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

😐 Solo nomad: Kigali is 52.2% more expensive than Butare without rent, and 74.5% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kigali is 52.1% more expensive than Butare without rent, and 70.6% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.27 RWF 6,241

$1.77 RWF 2,591

141.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$28.07 RWF 41.0K

$20.66 RWF 30.2K

35.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.46 RWF 9,449

$5.43 RWF 7,937

18.97%

Cappuccino

$2.24 RWF 3,278

$1.71 RWF 2,495

30.99%

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

$0.87 RWF 1,265

$0.59 RWF 858

47.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.51 RWF 750

$0.36 RWF 532

41.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 RWF 1,552

$0.71 RWF 1,035

49.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.11 RWF 3,090

$1.07 RWF 1,562

97.20%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.67 RWF 972

$0.39 RWF 575

71.79%

White Bread (500g)

$1.06 RWF 1,551

$0.98 RWF 1,439

8.16%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.23 RWF 1,797

$0.91 RWF 1,325

35.16%

Eggs

$1.69 RWF 2,478

$1.47 RWF 2,149

14.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.01 RWF 5,861

$2.29 RWF 3,350

75.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.33 RWF 6,334

$2.97 RWF 4,345

45.79%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.80 RWF 5,554

$2.68 RWF 3,920

41.79%

Apples (1kg)

$2.49 RWF 3,634

$2.26 RWF 3,299

10.18%

Banana (1kg)

$0.93 RWF 1,365

$0.89 RWF 1,300

4.49%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.48 RWF 2,158

$1.13 RWF 1,656

30.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.13 RWF 1,652

$0.79 RWF 1,158

43.04%

Potato (1kg)

$0.52 RWF 755

$0.32 RWF 461

62.50%

Onion (1kg)

$0.83 RWF 1,209

$0.47 RWF 683

76.60%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 RWF 747

$0.35 RWF 506

45.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 RWF 1,188

$0.58 RWF 844

39.66%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.69 RWF 2,468

$1.21 RWF 1,763

39.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.10 RWF 14.8K

$6.85 RWF 10.0K

47.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 RWF 1,412

$0.90 RWF 1,311

7.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 RWF 2,648

$1.42 RWF 2,069

27.46%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 RWF 492

$0.29 RWF 428

17.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$28.00 RWF 40.9K

$9.97 RWF 14.6K

180.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.17 RWF 4,627

$2.11 RWF 3,082

50.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.46 RWF 2,128

$0.87 RWF 1,265

67.82%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.74 RWF 5,469

$3.85 RWF 5,629

-2.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 RWF 1,745

$0.77 RWF 1,132

54.55%

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

$27.1K RWF 39.6M

$17.0K RWF 24.8M

59.66%

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

$29.8K RWF 43.6M

$8,586 RWF 12.6M

247.22%

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

$45.96 RWF 67.2K

$37.05 RWF 54.2K

24.05%

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

$8.68 RWF 12.7K

$8.83 RWF 12.9K

-1.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.72 RWF 25.9K

$17.66 RWF 25.8K

0.34%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$28.87 RWF 42.2K

$26.01 RWF 38.0K

11.00%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.78 RWF 5,528

$5.56 RWF 8,130

-32.01%

Cinema Ticket

$3.38 RWF 4,942

$3.45 RWF 5,038

-2.03%

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

$153 RWF 224.0K

$93.2 RWF 136.2K

64.48%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,118 RWF 7.5M

$1,372 RWF 2.0M

273.02%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.20 RWF 25.1K

$14.14 RWF 20.7K

21.64%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.28 RWF 28.2K

$19.66 RWF 28.7K

-1.93%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$24.14 RWF 35.3K

$24.08 RWF 35.2K

0.25%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$31.82 RWF 46.5K

$31.51 RWF 46.1K

0.98%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$586 RWF 856.2K

$205 RWF 300.2K

185.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$357 RWF 521.4K

$140 RWF 204.1K

155.52%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,098 RWF 1.6M

$313 RWF 458.2K

250.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$701 RWF 1.0M

$236 RWF 344.5K

197.36%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,533 RWF 3.7M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,015 RWF 4.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$291 RWF 425.2K

$231 RWF 337.4K

26.02%

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: March 1, 2026

Last update for Butare: March 2, 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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