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

😐 Solo nomad: Kigali is 44.3% more expensive than Butare without rent, and 66.3% more expensive with rent.

😐 Family of 3: Kigali is 40.1% more expensive than Butare without rent, and 71.7% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.20 RWF 6,120

$1.75 RWF 2,553

140.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$27.87 RWF 40.6K

$20.68 RWF 30.2K

34.77%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.68 RWF 9,735

$5.47 RWF 7,971

22.12%

Cappuccino

$2.14 RWF 3,126

$1.69 RWF 2,470

26.63%

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

$0.85 RWF 1,241

$0.58 RWF 846

46.55%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 RWF 804

$0.37 RWF 535

48.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.06 RWF 1,545

$0.70 RWF 1,024

51.43%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 RWF 3,008

$1.06 RWF 1,545

94.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.67 RWF 976

$0.36 RWF 531

86.11%

White Bread (500g)

$1.04 RWF 1,510

$0.98 RWF 1,423

6.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.29 RWF 1,888

$0.91 RWF 1,324

41.76%

Eggs

$1.69 RWF 2,467

$1.46 RWF 2,127

15.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.04 RWF 5,884

$2.24 RWF 3,261

80.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.32 RWF 6,300

$3.00 RWF 4,366

44.00%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.69 RWF 5,380

$2.73 RWF 3,981

35.16%

Apples (1kg)

$2.40 RWF 3,495

$2.30 RWF 3,352

4.35%

Banana (1kg)

$0.94 RWF 1,377

$0.90 RWF 1,317

4.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.44 RWF 2,093

$1.17 RWF 1,710

23.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.09 RWF 1,586

$0.75 RWF 1,086

45.33%

Potato (1kg)

$0.48 RWF 704

$0.34 RWF 499

41.18%

Onion (1kg)

$0.82 RWF 1,197

$0.46 RWF 673

78.26%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.51 RWF 749

$0.37 RWF 545

37.84%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 RWF 1,175

$0.54 RWF 785

50.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.70 RWF 2,480

$1.20 RWF 1,755

41.67%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.19 RWF 14.9K

$10.43 RWF 15.2K

-2.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.96 RWF 1,399

$0.88 RWF 1,286

9.09%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 RWF 2,635

$1.41 RWF 2,063

28.37%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.34 RWF 489

$0.27 RWF 388

25.93%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$27.85 RWF 40.6K

$9.55 RWF 13.9K

191.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$3.07 RWF 4,471

$2.06 RWF 3,006

49.03%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.40 RWF 2,044

$0.93 RWF 1,355

50.54%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.84 RWF 5,603

$3.79 RWF 5,519

1.32%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.19 RWF 1,736

$0.72 RWF 1,048

65.28%

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

$26.5K RWF 38.7M

$16.6K RWF 24.1M

60.26%

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

$29.9K RWF 43.6M

$8,612 RWF 12.6M

247.23%

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

$46.79 RWF 68.2K

$36.97 RWF 53.9K

26.56%

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

$8.74 RWF 12.7K

$8.62 RWF 12.6K

1.39%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$17.98 RWF 26.2K

$17.54 RWF 25.6K

2.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$29.04 RWF 42.3K

$25.78 RWF 37.6K

12.65%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$3.88 RWF 5,653

$5.41 RWF 7,880

-28.28%

Cinema Ticket

$3.41 RWF 4,970

$3.56 RWF 5,192

-4.21%

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

$155 RWF 226.5K

$92.1 RWF 134.2K

68.81%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,064 RWF 7.4M

$1,337 RWF 1.9M

278.73%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.95 RWF 24.7K

$14.06 RWF 20.5K

20.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.70 RWF 28.7K

$19.43 RWF 28.3K

1.39%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$24.44 RWF 35.6K

$24.12 RWF 35.2K

1.33%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$31.08 RWF 45.3K

$31.40 RWF 45.8K

-1.02%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$574 RWF 837.4K

$206 RWF 300.0K

179.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$365 RWF 532.3K

$141 RWF 205.7K

158.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,083 RWF 1.6M

$307 RWF 447.5K

252.74%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$705 RWF 1.0M

$237 RWF 345.7K

197.07%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,440 RWF 5.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,007 RWF 4.4M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$308 RWF 449.7K

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: April 14, 2026

Last update for Butare: April 13, 2026

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

Kigali vs other spots: cost of living compared

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