Cost of Living Comparison Between Butare and Playa del Carmen Cost of Living Comparison Between Butare and Playa del Carmen

🙂 Solo nomad: Butare is 64.2% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 63.8% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Butare is 59.7% cheaper than Playa del Carmen without rent, and 67.8% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Butare
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.71 RWF 2,412
$11.99 MX$227
-85.74%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$20.59 RWF 29.1K
$42.47 MX$803
-51.52%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.56 RWF 7,855
$10.47 MX$198
-46.90%
Cappuccino
$1.69 RWF 2,391
$3.6 MX$68.2
-53.06%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.57 RWF 807
$1.44 MX$27.16
-60.42%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.36 RWF 514
$0.89 MX$16.79
-59.55%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$0.71 RWF 1,006
$3.09 MX$58.5
-77.02%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 RWF 1,453
$4.58 MX$86.6
-77.51%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Butare
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.37 RWF 518
$1.38 MX$26.04
-73.19%
White Bread (500g)
$0.98 RWF 1,382
$1.85 MX$34.9
-47.03%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$0.91 RWF 1,281
$1.57 MX$29.68
-42.04%
Eggs
$1.48 RWF 2,086
$2.55 MX$48.3
-41.96%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$2.3 RWF 3,241
$8.61 MX$163
-73.29%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.09 RWF 4,367
$8.54 MX$161
-63.82%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$2.66 RWF 3,758
$10.98 MX$208
-75.77%
Apples (1kg)
$2.24 RWF 3,165
$2.72 MX$51.4
-17.65%
Banana (1kg)
$0.91 RWF 1,278
$1.51 MX$28.57
-39.74%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.13 RWF 1,596
$1.88 MX$35.63
-39.89%
Tomato (1kg)
$0.72 RWF 1,023
$2.19 MX$41.42
-67.12%
Potato (1kg)
$0.32 RWF 450
$1.87 MX$35.3
-82.89%
Onion (1kg)
$0.46 RWF 650
$2.19 MX$41.37
-79.00%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.34 RWF 484
$1.07 MX$20.23
-68.22%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.54 RWF 756
$1.09 MX$20.64
-50.46%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.2 RWF 1,699
$3.96 MX$74.9
-69.70%
Wine (Bottle)
$6.76 RWF 9,545
$8.86 MX$167
-23.70%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.91 RWF 1,281
$1.72 MX$32.53
-47.09%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.42 RWF 2,004
$2.61 MX$49.37
-45.59%
🚌 Getting Around
Butare
Playa del Carmen
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.29 RWF 414
$0.52 MX$9.74
-44.23%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$9.71 RWF 13.7K
$26.59 MX$503
-63.48%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.05 RWF 2,892
$3.24 MX$61.2
-36.73%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.87 RWF 1,228
$2.38 MX$44.94
-63.45%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.91 RWF 5,518
$3.11 MX$58.7
25.72%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$0.74 RWF 1,044
$1.31 MX$24.85
-43.51%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$16.8K RWF 23.6M
$30.3K MX$573K
-44.73%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$8,785 RWF 12.4M
$24K MX$453.6K
-63.39%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Butare
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$36.6 RWF 51.7K
$84.2 MX$1,592
-56.55%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.97 RWF 12.7K
$22.14 MX$419
-59.49%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.7 RWF 25K
$30.14 MX$570
-41.27%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Butare
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$25.29 RWF 35.7K
$52 MX$983
-51.35%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$5.53 RWF 7,811
$18.72 MX$354
-70.46%
Cinema Ticket
$3.54 RWF 5,004
$5.07 MX$95.9
-30.18%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Butare
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$92.1 RWF 130K
$200 MX$3,787
-54.04%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,325 RWF 1.9M
$5,333 MX$100.8K
-75.15%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Butare
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$13.82 RWF 19.5K
$35.74 MX$676
-61.33%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.47 RWF 27.5K
$39.8 MX$753
-51.08%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$23.86 RWF 33.7K
$79 MX$1,493
-69.79%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$30.72 RWF 43.4K
$88.4 MX$1,671
-65.24%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Butare
Playa del Carmen
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$208 RWF 293.8K
$965 MX$18.3K
-78.45%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$140 RWF 197.8K
$474 MX$8,968
-70.47%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$313 RWF 441.7K
$1,653 MX$31.2K
-81.07%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$238 RWF 335.9K
$1,202 MX$22.7K
-80.20%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$3,081 MX$58.3K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$7,529 MX$142.3K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Butare
Playa del Carmen
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$231 RWF 326.6K
$792 MX$15K
-70.78%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
16.2
11.42
41.86%

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

Last update for Butare: October 27, 2025

Last update for Playa del Carmen: October 28, 2025

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