Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Butare and Belgrade

For one person, living is cheaper in Butare: $371 a month against $1,541 in Belgrade, rent and utilities included – about $14,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

Butare, Rwanda
Belgrade, Serbia
Butare
🇷🇼 Rwanda
$371
/mo nomad
Belgrade
🇷🇸 Serbia
$1,541
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Butare and in Belgrade

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

A single person spends $371 per month in Butare vs $1,541 in Belgrade, rent included.

  • Butare $371
  • Belgrade $1,541

A couple spends around $594 per month in Butare vs $2,351 in Belgrade, rent included.

  • Butare $594
  • Belgrade $2,351

A family of three spends $816 per month in Butare vs $3,161 in Belgrade, rent included.

  • Butare $816
  • Belgrade $3,161

Butare is about 76% cheaper than Belgrade, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Butare sits 73% below the global median, while Belgrade is 14% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Butare
Belgrade
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.99 RWF 4,402
$13.43 RSD 1,398
-77.74%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$30.93 RWF 45.5K
$58.0 RSD 6,036
-46.66%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.73 RWF 9,910
$13.30 RSD 1,384
-49.40%
Cappuccino
$2.37 RWF 3,489
$3.05 RSD 317
-22.30%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.71 RWF 1,045
$2.82 RSD 293
-74.82%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.56 RWF 818
$2.28 RSD 238
-75.44%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.03 RWF 1,512
$3.66 RSD 381
-71.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.38 RWF 3,510
$4.18 RSD 435
-43.06%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Butare
Belgrade
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.33 RWF 481
$1.41 RSD 147
-76.60%
White Bread (500g)
$0.83 RWF 1,221
$1.16 RSD 121
-28.45%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.94 RWF 1,383
$2.53 RSD 263
-62.85%
Eggs
$1.58 RWF 2,323
$2.80 RSD 292
-43.57%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$1.72 RWF 2,532
$10.93 RSD 1,137
-84.26%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.43 RWF 3,581
$6.80 RSD 708
-64.26%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$3.02 RWF 4,444
$15.40 RSD 1,603
-80.39%
Apples (1kg)
$2.02 RWF 2,972
$1.63 RSD 170
23.93%
Banana (1kg)
$0.80 RWF 1,176
$1.75 RSD 182
-54.29%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.12 RWF 1,645
$1.78 RSD 186
-37.08%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.84 RWF 1,241
$3.04 RSD 316
-72.37%
Potato (1kg)
$0.42 RWF 624
$0.97 RSD 101
-56.70%
Onion (1kg)
$0.28 RWF 416
$0.65 RSD 67.7
-56.92%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.14 RWF 204
$0.74 RSD 77.2
-81.08%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.77 RWF 1,129
$0.72 RSD 75.3
6.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.98 RWF 2,907
$4.53 RSD 471
-56.29%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.33 RWF 15.2K
$8.25 RSD 858
25.21%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.04 RWF 1,525
$0.86 RSD 89.8
20.93%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.53 RWF 2,258
$1.43 RSD 148
6.99%
🚌 Getting Around
Butare
Belgrade
Difference
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.75 RWF 4,046
$3.10 RSD 323
-11.29%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.05 RWF 3,011
$0.98 RSD 102
109.18%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.63 RWF 5,345
$17.10 RSD 1,780
-78.77%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.95 RWF 2,864
$1.87 RSD 195
4.28%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$25.5K RWF 37.6M
$30.9K RSD 3.2M
-17.31%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.6K RWF 43.5M
$24.1K RSD 2.5M
22.85%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Butare
Belgrade
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$83.5 RWF 122.9K
$215 RSD 22.4K
-61.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.86 RWF 10.1K
$25.55 RSD 2,659
-73.15%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.31 RWF 31.4K
$35.40 RSD 3,685
-39.80%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Butare
Belgrade
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
-
$40.62 RSD 4,228
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$22.74 RSD 2,367
-
Cinema Ticket
$3.36 RWF 4,938
$7.99 RSD 832
-57.95%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Butare
Belgrade
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$115 RWF 168.6K
$453 RSD 47.2K
-74.73%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$16.4K RWF 24.1M
$12.4K RSD 1.3M
32.53%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Butare
Belgrade
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$17.58 RWF 25.9K
$112 RSD 11.6K
-84.26%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$15.86 RWF 23.3K
$47.56 RSD 4,951
-66.65%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$22.49 RWF 33.1K
$114 RSD 11.8K
-80.20%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$33.97 RWF 50.0K
$147 RSD 15.3K
-76.86%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Butare
Belgrade
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$829 RSD 86.3K
-
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$540 RSD 56.2K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
-
$1,508 RSD 157.0K
-
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
-
$975 RSD 101.5K
-
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$5,059 RSD 526.6K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$3,171 RSD 330.1K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Butare
Belgrade
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
-
$1,276 RSD 132.8K
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
16.2
4.5
260.00%

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

Last update for Butare: October 31, 2026

Last update for Belgrade: November 1, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Butare
$112
Belgrade
$241 115% $128
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Butare
$112
Belgrade
$276 147% $164
Eating Out
Butare
$88
Belgrade
$231 164% $143
Clothing & Footwear
Butare
$40
Belgrade
$189 367% $148
Getting Around
Butare
$13 *
Belgrade
$8 * 38.4% $5
Sport & Entertainment
Butare
$6.7 *
Belgrade
$57 744% $50
Accommodation & Living
Butare
- *
Belgrade
$540

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A mid-range dinner for two costs $31 in Butare versus $58 in Belgrade. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $112 vs $241 – making Butare the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know
🇷🇼 Butare
🇷🇸 Belgrade
🕒 Local time
03:00 3:00 AM
02:00 2:00 AM
1 h behind Butare
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
62,823
1,197,714 Capital
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

RSD, USD, EUR to RWF – Rwandan Franc Converter

Rwandan Franc exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 1,472 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.79 USD). 1 EUR = 1,652 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.05 EUR).

Serbian Dinar exchange rates as of November 6, 2026: 1 USD = 104 RSD (1,000 RSD = 9.61 USD). 1 EUR = 117 RSD (1,000 RSD = 8.56 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Butare Belgrade 5,350 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Butare
  • Belgrade

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
Butare vs Belgrade: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
How do living costs in Butare and in Belgrade compare overall?
Monthly costs with rent: $371 in Butare, $1,541 in Belgrade – Butare comes out roughly 76% cheaper. Outside of rent, the biggest gap is in clothing.
What salary covers living expenses in Butare compared to Belgrade?
For a comfortable life, plan on about $557 per month in Butare and $2,312 in Belgrade. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.
Which city has cheaper restaurants?
A mid-range dinner for two costs $31 in Butare and $58 in Belgrade. That’s a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.
Which city has cheaper grocery shopping?
Groceries cost about 115% more in Belgrade, though the gap depends on what you buy.
Which city is more doable on $800 per month?
A $800 monthly budget goes further in Butare, where all-in costs run around $371, than in Belgrade at $1,541. In Butare it covers expenses comfortably, while in Belgrade it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.
How does quality of life compare between Butare and Belgrade?
It depends on your priorities. Butare has an edge in some lifestyle areas, with costs from $371 in Butare to $1,541 in Belgrade. Climate, culture, job market, and personal taste all factor in.
Is Butare or Belgrade safer for residents?
Both cities have a reputation for safety. In either place, the choice of neighborhood matters more than the choice between the two cities.

Butare vs other spots: cost of living compared

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