Cost of Living Comparison Between Butare and Gisenyi Cost of Living Comparison Between Butare and Gisenyi

🙂 Solo nomad: Butare is 24.8% cheaper than Gisenyi without rent, and 9.7% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Butare is 17.7% cheaper than Gisenyi without rent, and 9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Butare
Gisenyi
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.77 RWF 2,586
$4.28 RWF 6,246
-58.64%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$20.66 RWF 30.1K
$15.02 RWF 21.9K
37.55%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.43 RWF 7,923
$6.08 RWF 8,875
-10.69%
Cappuccino
$1.71 RWF 2,491
$2.22 RWF 3,239
-22.97%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.59 RWF 857
$0.88 RWF 1,277
-32.95%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 RWF 531
$0.53 RWF 770
-32.08%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.71 RWF 1,033
$1.02 RWF 1,495
-30.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.07 RWF 1,559
$2.03 RWF 2,957
-47.29%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Butare
Gisenyi
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.39 RWF 574
$0.66 RWF 969
-40.91%
White Bread (500g)
$0.98 RWF 1,437
$1.08 RWF 1,570
-9.26%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.91 RWF 1,323
$1.24 RWF 1,807
-26.61%
Eggs
$1.47 RWF 2,145
$1.64 RWF 2,397
-10.37%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$2.29 RWF 3,344
$4.01 RWF 5,848
-42.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.97 RWF 4,337
$4.24 RWF 6,191
-29.95%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$2.68 RWF 3,913
$3.63 RWF 5,291
-26.17%
Apples (1kg)
$2.26 RWF 3,294
$2.50 RWF 3,644
-9.60%
Banana (1kg)
$0.89 RWF 1,297
$0.99 RWF 1,441
-10.10%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.13 RWF 1,653
$1.42 RWF 2,067
-20.42%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.79 RWF 1,156
$1.14 RWF 1,662
-30.70%
Potato (1kg)
$0.32 RWF 460
$0.48 RWF 707
-33.33%
Onion (1kg)
$0.47 RWF 682
$0.81 RWF 1,184
-41.98%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.35 RWF 505
$0.29 RWF 418
20.69%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58 RWF 843
$0.75 RWF 1,096
-22.67%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.21 RWF 1,760
$1.70 RWF 2,481
-28.82%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.85 RWF 9,992
$10.22 RWF 14.9K
-32.97%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.90 RWF 1,309
$0.89 RWF 1,292
1.12%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 RWF 2,066
$1.78 RWF 2,591
-20.22%
🚌 Getting Around
Butare
Gisenyi
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 RWF 427
$0.10 RWF 139
190.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$9.97 RWF 14.6K
-
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.11 RWF 3,076
$3.18 RWF 4,636
-33.65%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.87 RWF 1,263
$1.39 RWF 2,036
-37.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 RWF 5,619
$3.71 RWF 5,409
3.77%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.77 RWF 1,130
$1.17 RWF 1,713
-34.19%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$17.0K RWF 24.8M
$26.4K RWF 38.6M
-35.81%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$8,586 RWF 12.5M
$30.0K RWF 43.8M
-71.38%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Butare
Gisenyi
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$37.05 RWF 54.1K
$46.95 RWF 68.5K
-21.09%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.83 RWF 12.9K
$3.01 RWF 4,394
193.36%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.66 RWF 25.8K
$17.65 RWF 25.8K
0.06%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Butare
Gisenyi
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$26.01 RWF 38.0K
-
-
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.56 RWF 8,116
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$3.45 RWF 5,029
$3.51 RWF 5,117
-1.71%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Butare
Gisenyi
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$93.2 RWF 136.0K
$154 RWF 224.1K
-39.32%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,372 RWF 2.0M
$5,191 RWF 7.6M
-73.57%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Butare
Gisenyi
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$14.14 RWF 20.6K
$16.77 RWF 24.5K
-15.68%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.66 RWF 28.7K
$19.52 RWF 28.5K
0.72%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$24.08 RWF 35.1K
$24.49 RWF 35.7K
-1.67%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$31.51 RWF 46.0K
$31.11 RWF 45.4K
1.29%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Butare
Gisenyi
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$205 RWF 299.7K
$98.4 RWF 143.6K
108.77%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$140 RWF 203.7K
$50.4 RWF 73.6K
176.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$313 RWF 457.4K
$299 RWF 436.9K
4.68%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$236 RWF 343.9K
$120 RWF 175.3K
96.11%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Butare
Gisenyi
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$231 RWF 336.8K
-
-
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
16.2
16.2
-

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

Last update for Butare: March 2, 2026

Last update for Gisenyi: March 2, 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

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