Cost of Living Comparison Between Kigali and Butare Cost of Living Comparison Between Kigali and Butare

😐 Solo nomad: Kigali is 32.7% more expensive than Butare without rent, and 71.6% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Kigali is 50.3% more expensive than Butare without rent, and 67% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Kigali
Butare
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$4.06 RWF 5,738
$1.71 RWF 2,412
137.43%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$27.47 RWF 38.8K
$20.59 RWF 29.1K
33.41%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.71 RWF 9,468
$5.56 RWF 7,855
20.68%
Cappuccino
$2.25 RWF 3,176
$1.69 RWF 2,391
33.14%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.81 RWF 1,145
$0.57 RWF 807
42.11%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.57 RWF 800
$0.36 RWF 514
58.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.05 RWF 1,485
$0.71 RWF 1,006
47.89%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.11 RWF 2,983
$1.03 RWF 1,453
104.85%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Kigali
Butare
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.72 RWF 1,010
$0.37 RWF 518
94.59%
White Bread (500g)
$1.03 RWF 1,454
$0.98 RWF 1,382
5.10%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.29 RWF 1,815
$0.91 RWF 1,281
41.76%
Eggs
$1.69 RWF 2,386
$1.48 RWF 2,086
14.19%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.99 RWF 5,631
$2.3 RWF 3,241
73.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.45 RWF 6,282
$3.09 RWF 4,367
44.01%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$3.6 RWF 5,084
$2.66 RWF 3,758
35.34%
Apples (1kg)
$2.5 RWF 3,532
$2.24 RWF 3,165
11.61%
Banana (1kg)
$1.01 RWF 1,428
$0.91 RWF 1,278
10.99%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.42 RWF 2,000
$1.13 RWF 1,596
25.66%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.15 RWF 1,619
$0.72 RWF 1,023
59.72%
Potato (1kg)
$0.51 RWF 722
$0.32 RWF 450
59.38%
Onion (1kg)
$0.81 RWF 1,145
$0.46 RWF 650
76.09%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.51 RWF 716
$0.34 RWF 484
50.00%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.82 RWF 1,152
$0.54 RWF 756
51.85%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.77 RWF 2,494
$1.2 RWF 1,699
47.50%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.52 RWF 14.8K
$6.76 RWF 9,545
55.62%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.91 RWF 1,287
$0.91 RWF 1,281
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 RWF 2,444
$1.42 RWF 2,004
21.83%
🚌 Getting Around
Kigali
Butare
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.36 RWF 514
$0.29 RWF 414
24.14%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$27.47 RWF 38.8K
$9.71 RWF 13.7K
182.90%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.1 RWF 4,369
$2.05 RWF 2,892
51.22%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.44 RWF 2,026
$0.87 RWF 1,228
65.52%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.86 RWF 5,442
$3.91 RWF 5,518
-1.28%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.15 RWF 1,621
$0.74 RWF 1,044
55.41%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$26.8K RWF 37.8M
$16.8K RWF 23.6M
59.89%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$29.9K RWF 42.2M
$8,785 RWF 12.4M
240.12%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Kigali
Butare
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$47.2 RWF 66.6K
$36.6 RWF 51.7K
28.96%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$8.89 RWF 12.6K
$8.97 RWF 12.7K
-0.89%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$17.91 RWF 25.3K
$17.7 RWF 25K
1.19%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Kigali
Butare
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$28.84 RWF 40.7K
$25.29 RWF 35.7K
14.04%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$3.71 RWF 5,233
$5.53 RWF 7,811
-32.91%
Cinema Ticket
$3.42 RWF 4,832
$3.54 RWF 5,004
-3.39%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Kigali
Butare
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$152 RWF 214.6K
$92.1 RWF 130K
65.13%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,143 RWF 7.3M
$1,325 RWF 1.9M
288.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Kigali
Butare
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$16.72 RWF 23.6K
$13.82 RWF 19.5K
20.98%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.23 RWF 27.2K
$19.47 RWF 27.5K
-1.23%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$23.97 RWF 33.8K
$23.86 RWF 33.7K
0.46%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$31.02 RWF 43.8K
$30.72 RWF 43.4K
0.98%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Kigali
Butare
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$576 RWF 812.7K
$208 RWF 293.8K
176.65%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$361 RWF 510.3K
$140 RWF 197.8K
158.02%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,081 RWF 1.5M
$313 RWF 441.7K
245.60%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$705 RWF 994.9K
$238 RWF 335.9K
196.20%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,784 RWF 3.9M
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,048 RWF 4.3M
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Kigali
Butare
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$270 RWF 381K
$231 RWF 326.6K
16.65%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
16.2
16.2
-

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

Last update for Kigali: October 29, 2025

Last update for Butare: October 27, 2025

Similar cities

Join the CityCost newsletter – low traffic, no spam, and easy to unsubscribe. Your email stays private.