$3.65 A$5.25

$2.73 RWF 4,006

33.70%

Banana (1kg)

$3.03 A$4.36

$0.79 RWF 1,156

283.54%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.24 A$4.66

$1.57 RWF 2,308

106.37%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.69 A$6.76

$0.98 RWF 1,437

378.57%

Potato (1kg)

$2.85 A$4.11

$0.51 RWF 755

458.82%

Onion (1kg)

$2.32 A$3.34

$0.76 RWF 1,122

205.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.43 A$3.50

$0.50 RWF 736

386.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 A$2.39

$0.83 RWF 1,227

100.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$38.47 A$55.4

$2.08 RWF 3,060

1749.52%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.84 A$19.92

$10.13 RWF 14.9K

36.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.87 A$7.01

$1.16 RWF 1,703

319.83%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.28 A$7.59

$1.59 RWF 2,334

232.08%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.71 A$3.90

$0.35 RWF 516

674.29%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$94.0 A$135

$28.21 RWF 41.5K

233.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.57 A$5.14

$2.78 RWF 4,081

28.42%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.63 A$2.35

$2.01 RWF 2,951

-18.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$40.04 A$57.6

$3.38 RWF 4,965

1084.62%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.33 A$1.91

$1.78 RWF 2,619

-25.28%

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

$29.1K A$41.9K

$25.9K RWF 38.1M

12.35%

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

$25.7K A$37.0K

$23.8K RWF 34.9M

8.19%

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

$205 A$296

$85.7 RWF 126.0K

139.72%

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

$28.24 A$40.63

$7.73 RWF 11.4K

265.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$57.0 A$82.0

$20.46 RWF 30.1K

178.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$55.4 A$79.7

$29.93 RWF 44.0K

85.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.46 A$28.01

$4.19 RWF 6,167

364.44%

Cinema Ticket

$15.06 A$21.66

$3.31 RWF 4,871

354.98%

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

$2,097 A$3,017

$133 RWF 195.7K

1474.79%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$18.0K A$26.0K

$9,547 RWF 14.0M

88.93%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$78.0 A$112

$20.48 RWF 30.1K

280.86%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$55.3 A$79.6

$17.51 RWF 25.7K

215.99%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$112 A$161

$26.45 RWF 38.9K

322.99%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 A$175

$35.39 RWF 52.0K

244.48%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,559 A$2,244

$606 RWF 891.2K

157.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,215 A$1,748

$330 RWF 484.8K

268.37%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,435 A$3,504

$1,290 RWF 1.9M

88.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,924 A$2,769

$782 RWF 1.1M

146.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$8,175 A$11.8K

$3,440 RWF 5.1M

137.63%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,060 A$8,721

$3,042 RWF 4.5M

99.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$4,038 A$5,811

$288 RWF 424.0K

1300.32%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.94

16.2

-63.33%

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

Last update for Australia: October 19, 2026

Last update for Rwanda: October 18, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Australia

$1.2K 47.8%

Rwanda

$330 41% 72.9% $885

Groceries & Markets

Australia

$372 14.7%

Rwanda

$149 18.6% 59.9% $223

Eating Out

Australia

$294 11.6%

Rwanda

$87 10.9% 70.3% $207

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Australia

$291 11.4%

Rwanda

$114 14.2% 60.8% $177

Clothing & Footwear

Australia

$165 6.5%

Rwanda

$45 5.6% 72.8% $120

Getting Around

Australia

$117 4.6%

Rwanda

$42 5.3% 63.6% $74

Sport & Entertainment

Australia

$85 3.4%

Rwanda

$37 4.6% 57.2% $49

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,366 in Australia vs $213 in Rwanda. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,716 in Canberra and $672 in Kigali.

Average salary: $3,849 in Australia vs $230 in Rwanda. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 541% higher in Australia.

Dining out costs 242% more in Australia.

Public transport is 582% more expensive in Australia.

Salaries are 1573% higher in Australia, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Australia.

Good to know

🇦🇺 Australia

🇷🇼 Rwanda

🕒 Local time

21:04 9:04 PM

12:04 12:04 PM

9 h behind Australia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

26,473,055

13,246,394

💱 Currency

Australian Dollar AUD $

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 AUD = 0.695 USD

1 AUD = 0.618 EUR

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RWF, USD, EUR to AUD – Australian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇦🇺 Australian Dollar ($)

Australian Dollar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1.44 AUD (1 AUD = 0.695 USD). 1 EUR = 1.62 AUD (1 AUD = 0.618 EUR).

Rwandan Franc exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 1,470 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD). 1 EUR = 1,653 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.05 EUR).

USD to AUD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Australia Rwanda 12,470 km ≈ 16 h nonstop flight

From you

Australia
Rwanda

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

Australia vs Rwanda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rwanda is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 216% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Australia: a central one-bedroom averages $1,366 versus $213 in Rwanda.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Rwanda, adding to the overall 216% price gap.

$800 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Rwanda, but in Australia it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Rwanda is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.