CityCost App
Cost of living in 8000+ cities on the go.

Cost of Living Comparison Between Butare and Chiang Mai Cost of Living Comparison Between Butare and Chiang Mai

🙂 Solo nomad: Butare is 47.7% cheaper than Chiang Mai without rent, and 47.5% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Butare is 49.6% cheaper than Chiang Mai without rent, and 47.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Butare
Chiang Mai
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.73 RWF 2,518
$1.97 ฿62.0
-12.18%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$20.86 RWF 30.4K
$18.68 ฿587
11.67%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.68 RWF 8,284
$7.92 ฿249
-28.28%
Cappuccino
$1.72 RWF 2,508
$2.02 ฿63.7
-14.85%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.54 RWF 782
$0.84 ฿26.45
-35.71%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 RWF 535
$0.35 ฿11.07
5.71%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.66 RWF 959
$2.22 ฿69.9
-70.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.06 RWF 1,544
$3.59 ฿113
-70.47%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Butare
Chiang Mai
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.40 RWF 581
$1.67 ฿52.4
-76.05%
White Bread (500g)
$0.90 RWF 1,316
$1.62 ฿51.1
-44.44%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.97 RWF 1,420
$1.20 ฿37.83
-19.17%
Eggs
$1.43 RWF 2,081
$1.93 ฿60.8
-25.91%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$2.21 RWF 3,224
$16.00 ฿503
-86.19%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.11 RWF 4,544
$3.16 ฿99.2
-1.58%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$2.69 RWF 3,924
$10.93 ฿344
-75.39%
Apples (1kg)
$2.22 RWF 3,237
$2.67 ฿83.8
-16.85%
Banana (1kg)
$0.95 RWF 1,391
$1.18 ฿36.99
-19.49%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.12 RWF 1,629
$1.64 ฿51.5
-31.71%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.75 RWF 1,089
$1.59 ฿49.83
-52.83%
Potato (1kg)
$0.35 RWF 505
$1.32 ฿41.64
-73.48%
Onion (1kg)
$0.47 RWF 680
$1.19 ฿37.49
-60.50%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.37 RWF 543
$0.71 ฿22.20
-47.89%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 RWF 796
$0.56 ฿17.75
-1.79%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.20 RWF 1,755
$4.64 ฿146
-74.14%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.71 RWF 9,798
$18.96 ฿596
-64.61%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.90 RWF 1,311
$1.77 ฿55.7
-49.15%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.35 RWF 1,973
$3.20 ฿101
-57.81%
🚌 Getting Around
Butare
Chiang Mai
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.27 RWF 393
$0.90 ฿28.32
-70.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$9.46 RWF 13.8K
$19.24 ฿605
-50.83%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.04 RWF 2,973
$1.36 ฿42.78
50.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.88 RWF 1,283
$1.35 ฿42.37
-34.81%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.73 RWF 5,449
$8.15 ฿256
-54.23%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.79 RWF 1,148
$1.22 ฿38.43
-35.25%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$16.9K RWF 24.6M
$21.4K ฿671.8K
-21.09%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$8,621 RWF 12.6M
$21.7K ฿683.8K
-60.36%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Butare
Chiang Mai
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$37.11 RWF 54.2K
$70.3 ฿2,210
-47.21%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.70 RWF 12.7K
$13.91 ฿437
-37.46%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.00 RWF 26.3K
$18.00 ฿566
-
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Butare
Chiang Mai
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.84 RWF 37.7K
$41.78 ฿1,314
-38.15%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.42 RWF 7,919
$6.80 ฿214
-20.29%
Cinema Ticket
$3.40 RWF 4,958
$5.72 ฿180
-40.56%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Butare
Chiang Mai
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$92.9 RWF 135.6K
$308 ฿9,693
-69.88%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,339 RWF 2.0M
$14.8K ฿465.7K
-90.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Butare
Chiang Mai
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$13.99 RWF 20.4K
$55.9 ฿1,756
-74.95%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.72 RWF 28.8K
$26.71 ฿840
-26.17%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$23.94 RWF 34.9K
$84.5 ฿2,658
-71.68%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$31.69 RWF 46.3K
$70.8 ฿2,227
-55.26%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Butare
Chiang Mai
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$206 RWF 300.0K
$431 ฿13.5K
-52.26%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$140 RWF 203.9K
$237 ฿7,439
-40.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$311 RWF 453.7K
$811 ฿25.5K
-61.66%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$239 RWF 348.8K
$501 ฿15.7K
-52.27%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,202 ฿69.2K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$1,600 ฿50.3K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Butare
Chiang Mai
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$238 RWF 346.9K
$684 ฿21.5K
-65.28%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
16.2
5
224.00%

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

Last update for Butare: January 11, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: January 13, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.