Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kigali and Cairo

For one person, living is cheaper in Cairo: $643 a month against $881 in Kigali, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kigali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

43

Cost of Living Index in Kigali
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Kigali Living Index
31

Cost of Living Index in Cairo
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Cairo Living Index

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Kigali

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$881

/mo nomad

Cairo

🇪🇬 Egypt

$643

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kigali and in Cairo

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Kigali and in Cairo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $881 per month in Kigali vs $643 in Cairo, rent included.

Kigali $881
Cairo $643

A couple spends around $1,376 per month in Kigali vs $1,037 in Cairo, rent included.

Kigali $1,376
Cairo $1,037

A family of three spends $1,871 per month in Kigali vs $1,431 in Cairo, rent included.

Kigali $1,871
Cairo $1,431

Kigali costs about 37% more than Cairo, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in clothing.

Both Kigali and Cairo are more affordable than the global median – Kigali 34% lower, Cairo 52% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.75 RWF 4,037

$4.69 E£245

-41.36%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.32 RWF 44.6K

$28.49 E£1,491

6.42%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.73 RWF 9,895

$6.03 E£315

11.61%

Cappuccino

$2.45 RWF 3,599

$1.81 E£94.7

35.36%

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

$0.76 RWF 1,112

$0.35 E£18.18

117.14%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.55 RWF 803

$0.15 E£7.95

266.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.00 RWF 1,471

$1.45 E£76.0

-31.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.34 RWF 3,435

$2.24 E£117

4.46%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.82 RWF 1,204

$0.97 E£50.7

-15.46%

White Bread (500g)

$1.07 RWF 1,577

$0.73 E£37.96

46.58%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.32 RWF 1,935

$0.77 E£40.24

71.43%

Eggs

$1.60 RWF 2,354

$1.17 E£61.2

36.75%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.19 RWF 6,162

$4.32 E£226

-3.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.68 RWF 6,878

$5.07 E£265

-7.69%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.51 RWF 6,631

$8.92 E£467

-49.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.45 RWF 3,601

$1.83 E£95.8

33.88%

Banana (1kg)

$0.74 RWF 1,093

$0.75 E£39.07

-1.33%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.54 RWF 2,263

$0.57 E£29.78

170.18%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.06 RWF 1,564

$0.51 E£26.62

107.84%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 RWF 719

$0.38 E£20.05

28.95%

Onion (1kg)

