Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Canada and Rwanda

Name: Rwanda
Address: RW

For one person, living is cheaper in Rwanda: $811 a month against $2,310 in Canada, rent and utilities included – about $18,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

111

Cost of Living Index in Canada
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Canada Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Rwanda
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Rwanda Living Index

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🇨🇦 Canada

$2,310

/mo nomad

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$811

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Canada and in Rwanda

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Canada and in Rwanda actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $2,310 per month in Canada vs $811 in Rwanda, rent included.

Canada $2,310
Rwanda $811

A couple spends around $3,356 per month in Canada vs $1,311 in Rwanda, rent included.

Canada $3,356
Rwanda $1,311

A family of three spends $4,403 per month in Canada vs $1,810 in Rwanda, rent included.

Canada $4,403
Rwanda $1,810

The regional cost range is wider in Canada ($889–$3,737) than in Rwanda ($369–$881), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Canada is about 185% higher than in Rwanda on average.

Canada sits 70% above the global median, while Rwanda is 40% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.16 CA$25.40

$3.02 RWF 4,448

501.32%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.2 CA$99.6

$24.94 RWF 36.7K

185.53%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.81 CA$15.12

$6.87 RWF 10.1K

57.35%

Cappuccino

$3.78 CA$5.28

$2.27 RWF 3,336

66.52%

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

$2.11 CA$2.96

$0.80 RWF 1,176

163.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 CA$2.32

$0.54 RWF 793

207.41%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.62 CA$7.86

$0.98 RWF 1,445

473.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.72 CA$8.00

$2.06 RWF 3,030

177.67%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.17 CA$3.04

$0.85 RWF 1,247

155.29%

White Bread (500g)

$2.60 CA$3.64

$1.03 RWF 1,512

152.43%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.65 CA$5.11

$1.24 RWF 1,831

194.35%

Eggs

$3.63 CA$5.07

$1.59 RWF 2,333

128.30%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.76 CA$15.05

$4.02 RWF 5,914

167.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.90 CA$16.64

$4.35 RWF 6,407

173.56%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$15.42 CA$21.57

$4.15 RWF 6,111

271.57%

Apples (1kg)

$4.03 CA$5.63

$2.76 RWF 4,065

46.01%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 CA$1.94

$0.84 RWF 1,229

64.29%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.88 CA$5.42

$1.56 RWF 2,288

148.72%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.08 CA$5.71

$0.98 RWF 1,446

316.33%

Potato (1kg)

$2.57 CA$3.59

$0.47 RWF 686

446.81%

Onion (1kg)

$2.48 CA$3.46

$0.80 RWF 1,178

210.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.65 CA$3.70

$0.49 RWF 727

440.82%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.71 CA$2.40

$0.80 RWF 1,179

113.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$14.32 CA$20.03

$2.00 RWF 2,944

616.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.49 CA$18.86

$9.95 RWF 14.6K

35.58%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 CA$3.97

$1.11 RWF 1,640

155.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.30 CA$4.62

$1.52 RWF 2,243

117.11%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.55 CA$3.57

$0.36 RWF 524

608.33%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$71.9 CA$101

$26.57 RWF 39.1K

170.72%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.18 CA$4.45

$2.79 RWF 4,106

13.98%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.54 CA$2.15

$1.98 RWF 2,911

-22.22%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.69 CA$37.33

$3.44 RWF 5,067

675.87%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.24 CA$1.74

$1.80 RWF 2,648

-31.11%

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

$27.9K CA$39.0K

$26.2K RWF 38.5M

6.49%

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

$21.1K CA$29.5K

$23.2K RWF 34.2M

-9.30%

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

$147 CA$206

$83.3 RWF 122.5K

76.95%

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

$41.80 CA$58.5

$7.62 RWF 11.2K

448.56%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$60.2 CA$84.2

$20.87 RWF 30.7K

188.55%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$39.01 CA$54.6

$31.13 RWF 45.8K

25.31%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$19.06 CA$26.66

$4.13 RWF 6,079

361.50%

Cinema Ticket

$11.21 CA$15.68

$3.31 RWF 4,875

238.67%

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

$721 CA$1,009

$133 RWF 195.2K

443.37%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$14.8K CA$20.8K

$9,517 RWF 14.0M

55.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.3 CA$77.3

$20.58 RWF 30.3K

168.56%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.95 CA$54.5

$17.16 RWF 25.2K

126.98%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$87.4 CA$122

$27.09 RWF 39.9K

222.67%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$101 CA$142

$35.62 RWF 52.4K

184.33%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 CA$1,805

$601 RWF 883.9K

114.80%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,130 CA$1,581

$340 RWF 500.0K

232.48%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,036 CA$2,848

$1,290 RWF 1.9M

57.87%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,731 CA$2,421

$802 RWF 1.2M

115.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,769 CA$6,670

$3,440 RWF 5.1M

38.62%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,730 CA$5,217

$2,986 RWF 4.4M

24.91%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,070 CA$4,293

$290 RWF 426.8K

958.13%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

4.87

16.2

-69.94%

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

Last update for Canada: October 26, 2026

Last update for Rwanda: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Canada

$1.1K 48.9%

Rwanda

$340 41.9% 69.9% $790

Groceries & Markets

Canada

$371 16.1%

Rwanda

$149 18.4% 59.7% $221

Eating Out

Canada

$278 12%

Rwanda

$86 10.7% 68.9% $191

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Canada

$249 10.8%

Rwanda

$112 13.8% 55.2% $138

Clothing & Footwear

Canada

$127 5.5%

Rwanda

$45 5.6% 64.5% $82

Getting Around

Canada

$93 4%

Rwanda

$41 5% 56.3% $52

Sport & Entertainment

Canada

$61 2.7%

Rwanda

$38 4.7% 38.5% $24

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $1,250 in Canada vs $354 in Rwanda. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,434 in Ottawa and $672 in Kigali.

Average salary: $2,968 in Canada vs $232 in Rwanda. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 253% higher in Canada.

Dining out costs 167% more in Canada.

Public transport is 136% more expensive in Canada.

Salaries are about 13 times higher in Canada, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Canada.

Good to know

🇨🇦 Canada

🇷🇼 Rwanda

🕒 Local time

21:16 9:16 PM

03:16 3:16 AM

6 h ahead of Canada

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

36,991,981

13,246,394

💱 Currency

Canadian Dollar CAD $

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 CAD = 0.715 USD

1 CAD = 0.642 EUR

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RWF, USD, EUR to CAD – Canadian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇨🇦 Canadian Dollar ($)

Canadian Dollar exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 1.4 CAD (1 CAD = 0.715 USD). 1 EUR = 1.56 CAD (1 CAD = 0.642 EUR).

Rwandan Franc exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 1,471 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD). 1 EUR = 1,640 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.1 EUR).

USD to CAD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Canada Rwanda 11,390 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Canada
Rwanda

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

Canada vs Rwanda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Rwanda is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 65% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Canada: a central one-bedroom averages $1,250 versus $354 in Rwanda.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Rwanda – part of why living there is about 65% cheaper overall.

Rwanda is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.