Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Butare and Gisenyi

For one person, living is cheaper in Butare: $369 a month against $452 in Gisenyi, rent and utilities included – about $1,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

18

Cost of Living Index in Butare
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Butare Living Index
22

Cost of Living Index in Gisenyi
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Gisenyi Living Index

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Butare

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$369

/mo nomad

Gisenyi

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$452

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Butare and in Gisenyi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $369 in Butare versus $452 in Gisenyi.

Butare $369
Gisenyi $452

Estimated couple costs with rent: $589 in Butare versus $695 in Gisenyi.

Butare $589
Gisenyi $695

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $809 in Butare versus $937 in Gisenyi.

Butare $809
Gisenyi $937

Living in Butare costs roughly 18% less than in Gisenyi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Butare 73% lower, Gisenyi 67% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.74 RWF 4,025

$2.66 RWF 3,920

3.01%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.44 RWF 44.8K

$15.09 RWF 22.2K

101.72%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.82 RWF 10.0K

$6.04 RWF 8,892

12.91%

Cappuccino

$2.39 RWF 3,522

$2.48 RWF 3,643

-3.63%

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

$0.81 RWF 1,189

$0.81 RWF 1,194

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 RWF 807

$0.54 RWF 797

1.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.05 RWF 1,544

$1.03 RWF 1,516

1.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 RWF 3,461

$1.95 RWF 2,869

20.51%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.33 RWF 482

$0.87 RWF 1,286

-62.07%

White Bread (500g)

$0.83 RWF 1,214

$1.08 RWF 1,585

-23.15%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 RWF 1,460

$1.28 RWF 1,884

-22.66%

Eggs

$1.60 RWF 2,359

$1.59 RWF 2,334

0.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$1.64 RWF 2,413

$4.19 RWF 6,165

-60.86%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.42 RWF 3,565

$4.63 RWF 6,816

-47.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.02 RWF 4,450

$4.63 RWF 6,805

-34.77%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 RWF 2,944

$2.47 RWF 3,641

-19.03%

Banana (1kg)

$0.77 RWF 1,126

Oranges (1kg)

$1.18 RWF 1,740

$1.48 RWF 2,179

-20.27%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.83 RWF 1,226

$1.02 RWF 1,508

-18.63%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 RWF 622

$0.49 RWF 714

-14.29%

Onion (1kg)

$0.26 RWF 380

$0.77 RWF 1,139

-66.23%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.14 RWF 206

$0.29 RWF 421

-51.72%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 RWF 1,253

$0.86 RWF 1,265

-1.16%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.00 RWF 2,937

$2.06 RWF 3,029

-2.91%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.12 RWF 14.9K

$10.06 RWF 14.8K

0.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 RWF 1,445

$0.99 RWF 1,457

-1.01%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 RWF 2,299

$1.58 RWF 2,321

-1.27%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.10 RWF 143

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 RWF 3,951

$2.70 RWF 3,968

-0.37%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 RWF 2,951

$1.97 RWF 2,903

2.03%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 RWF 5,024

$3.43 RWF 5,048

-0.29%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 RWF 2,700

$1.84 RWF 2,703

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

$25.6K RWF 37.7M

$26.5K RWF 39.0M

-3.50%

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

$29.2K RWF 42.9M

$29.1K RWF 42.8M

0.22%

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

$82.6 RWF 121.5K

$84.0 RWF 123.5K

-1.60%

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

$7.03 RWF 10.3K

$3.02 RWF 4,450

132.78%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.06 RWF 31.0K

$21.19 RWF 31.2K

-0.61%

Cinema Ticket

$3.30 RWF 4,859

$3.29 RWF 4,840

0.30%

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

$112 RWF 165.5K

$113 RWF 166.4K

-0.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,515 RWF 14.0M

$9,547 RWF 14.0M

-0.33%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.51 RWF 25.8K

$17.68 RWF 26.0K

-0.96%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.43 RWF 22.7K

$15.82 RWF 23.3K

-2.47%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$22.09 RWF 32.5K

$22.10 RWF 32.5K

-0.05%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$33.89 RWF 49.9K

$33.83 RWF 49.8K

0.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$290 RWF 426.3K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$49.55 RWF 72.9K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$295 RWF 433.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$120 RWF 177.0K

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.2

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

Last update for Butare: October 26, 2026

Last update for Gisenyi: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Butare

$112 30.5%

Gisenyi

$151 33.5% 34.6% $39

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Butare

$111 30%

Gisenyi

$108 23.9% 2.3% $2.5

Eating Out

Butare

$86 23.4%

Gisenyi

$84 18.5% 3.3% $2.8

Clothing & Footwear

Butare

$40 10.9%

Gisenyi

$40 8.9% 0.6% $0.2

Getting Around

Butare

$13 * 3.5%

Gisenyi

$13 * 2.9% 1.9% $0.2

Sport & Entertainment

Butare

$6.6 * 1.8%

Gisenyi

$6.6 * 1.5% 0.5% $0

Accommodation & Living

Butare

- * 0%

Gisenyi

$50 11%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $30 in Butare vs $15 in Gisenyi. Groceries flip the comparison at $112 vs $151, with Butare cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇷🇼 Butare

🇷🇼 Gisenyi

🕒 Local time

08:49 8:49 AM

Same time as Butare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,823

172,357

💱 Currency

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.09 EUR

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Butare Gisenyi 110 km

From you

Butare
Gisenyi

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 Gisenyi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Butare wins on cost – living expenses run 18% lower than in Gisenyi. 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 $679 in Gisenyi 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 35% higher in Gisenyi. 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 $452 in Gisenyi – Butare is about 18% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

Either city works on $800 a month, though Butare gives you more room to save. At this income level, the choice is more about lifestyle than financial pressure.

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