$0.71 RWF 1,050

$0.42 E£21.88

69.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.70 RWF 1,024

$0.35 E£18.43

100.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.82 RWF 1,204

$0.24 E£12.57

241.67%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.97 RWF 2,897

$1.99 E£104

-1.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.28 RWF 15.1K

$7.48 E£391

37.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.00 RWF 1,468

$1.52 E£79.4

-34.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.59 RWF 2,342

$2.13 E£112

-25.35%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 RWF 516

$0.33 E£17.10

6.06%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.24 RWF 37.1K

$8.66 E£453

191.45%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.67 RWF 3,920

$0.37 E£19.27

621.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 RWF 2,957

$0.20 E£10.65

905.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.31 RWF 4,869

$1.49 E£77.8

122.15%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.84 RWF 2,702

$0.46 E£23.94

300.00%

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

$26.5K RWF 38.9M

$32.6K E£1.7M

-18.85%

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

$29.1K RWF 42.7M

$28.4K E£1.5M

2.34%

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

$82.6 RWF 121.5K

$27.54 E£1,441

200.04%

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

$7.06 RWF 10.4K

$8.27 E£432

-14.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.85 RWF 30.6K

$14.05 E£735

48.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.26 RWF 38.6K

$28.27 E£1,479

-7.11%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.16 RWF 6,115

$6.70 E£350

-37.91%

Cinema Ticket

$3.49 RWF 5,126

$4.40 E£230

-20.68%

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

$112 RWF 164.1K

$121 E£6,356

-8.12%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,532 RWF 14.0M

$3,619 E£189.3K

163.40%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.17 RWF 25.2K

$40.16 E£2,101

-57.25%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.74 RWF 23.1K

$49.61 E£2,596

-68.27%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$22.31 RWF 32.8K

$115 E£6,033

-80.65%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.12 RWF 50.2K

$60.6 E£3,170

-43.68%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$670 RWF 984.8K

$220 E£11.5K

204.59%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$411 RWF 604.6K

$194 E£10.2K

111.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,361 RWF 2.0M

$514 E£26.9K

164.65%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$837 RWF 1.2M

$334 E£17.5K

150.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,404 RWF 5.0M

$806 E£42.2K

322.21%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,062 RWF 4.5M

$513 E£26.9K

496.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$275 RWF 404.6K

$200 E£10.5K

37.50%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.2

16.21

-0.06%

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

Last update for Kigali: October 5, 2026

Last update for Cairo: October 3, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kigali

$411 47.1%

Cairo

$194 30.1% 52.8% $217

Groceries & Markets

Kigali

$153 17.5%

Cairo

$141 21.9% 7.4% $11

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kigali

$111 12.7%

Cairo

$50 7.7% 54.9% $61

Eating Out

Kigali

$86 9.9%

Cairo

$91 14.1% 5.4% $4.6

Clothing & Footwear

Kigali

$40 4.6%

Cairo

$120 18.6% 197% $79

Getting Around

Kigali

$39 4.5%

Cairo

$11 1.8% 71.2% $28

Sport & Entertainment

Kigali

$33 3.8%

Cairo

$37 5.8% 11.6% $3.8

Cost Breakdown

A central one-bedroom costs $670 in Kigali versus $220 in Cairo. Rent is usually the largest line item in a monthly budget, so the gap here sets the tone for the overall comparison.

Salaries run about 38% higher in Kigali, which partly offsets the higher cost of living there. Purchasing power depends on which expenses matter most to you.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Kigali versus $28.00 in Cairo. Monthly groceries follow the same trend: $153 vs $141 – making Cairo the more affordable choice for daily food spending.

Good to know

🇷🇼 Kigali

🇪🇬 Cairo

🕒 Local time

09:00 9:00 AM

10:00 10:00 AM

1 h ahead of Kigali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,132,686 Capital

9,120,350 Capital

💱 Currency

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

Egyptian Pound EGP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.07 EUR

100 EGP = 1.91 USD

100 EGP = 1.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

EGP, USD, EUR to RWF – Rwandan Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇼 Rwandan Franc (Fr)

Rwandan Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 1,470 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD). 1 EUR = 1,649 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.07 EUR).

Egyptian Pound exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 52.32 EGP (100 EGP = 1.91 USD). 1 EUR = 58.68 EGP (100 EGP = 1.7 EUR).

USD to RWF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Kigali Cairo 3,560 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Kigali
Cairo

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

Kigali vs Cairo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Yes – Kigali is pricier by about 37%, and outside of rent the gap shows up most in clothing.

For a comfortable life, plan on about $1,321 per month in Kigali and $965 in Cairo. That covers rent, food, utilities, transport, and enough left over to feel settled – not just surviving.

Rent is clearly cheaper in Cairo, especially for central apartments. Housing is actually the single biggest factor behind the overall cost gap between these two cities.

Groceries cost about 8% more in Kigali, though it depends on what you buy. Local produce may be comparable; imported and premium items show the biggest price gap.

A mid-range dinner for two costs $30.00 in Kigali and $28.00 in Cairo. That's a good indicator of the overall restaurant and café pricing gap between the two cities.

A $1,500 monthly budget goes further in Cairo, where all-in costs run around $643, than in Kigali at $881. In Cairo it covers expenses comfortably, while in Kigali it requires careful planning or may not stretch far enough.

Families tend to lean toward Cairo – lower housing and cheaper childcare make a real difference, especially on a single income or when paying for private education.

Both have safer and rougher neighborhoods, but overall safety is comparable to other large cities. Neighborhood choice matters more than the city-level comparison – central, well-trafficked areas feel secure in both.

If budget matters most, go with Cairo. If higher salaries, better infrastructure, or specific career opportunities are the priority, Kigali makes more sense. Both are solid long-term options with distinct trade-offs.