Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Butare and Tbilisi

For one person, living is cheaper in Butare: $369 a month against $1,269 in Tbilisi, rent and utilities included – about $10,800 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
61

Cost of Living Index in Tbilisi
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Tbilisi Living Index

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Butare

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$369

/mo nomad

Tbilisi

🇬🇪 Georgia

$1,269

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Butare and in Tbilisi

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $369 in Butare versus $1,269 in Tbilisi.

Butare $369
Tbilisi $1,269

Estimated couple costs with rent: $589 in Butare versus $2,016 in Tbilisi.

Butare $589
Tbilisi $2,016

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $809 in Butare versus $2,763 in Tbilisi.

Butare $809
Tbilisi $2,763

Living in Butare costs roughly 71% less than in Tbilisi, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both cities sit below the global median: Butare 73% lower, Tbilisi 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.74 RWF 4,025

$11.63 ₾30.07

-76.44%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.44 RWF 44.8K

$37.83 ₾97.8

-19.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.82 RWF 10.0K

$9.66 ₾24.98

-29.40%

Cappuccino

$2.39 RWF 3,522

$3.57 ₾9.24

-33.05%

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

$0.81 RWF 1,189

$1.08 ₾2.78

-25.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 RWF 807

$0.56 ₾1.45

-1.79%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.05 RWF 1,544

$2.62 ₾6.78

-59.92%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 RWF 3,461

$3.04 ₾7.85

-22.70%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.33 RWF 481

$2.17 ₾5.60

-84.79%

White Bread (500g)

$0.83 RWF 1,214

$0.80 ₾2.06

3.75%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.99 RWF 1,460

$1.74 ₾4.51

-43.10%

Eggs

$1.60 RWF 2,358

$2.83 ₾7.31

-43.46%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$1.64 RWF 2,413

$9.31 ₾24.07

-82.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$2.42 RWF 3,565

$6.52 ₾16.85

-62.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.02 RWF 4,450

$12.95 ₾33.50

-76.68%

Apples (1kg)

$2.00 RWF 2,943

$1.68 ₾4.34

19.05%

Banana (1kg)

$0.77 RWF 1,126

$1.85 ₾4.79

-58.38%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.18 RWF 1,739

$1.97 ₾5.10

-40.10%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.83 RWF 1,226

$2.42 ₾6.25

-65.70%

Potato (1kg)

$0.42 RWF 622

$0.82 ₾2.11

-48.78%

Onion (1kg)

$0.26 RWF 380

$0.74 ₾1.91

-64.86%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.14 RWF 206

$1.34 ₾3.47

-89.55%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.85 RWF 1,253

$0.77 ₾2.00

10.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.00 RWF 2,936

$3.57 ₾9.24

-43.98%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.12 RWF 14.9K

$7.67 ₾19.83

31.94%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.98 RWF 1,445

$1.70 ₾4.39

-42.35%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.56 RWF 2,299

$2.40 ₾6.21

-35.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.40 ₾1.05

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$15.23 ₾39.38

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.69 RWF 3,950

$1.14 ₾2.95

135.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 RWF 2,951

$0.78 ₾2.02

157.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.42 RWF 5,024

$11.83 ₾30.58

-71.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 RWF 2,700

$1.45 ₾3.75

26.90%

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

$25.6K RWF 37.7M

$24.6K ₾63.6K

4.18%

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

$29.2K RWF 42.9M

$22.3K ₾57.8K

30.58%

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

$82.6 RWF 121.5K

$88.8 ₾230

-6.96%

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

$7.03 RWF 10.3K

$13.12 ₾33.93

-46.42%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.06 RWF 31.0K

$19.67 ₾50.9

7.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$64.1 ₾166

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.04 ₾49.24

Cinema Ticket

$3.30 RWF 4,859

$7.12 ₾18.42

-53.65%

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

$112 RWF 165.5K

$375 ₾971

-70.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,515 RWF 14.0M

$10.5K ₾27.1K

-9.12%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.51 RWF 25.8K

$104 ₾268

-83.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.43 RWF 22.7K

$39.26 ₾102

-60.70%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$22.09 RWF 32.5K

$117 ₾303

-81.18%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$33.89 RWF 49.9K

$122 ₾315

-72.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$695 ₾1,798

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$451 ₾1,167

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,355 ₾3,504

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$906 ₾2,343

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,295 ₾5,934

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,345 ₾3,478

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$664 ₾1,718

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.2

12.62

28.37%

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

Last update for Butare: October 26, 2026

Last update for Tbilisi: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Butare

$112 30.5%

Tbilisi

$234 18.4% 108% $122

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Butare

$111 30%

Tbilisi

$122 9.6% 9.8% $11

Eating Out

Butare

$86 23.4%

Tbilisi

$191 15% 121% $104

Clothing & Footwear

Butare

$40 10.9%

Tbilisi

$172 13.5% 330% $132

Getting Around

Butare

$13 * 3.5%

Tbilisi

$22 1.7% 72.3% $9.2

Sport & Entertainment

Butare

$6.6 * 1.8%

Tbilisi

$78 6.2% 1085% $72

Accommodation & Living

Butare

- * 0%

Tbilisi

$451 35.6%

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

Cost Breakdown

Dining out: $30 in Butare vs $38 in Tbilisi for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $112 vs $234 per month, with Butare cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇼 Butare

🇬🇪 Tbilisi

🕒 Local time

00:54 12:54 AM

02:54 2:54 AM

2 h ahead of Butare

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,823

1,241,700 Capital

💱 Currency

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

Georgian Lari GEL ₾

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.11 EUR

1 GEL = 0.387 USD

1 GEL = 0.347 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GEL, USD, EUR to RWF – Rwandan Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇼 Rwandan Franc (Fr)

Rwandan Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,471 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD). 1 EUR = 1,638 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.11 EUR).

Georgian Lari exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 2.59 GEL (1 GEL = 0.387 USD). 1 EUR = 2.88 GEL (1 GEL = 0.347 EUR).

USD to RWF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Butare Tbilisi 5,160 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Butare
Tbilisi

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 Tbilisi: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Butare wins on cost – living expenses run 71% lower than in Tbilisi. 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 $1,904 in Tbilisi 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 108% higher in Tbilisi. 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 $1,269 in Tbilisi – Butare is about 71% cheaper, which adds up to real savings over time.

At $369 in Butare versus $1,269 in Tbilisi, a $800 budget is realistic in Butare but tight or insufficient in Tbilisi. The gap between the two cities makes Butare the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

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