Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Butare and Chiang Mai

For one person, living is cheaper in Butare: $369 a month against $936 in Chiang Mai, rent and utilities included – about $6,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

18

Cost of Living Index in Butare
Learn more

Butare Living Index
45

Cost of Living Index in Chiang Mai
Learn more

Chiang Mai Living Index

Jump to prices

Butare

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$369

/mo nomad

Chiang Mai

🇹🇭 Thailand

$936

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Butare and in Chiang Mai

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 Chiang Mai actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $369 in Butare versus $936 in Chiang Mai.

Butare $369
Chiang Mai $936

Estimated couple costs with rent: $589 in Butare versus $1,457 in Chiang Mai.

Butare $589
Chiang Mai $1,457

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $809 in Butare versus $1,979 in Chiang Mai.

Butare $809
Chiang Mai $1,979

Living in Butare costs roughly 61% less than in Chiang Mai, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Butare 73% lower, Chiang Mai 31% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.74 RWF 4,025

$2.24 ฿75.7

22.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.44 RWF 44.8K

$19.00 ฿642

60.21%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.82 RWF 10.0K

$5.55 ฿188

22.88%

Cappuccino

$2.39 RWF 3,522

$1.67 ฿56.6

43.11%

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

$0.81 RWF 1,189

$0.64 ฿21.56

26.56%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 RWF 807

$0.31 ฿10.32

77.42%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.05 RWF 1,544

$2.36 ฿79.6

-55.51%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 RWF 3,461

$3.66 ฿124

-35.79%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.33 RWF 481

$1.95 ฿65.8

-83.08%

White Bread (500g)

$0.83 RWF 1,214

$1.44 ฿48.51

-42.36%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 RWF 1,460

$1.33 ฿45.07

-25.56%

Eggs

$1.60 RWF 2,358

$2.28 ฿77.1

-29.82%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$1.64 RWF 2,413

$16.45 ฿556

-90.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.42 RWF 3,565

$2.78 ฿94.0

-12.95%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.02 RWF 4,450

$9.31 ฿314

-67.56%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 RWF 2,943

$2.35 ฿79.5

-14.89%

Banana (1kg)

$0.77 RWF 1,126

$0.97 ฿32.82

-20.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.18 RWF 1,739

$1.60 ฿53.9

-26.25%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.83 RWF 1,226

$1.50 ฿50.7

-44.67%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 RWF 622

$1.28 ฿43.15

-67.19%

Onion (1kg)

$0.26 RWF 380

$1.10 ฿37.22

-76.36%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.14 RWF 206

$0.71 ฿23.84

-80.28%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 RWF 1,253

$0.49 ฿16.38

73.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.00 RWF 2,936

$4.14 ฿140

-51.69%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.12 RWF 14.9K

$17.52 ฿592

-42.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 RWF 1,445

$1.61 ฿54.5

-39.13%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 RWF 2,299

$2.78 ฿94.0

-43.88%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 ฿29.33

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$54.1 ฿1,827

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 RWF 3,950

$1.16 ฿39.08

131.90%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 RWF 2,951

$0.53 ฿17.82

279.25%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 RWF 5,024

$2.42 ฿81.8

41.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 RWF 2,700

$1.45 ฿48.93

26.90%

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

$25.6K RWF 37.7M

$21.1K ฿711.2K

21.58%

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

$29.2K RWF 42.9M

$26.9K ฿909.8K

8.26%

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

$82.6 RWF 121.5K

$62.2 ฿2,100

32.89%

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

$7.03 RWF 10.3K

$12.17 ฿411

-42.24%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.06 RWF 31.0K

$20.12 ฿680

4.67%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$37.31 ฿1,260

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.77 ฿127

Cinema Ticket

$3.30 RWF 4,859

$6.49 ฿219

-49.15%

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

$112 RWF 165.5K

$736 ฿24.9K

-84.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,515 RWF 14.0M

$14.8K ฿498.6K

-35.55%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.51 RWF 25.8K

$53.4 ฿1,802

-67.19%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.43 RWF 22.7K

$24.64 ฿832

-37.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$22.09 RWF 32.5K

$91.5 ฿3,089

-75.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$33.89 RWF 49.9K

$71.9 ฿2,429

-52.89%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 ฿16.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$309 ฿10.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,006 ฿34.0K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$633 ฿21.4K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,363 ฿79.8K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,589 ฿53.7K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$590 ฿19.9K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.2

5.57

190.84%

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

Last update for Butare: October 26, 2026

Last update for Chiang Mai: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Butare

$112 30.5%

Chiang Mai

$234 25.1% 109% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Butare

$111 30%

Chiang Mai

$94 10.1% 14.7% $16

Eating Out

Butare

$86 23.4%

Chiang Mai

$78 8.3% 10.3% $8.9

Clothing & Footwear

Butare

$40 10.9%

Chiang Mai

$109 11.6% 172% $69

Getting Around

Butare

$13 * 3.5%

Chiang Mai

$61 6.6% 383% $49

Sport & Entertainment

Butare

$6.6 * 1.8%

Chiang Mai

$50 5.4% 661% $44

Accommodation & Living

Butare

- * 0%

Chiang Mai

$309 33%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $30 in Butare vs $19 in Chiang Mai. Groceries flip the comparison at $112 vs $234, with Butare cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇼 Butare

🇹🇭 Chiang Mai

🕒 Local time

03:22 3:22 AM

08:22 8:22 AM

5 h ahead of Butare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,823

127,240

💱 Currency

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.11 EUR

100 THB = 2.96 USD

100 THB = 2.66 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

THB, USD, EUR to RWF – Rwandan Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇼 Rwandan Franc (Fr)

Rwandan Franc exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,471 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD). 1 EUR = 1,638 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.11 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 33.77 THB (100 THB = 2.96 USD). 1 EUR = 37.59 THB (100 THB = 2.66 EUR).

USD to RWF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Butare Chiang Mai 7,930 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Butare
Chiang Mai

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 Chiang Mai: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Butare wins on cost – living expenses run 61% lower than in Chiang Mai. Housing and daily spending are where you’ll feel the difference most, making Butare the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

You’d need roughly $553 in Butare and $1,403 in Chiang Mai to live well. The gap comes down to housing and overall price levels. Both cities are liveable on less, but these numbers represent actual comfort.

Supermarket bills run roughly 109% higher in Chiang Mai. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you’ll spend $369 per month in Butare versus $936 in Chiang Mai – Butare is about 61% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $369 in Butare versus $936 in Chiang Mai, a $800 budget is realistic in Butare but tight or insufficient in Chiang Mai. The gap between the two cities makes Butare the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Butare and Chiang Mai are both considered safe, so it’s unlikely to be the deciding factor between them.