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

😐 Solo nomad: Kigali is 33.4% more expensive than Butare without rent, and 75.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kigali is 48.7% more expensive than Butare without rent, and 71.4% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.11 RWF 5,998

$1.73 RWF 2,518

137.57%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.27 RWF 41.3K

$20.86 RWF 30.4K

35.52%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.48 RWF 9,455

$5.68 RWF 8,284

14.08%

Cappuccino

$2.15 RWF 3,136

$1.72 RWF 2,508

25.00%

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

$0.81 RWF 1,187

$0.54 RWF 782

50.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.56 RWF 816

$0.37 RWF 535

51.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.02 RWF 1,494

$0.66 RWF 959

54.55%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.12 RWF 3,089

$1.06 RWF 1,544

100.00%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.68 RWF 989

$0.40 RWF 581

70.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 RWF 1,556

$0.90 RWF 1,316

18.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 RWF 1,810

$0.97 RWF 1,420

27.84%

Eggs

$1.69 RWF 2,460

$1.43 RWF 2,081

18.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.01 RWF 5,858

$2.21 RWF 3,224

81.45%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.45 RWF 6,498

$3.11 RWF 4,544

43.09%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.65 RWF 5,334

$2.69 RWF 3,924

35.69%

Apples (1kg)

$2.42 RWF 3,529

$2.22 RWF 3,237

9.01%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 RWF 1,365

$0.95 RWF 1,391

-1.05%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 RWF 2,159

$1.12 RWF 1,629

32.14%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 RWF 1,589

$0.75 RWF 1,089

45.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.51 RWF 745

$0.35 RWF 505

45.71%

Onion (1kg)

$0.76 RWF 1,109

$0.47 RWF 680

61.70%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 RWF 748

$0.37 RWF 543

37.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.76 RWF 1,112

$0.55 RWF 796

38.18%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.69 RWF 2,471

$1.20 RWF 1,755

40.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.43 RWF 15.2K

$6.71 RWF 9,798

55.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 RWF 1,416

$0.90 RWF 1,311

7.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 RWF 2,551

$1.35 RWF 1,973

29.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.37 RWF 535

$0.27 RWF 393

37.04%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.16 RWF 41.1K

$9.46 RWF 13.8K

197.67%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 RWF 4,481

$2.04 RWF 2,973

50.49%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 RWF 2,134

$0.88 RWF 1,283

65.91%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 RWF 5,602

$3.73 RWF 5,449

2.95%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 RWF 1,733

$0.79 RWF 1,148

50.63%

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

$26.7K RWF 39.0M

$16.9K RWF 24.6M

58.58%

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

$29.8K RWF 43.5M

$8,621 RWF 12.6M

245.81%

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

$46.96 RWF 68.5K

$37.11 RWF 54.2K

26.54%

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

$9.03 RWF 13.2K

$8.70 RWF 12.7K

3.79%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.65 RWF 25.8K

$18.00 RWF 26.3K

-1.94%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.45 RWF 43.0K

$25.84 RWF 37.7K

13.97%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.80 RWF 5,549

$5.42 RWF 7,919

-29.89%

Cinema Ticket

$3.52 RWF 5,142

$3.40 RWF 4,958

3.53%

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

$155 RWF 225.6K

$92.9 RWF 135.6K

66.42%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,134 RWF 7.5M

$1,339 RWF 2.0M

283.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.03 RWF 24.9K

$13.99 RWF 20.4K

21.73%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.81 RWF 28.9K

$19.72 RWF 28.8K

0.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$24.32 RWF 35.5K

$23.94 RWF 34.9K

1.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$31.29 RWF 45.7K

$31.69 RWF 46.3K

-1.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$576 RWF 840.6K

$206 RWF 300.0K

180.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$354 RWF 517.0K

$140 RWF 203.9K

153.50%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,082 RWF 1.6M

$311 RWF 453.7K

248.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$684 RWF 998.9K

$239 RWF 348.8K

186.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,479 RWF 3.6M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,036 RWF 4.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$279 RWF 406.8K

$238 RWF 346.9K

17.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.2

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

Last update for Kigali: January 13, 2026

Last update for Butare: January 11, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated December 2025)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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