Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Italy and Rwanda

Name: Rwanda
Address: RW

For one person, living is cheaper in Rwanda: $811 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Rwanda
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Rwanda Living Index

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🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$811

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Italy 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 Italy and in Rwanda actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,843 in Italy versus $811 in Rwanda.

Italy $1,843
Rwanda $811

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,816 in Italy versus $1,311 in Rwanda.

Italy $2,816
Rwanda $1,311

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,788 in Italy versus $1,810 in Rwanda.

Italy $3,788
Rwanda $1,810

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,038 to $2,555, compared to $369–$881 in Rwanda. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in Italy is roughly 127% more expensive than in Rwanda on average.

Italy (35% above) and Rwanda (40% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.46 €18.36

$3.02 RWF 4,448

577.48%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$79.5 €71.3

$24.94 RWF 36.7K

218.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.15 €10.01

$6.87 RWF 10.1K

62.30%

Cappuccino

$2.04 €1.83

$2.27 RWF 3,336

-10.13%

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

$3.10 €2.78

$0.80 RWF 1,176

287.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.40 €1.26

$0.54 RWF 793

159.26%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.51 €4.95

$0.98 RWF 1,445

462.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.15

$2.06 RWF 3,030

178.64%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.57 €1.41

$0.85 RWF 1,247

84.71%

White Bread (500g)

$2.38 €2.14

$1.03 RWF 1,512

131.07%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.90 €2.60

$1.24 RWF 1,831

133.87%

Eggs

$4.07 €3.66

$1.59 RWF 2,333

155.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.44 €15.65

$4.02 RWF 5,914

333.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$12.56 €11.27

$4.35 RWF 6,407

188.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$20.17 €18.10

$4.15 RWF 6,111

386.02%

Apples (1kg)

$2.58 €2.32

$2.76 RWF 4,065

-6.52%

Banana (1kg)

$2.19 €1.96

$0.84 RWF 1,229

160.71%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.68 €2.40

$1.56 RWF 2,288

71.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.27 €2.93

$0.98 RWF 1,446

233.67%

Potato (1kg)

$1.90 €1.71

$0.47 RWF 686

304.26%

Onion (1kg)

$1.82 €1.63

$0.80 RWF 1,178

127.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.57 €1.41

$0.49 RWF 727

220.41%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.55 €0.49

$0.80 RWF 1,179

-31.25%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.69 €6.01

$2.00 RWF 2,944

234.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.99 €7.17

$9.95 RWF 14.6K

-19.70%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.77 €1.59

$1.11 RWF 1,640

59.46%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.35 €2.11

$1.52 RWF 2,243

54.61%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.91 €1.71

$0.36 RWF 524

430.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$43.44 €38.98

$26.57 RWF 39.1K

63.49%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.62 €5.04

$2.79 RWF 4,106

101.43%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.71 €1.54

$1.98 RWF 2,911

-13.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$33.64 €30.18

$3.44 RWF 5,067

877.91%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.03 €1.82

$1.80 RWF 2,648

12.78%

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

$35.3K €31.7K

$26.2K RWF 38.5M

34.88%

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

$36.7K €33.0K

$23.2K RWF 34.2M

58.21%

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

$227 €203

$83.3 RWF 122.5K

172.00%

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

$11.59 €10.40

$7.62 RWF 11.2K

52.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$30.38 €27.26

$20.87 RWF 30.7K

45.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.8 €46.46

$31.13 RWF 45.8K

66.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.70 €21.26

$4.13 RWF 6,079

473.85%

Cinema Ticket

$10.60 €9.51

$3.31 RWF 4,875

220.24%

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

$568 €509

$133 RWF 195.2K

327.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$11.5K €10.3K

$9,517 RWF 14.0M

21.08%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$90.5 €81.2

$20.58 RWF 30.3K

339.89%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$38.55 €34.59

$17.16 RWF 25.2K

124.65%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$103 €92.1

$27.09 RWF 39.9K

278.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$131 €118

$35.62 RWF 52.4K

267.74%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$826 €741

$601 RWF 883.9K

37.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$646 €580

$340 RWF 500.0K

90.12%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,400 €1,256

$1,290 RWF 1.9M

8.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,054 €946

$802 RWF 1.2M

31.39%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,662 €3,286

$3,440 RWF 5.1M

6.44%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,301 €2,065

$2,986 RWF 4.4M

-22.93%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,886 €1,692

$290 RWF 426.8K

550.16%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.56

16.2

-78.02%

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

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Last update for Rwanda: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Italy

$646 35.1%

Rwanda

$340 41.9% 47.4% $306

Groceries & Markets

Italy

$348 18.9%

Rwanda

$149 18.4% 57% $198

Eating Out

Italy

$279 15.1%

Rwanda

$86 10.7% 69% $192

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Italy

$269 14.6%

Rwanda

$112 13.8% 58.4% $157

Clothing & Footwear

Italy

$163 8.9%

Rwanda

$45 5.6% 72.3% $118

Sport & Entertainment

Italy

$73 4%

Rwanda

$38 4.7% 48.3% $35

Getting Around

Italy

$65 3.5%

Rwanda

$41 5% 37.7% $25

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $729 in Italy, $354 in Rwanda. Capital cities: $1,297 in Rome vs $672 in Kigali.

National salary averages: $1,890 in Italy, $232 in Rwanda. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 106% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 204% more in Italy.

Public transport is 54% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are about 8.1 times higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇮🇹 Italy

🇷🇼 Rwanda

🕒 Local time

02:16 2:16 AM

03:16 3:16 AM

1 h ahead of Italy

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

58,850,717

13,246,394

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RWF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 0.897 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

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 EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Italy Rwanda 5,190 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Italy
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

Italy vs Rwanda: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,843 per month in Italy and $811 in Rwanda, Rwanda comes out about 56% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Rwanda: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $729 in Italy and $354 in Rwanda. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: Rwanda wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.