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

🙂 Solo nomad: Butare is 25% cheaper than Kigali without rent, and 43% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Butare is 32.8% cheaper than Kigali without rent, and 41.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Butare
Kigali
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.73 RWF 2,518
$4.11 RWF 5,998
-57.91%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$20.86 RWF 30.4K
$28.27 RWF 41.3K
-26.21%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.68 RWF 8,285
$6.48 RWF 9,455
-12.35%
Cappuccino
$1.72 RWF 2,508
$2.15 RWF 3,136
-20.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.54 RWF 783
$0.81 RWF 1,187
-33.33%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.37 RWF 535
$0.56 RWF 816
-33.93%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.66 RWF 959
$1.02 RWF 1,494
-35.29%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.06 RWF 1,544
$2.12 RWF 3,089
-50.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Butare
Kigali
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.40 RWF 581
$0.68 RWF 989
-41.18%
White Bread (500g)
$0.90 RWF 1,316
$1.07 RWF 1,556
-15.89%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.97 RWF 1,421
$1.24 RWF 1,810
-21.77%
Eggs
$1.43 RWF 2,081
$1.69 RWF 2,461
-15.38%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$2.21 RWF 3,225
$4.01 RWF 5,859
-44.89%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.11 RWF 4,544
$4.45 RWF 6,498
-30.11%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$2.69 RWF 3,925
$3.65 RWF 5,335
-26.30%
Apples (1kg)
$2.22 RWF 3,237
$2.42 RWF 3,529
-8.26%
Banana (1kg)
$0.95 RWF 1,391
$0.94 RWF 1,365
1.06%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.12 RWF 1,629
$1.48 RWF 2,159
-24.32%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.75 RWF 1,089
$1.09 RWF 1,590
-31.19%
Potato (1kg)
$0.35 RWF 505
$0.51 RWF 745
-31.37%
Onion (1kg)
$0.47 RWF 680
$0.76 RWF 1,109
-38.16%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.37 RWF 543
$0.51 RWF 749
-27.45%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.55 RWF 797
$0.76 RWF 1,112
-27.63%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.20 RWF 1,755
$1.69 RWF 2,471
-28.99%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.71 RWF 9,799
$10.43 RWF 15.2K
-35.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.90 RWF 1,311
$0.97 RWF 1,416
-7.22%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.35 RWF 1,973
$1.75 RWF 2,551
-22.86%
🚌 Getting Around
Butare
Kigali
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.27 RWF 393
$0.37 RWF 535
-27.03%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$9.46 RWF 13.8K
$28.16 RWF 41.1K
-66.41%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.04 RWF 2,973
$3.07 RWF 4,482
-33.55%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.88 RWF 1,283
$1.46 RWF 2,134
-39.73%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.73 RWF 5,450
$3.84 RWF 5,603
-2.86%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.79 RWF 1,148
$1.19 RWF 1,733
-33.61%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$16.9K RWF 24.6M
$26.7K RWF 39.0M
-36.94%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$8,621 RWF 12.6M
$29.8K RWF 43.5M
-71.08%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Butare
Kigali
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$37.11 RWF 54.2K
$46.96 RWF 68.5K
-20.98%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.70 RWF 12.7K
$9.03 RWF 13.2K
-3.65%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$18.00 RWF 26.3K
$17.65 RWF 25.8K
1.98%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Butare
Kigali
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.84 RWF 37.7K
$29.45 RWF 43.0K
-12.26%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.42 RWF 7,919
$3.80 RWF 5,550
42.63%
Cinema Ticket
$3.40 RWF 4,958
$3.52 RWF 5,143
-3.41%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Butare
Kigali
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$92.9 RWF 135.6K
$155 RWF 225.6K
-39.91%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,339 RWF 2.0M
$5,134 RWF 7.5M
-73.93%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Butare
Kigali
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$13.99 RWF 20.4K
$17.03 RWF 24.9K
-17.85%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.72 RWF 28.8K
$19.81 RWF 28.9K
-0.45%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$23.94 RWF 35.0K
$24.32 RWF 35.5K
-1.56%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$31.69 RWF 46.3K
$31.29 RWF 45.7K
1.28%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Butare
Kigali
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$206 RWF 300.1K
$576 RWF 840.7K
-64.31%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$140 RWF 204.0K
$354 RWF 517.1K
-60.55%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$311 RWF 453.7K
$1,082 RWF 1.6M
-71.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$239 RWF 348.9K
$684 RWF 999.0K
-65.08%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$2,479 RWF 3.6M
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$3,036 RWF 4.4M
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Butare
Kigali
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$238 RWF 347.0K
$279 RWF 406.9K
-14.73%
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: January 11, 2026

Last update for Kigali: 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

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