Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Butare and Phuket

For one person, living is cheaper in Butare: $368 a month against $1,190 in Phuket, rent and utilities included – about $9,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

18

Cost of Living Index in Butare
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Butare Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in Phuket
Learn more

Phuket Living Index

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Butare

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$368

/mo nomad

Phuket

🇹🇭 Thailand

$1,190

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Butare and in Phuket

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $368 in Butare versus $1,190 in Phuket.

Butare $368
Phuket $1,190

Estimated couple costs with rent: $581 in Butare versus $2,006 in Phuket.

Butare $581
Phuket $2,006

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $795 in Butare versus $2,822 in Phuket.

Butare $795
Phuket $2,822

Living in Butare costs roughly 69% less than in Phuket, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Butare 73% lower, Phuket 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.73 RWF 4,020

$4.35 ฿146

-37.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.92 RWF 45.5K

$32.45 ฿1,087

-4.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.65 RWF 9,779

$8.42 ฿282

-21.02%

Cappuccino

$2.45 RWF 3,594

$2.81 ฿94.0

-12.81%

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

$0.76 RWF 1,112

$0.87 ฿29.29

-12.64%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.58 RWF 850

$0.46 ฿15.39

26.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.04 RWF 1,532

$2.59 ฿86.6

-59.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.38 RWF 3,505

$3.64 ฿122

-34.62%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.33 RWF 485

$1.71 ฿57.2

-80.70%

White Bread (500g)

$0.82 RWF 1,208

$1.45 ฿48.42

-43.45%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.92 RWF 1,357

$1.56 ฿52.3

-41.03%

Eggs

$1.66 RWF 2,438

$2.10 ฿70.3

-20.95%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$1.65 RWF 2,420

$19.53 ฿654

-91.55%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.35 RWF 3,455

$3.40 ฿114

-30.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.01 RWF 4,421

$11.14 ฿373

-72.98%

Apples (1kg)

$2.08 RWF 3,059

$2.83 ฿94.8

-26.50%

Banana (1kg)

$0.81 RWF 1,196

$1.62 ฿54.3

-50.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.17 RWF 1,726

$2.22 ฿74.5

-47.30%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.79 RWF 1,155

$2.15 ฿71.9

-63.26%

Potato (1kg)

$0.43 RWF 630

$1.49 ฿49.95

-71.14%

Onion (1kg)

$0.26 RWF 378

$1.33 ฿44.40

-80.45%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.12 RWF 179

$1.07 ฿35.72

-88.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 RWF 1,201

$0.51 ฿17.01

60.78%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.99 RWF 2,923

$4.38 ฿147

-54.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.21 RWF 15.0K

$18.77 ฿629

-45.60%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.03 RWF 1,515

$1.74 ฿58.3

-40.80%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.57 RWF 2,314

$2.78 ฿92.9

-43.53%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.17 ฿72.6

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$22.28 ฿746

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 RWF 3,958

$3.02 ฿101

-10.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.00 RWF 2,936

$1.06 ฿35.43

88.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.34 RWF 4,911

$3.71 ฿124

-9.97%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.81 RWF 2,663

$1.43 ฿47.88

26.57%

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

$26.6K RWF 39.0M

$26.3K ฿882.1K

0.79%

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

$29.2K RWF 43.0M

$26.2K ฿877.3K

11.63%

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

$82.4 RWF 121.1K

$96.7 ฿3,236

-14.75%

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

$7.20 RWF 10.6K

$11.41 ฿382

-36.90%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.81 RWF 30.6K

$17.11 ฿573

21.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$52.8 ฿1,768

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.07 ฿371

Cinema Ticket

$3.43 RWF 5,036

$7.65 ฿256

-55.16%

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

$113 RWF 166.0K

$555 ฿18.6K

-79.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,518 RWF 14.0M

$11.3K ฿377.7K

-15.63%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.04 RWF 25.1K

$63.4 ฿2,123

-73.13%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.65 RWF 23.0K

$28.61 ฿958

-45.30%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$22.66 RWF 33.3K

$96.7 ฿3,238

-76.57%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.40 RWF 50.6K

$88.6 ฿2,967

-61.18%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$735 ฿24.6K

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$458 ฿15.3K

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,102 ฿70.4K

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,187 ฿39.7K

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,493 ฿116.9K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,491 ฿83.4K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$501 ฿16.8K

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 4, 2026

Last update for Phuket: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Butare

$112 30.4%

Phuket

$268 22.3% 139% $156

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Butare

$110 29.9%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 13.4% $15

Eating Out

Butare

$86 23.4%

Phuket

$119 9.9% 37.9% $33

Clothing & Footwear

Butare

$40 10.9%

Phuket

$125 10.4% 209% $84

Getting Around

Butare

$13 * 3.4%

Phuket

$39 3.3% 210% $27

Sport & Entertainment

Butare

$6.9 * 1.9%

Phuket

$68 5.7% 894% $61

Accommodation & Living

Butare

- * 0%

Phuket

$458 38.1%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $31.00 in Butare vs $32.00 in Phuket for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $112 vs $268 per month, with Butare cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇼 Butare

🇹🇭 Phuket

🕒 Local time

13:21 1:21 PM

18:21 6:21 PM

5 h ahead of Butare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,823

79,308

💱 Currency

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

Thai Baht THB ฿

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.07 EUR

100 THB = 2.99 USD

100 THB = 2.67 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 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,470 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD). 1 EUR = 1,647 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.07 EUR).

Thai Baht exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 33.48 THB (100 THB = 2.99 USD). 1 EUR = 37.52 THB (100 THB = 2.67 EUR).

USD to RWF in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Butare Phuket 7,700 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Butare
Phuket

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 Phuket: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Butare wins on cost – living expenses run 224% lower than in Phuket. 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 $552 in Butare and $1,785 in Phuket 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 139% higher in Phuket. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

All in, you'll spend $368 per month in Butare versus $1,190 in Phuket – a 224% gap that adds up to real savings over time for anyone picking the cheaper option.

At $368 in Butare versus $1,190 in Phuket, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Butare but tight or insufficient in Phuket. The gap between the two cities makes Butare the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Butare delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $368 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Butare hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Butare and Phuket are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Butare gentler on the wallet – expenses run 224% less than in Phuket. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.