Cost of Living Comparison Between Butare and Kigali Cost of Living Comparison Between Butare and Kigali

🙂 Solo nomad: Butare is 34.3% cheaper than Kigali without rent, and 42.7% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Butare is 34.3% cheaper than Kigali without rent, and 41.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Butare
Kigali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.77 RWF 2,591
$4.27 RWF 6,241
-58.55%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$20.66 RWF 30.2K
$28.07 RWF 41.0K
-26.40%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.43 RWF 7,937
$6.46 RWF 9,449
-15.94%
Cappuccino
$1.71 RWF 2,495
$2.24 RWF 3,278
-23.66%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.59 RWF 858
$0.87 RWF 1,265
-32.18%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 RWF 532
$0.51 RWF 750
-29.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.71 RWF 1,035
$1.06 RWF 1,552
-33.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.07 RWF 1,562
$2.11 RWF 3,090
-49.29%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Butare
Kigali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.39 RWF 575
$0.67 RWF 972
-41.79%
White Bread (500g)
$0.98 RWF 1,439
$1.06 RWF 1,551
-7.55%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.91 RWF 1,325
$1.23 RWF 1,797
-26.02%
Eggs
$1.47 RWF 2,149
$1.69 RWF 2,478
-13.02%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$2.29 RWF 3,350
$4.01 RWF 5,861
-42.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$2.97 RWF 4,345
$4.33 RWF 6,334
-31.41%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$2.68 RWF 3,920
$3.80 RWF 5,554
-29.47%
Apples (1kg)
$2.26 RWF 3,299
$2.49 RWF 3,634
-9.24%
Banana (1kg)
$0.89 RWF 1,300
$0.93 RWF 1,365
-4.30%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.13 RWF 1,656
$1.48 RWF 2,158
-23.65%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.79 RWF 1,158
$1.13 RWF 1,652
-30.09%
Potato (1kg)
$0.32 RWF 461
$0.52 RWF 755
-38.46%
Onion (1kg)
$0.47 RWF 683
$0.83 RWF 1,209
-43.37%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.35 RWF 506
$0.51 RWF 747
-31.37%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58 RWF 844
$0.81 RWF 1,188
-28.40%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.21 RWF 1,763
$1.69 RWF 2,468
-28.40%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.85 RWF 10.0K
$10.10 RWF 14.8K
-32.18%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.90 RWF 1,311
$0.97 RWF 1,412
-7.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 RWF 2,069
$1.81 RWF 2,648
-21.55%
🚌 Getting Around
Butare
Kigali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 RWF 428
$0.34 RWF 492
-14.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$9.97 RWF 14.6K
$28.00 RWF 40.9K
-64.39%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.11 RWF 3,082
$3.17 RWF 4,627
-33.44%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.87 RWF 1,265
$1.46 RWF 2,128
-40.41%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.85 RWF 5,629
$3.74 RWF 5,469
2.94%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.77 RWF 1,132
$1.19 RWF 1,745
-35.29%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$17.0K RWF 24.8M
$27.1K RWF 39.6M
-37.37%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$8,586 RWF 12.6M
$29.8K RWF 43.6M
-71.20%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Butare
Kigali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$37.05 RWF 54.2K
$45.96 RWF 67.2K
-19.39%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.83 RWF 12.9K
$8.68 RWF 12.7K
1.73%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.66 RWF 25.8K
$17.72 RWF 25.9K
-0.34%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Butare
Kigali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$26.01 RWF 38.0K
$28.87 RWF 42.2K
-9.91%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.56 RWF 8,130
$3.78 RWF 5,528
47.09%
Cinema Ticket
$3.45 RWF 5,038
$3.38 RWF 4,942
2.07%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Butare
Kigali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$93.2 RWF 136.2K
$153 RWF 224.0K
-39.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,372 RWF 2.0M
$5,118 RWF 7.5M
-73.19%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Butare
Kigali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$14.14 RWF 20.7K
$17.20 RWF 25.1K
-17.79%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.66 RWF 28.7K
$19.28 RWF 28.2K
1.97%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$24.08 RWF 35.2K
$24.14 RWF 35.3K
-0.25%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$31.51 RWF 46.1K
$31.82 RWF 46.5K
-0.97%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Butare
Kigali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$205 RWF 300.2K
$586 RWF 856.2K
-64.94%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$140 RWF 204.1K
$357 RWF 521.4K
-60.86%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$313 RWF 458.2K
$1,098 RWF 1.6M
-71.45%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$236 RWF 344.5K
$701 RWF 1.0M
-66.37%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,533 RWF 3.7M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$3,015 RWF 4.4M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Butare
Kigali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$231 RWF 337.4K
$291 RWF 425.2K
-20.65%
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 Kigali: March 1, 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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