Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Kigali and Nyamata

For one person, living is cheaper in Nyamata: $569 a month against $876 in Kigali, rent and utilities included – about $3,700 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Kigali outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

43

Cost of Living Index in Kigali
Learn more

Kigali Living Index
27

Cost of Living Index in Nyamata
Learn more

Nyamata Living Index

Jump to prices

Kigali

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$876

/mo nomad

Nyamata

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$569

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Kigali and in Nyamata

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 Nyamata actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $876 in Kigali versus $569 in Nyamata.

Kigali $876
Nyamata $569

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,378 in Kigali versus $899 in Nyamata.

Kigali $1,378
Nyamata $899

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,879 in Kigali versus $1,229 in Nyamata.

Kigali $1,879
Nyamata $1,229

Living in Kigali is roughly 54% more expensive than in Nyamata, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in leisure.

Both cities sit below the global median: Kigali 35% lower, Nyamata 58% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$2.75 RWF 4,049

$2.75 RWF 4,048

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$30.24 RWF 44.5K

$11.79 RWF 17.3K

156.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.84 RWF 10.0K

$6.65 RWF 9,779

2.86%

Cappuccino

$2.45 RWF 3,604

$1.71 RWF 2,510

43.27%

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

$0.75 RWF 1,107

$0.71 RWF 1,039

5.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.57 RWF 841

$0.38 RWF 560

50.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.01 RWF 1,479

$1.04 RWF 1,528

-2.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.40 RWF 3,534

$1.71 RWF 2,509

40.35%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.87 RWF 1,276

$0.82 RWF 1,200

6.10%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 RWF 1,517

$0.78 RWF 1,145

32.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.26 RWF 1,855

$1.28 RWF 1,878

-1.56%

Eggs

$1.62 RWF 2,381

$1.61 RWF 2,367

0.62%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.14 RWF 6,091

$3.55 RWF 5,224

16.62%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.64 RWF 6,823

$2.67 RWF 3,927

73.78%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.64 RWF 6,819

$4.12 RWF 6,055

12.62%

Apples (1kg)

$2.36 RWF 3,464

$2.47 RWF 3,629

-4.45%

Banana (1kg)

$0.80 RWF 1,181

$0.40 RWF 587

100.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.55 RWF 2,275

$0.70 RWF 1,032

121.43%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.02 RWF 1,501

$0.56 RWF 820

82.14%

Potato (1kg)

$0.48 RWF 705

$0.49 RWF 718

-2.04%

Onion (1kg)

$0.74 RWF 1,082

$0.77 RWF 1,128

-3.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 RWF 953

$0.35 RWF 521

85.71%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.88 RWF 1,294

$0.71 RWF 1,044

23.94%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.98 RWF 2,913

$1.33 RWF 1,958

48.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.04 RWF 14.8K

$10.32 RWF 15.2K

-2.71%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 RWF 1,452

$1.03 RWF 1,512

-3.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.51 RWF 2,221

$1.58 RWF 2,326

-4.43%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 RWF 515

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$25.17 RWF 37.0K

$30.74 RWF 45.2K

-18.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.65 RWF 3,891

$2.64 RWF 3,886

0.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.01 RWF 2,959

$2.00 RWF 2,945

0.50%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.33 RWF 4,895

$3.14 RWF 4,616

6.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.82 RWF 2,674

$1.23 RWF 1,810

47.97%

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

$26.2K RWF 38.6M

$26.4K RWF 38.8M

-0.72%

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

$29.4K RWF 43.2M

$23.8K RWF 35.0M

23.29%

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

$85.6 RWF 125.8K

$85.3 RWF 125.4K

0.33%

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

$6.98 RWF 10.3K

$7.19 RWF 10.6K

-2.92%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$21.06 RWF 31.0K

$17.12 RWF 25.2K

23.01%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.30 RWF 38.7K

$102 RWF 150.6K

-74.32%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.13 RWF 6,068

Cinema Ticket

$3.41 RWF 5,016

$1.99 RWF 2,930

71.36%

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

$114 RWF 168.2K

$114 RWF 167.3K

0.54%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,339 RWF 13.7M

$9,358 RWF 13.8M

-0.20%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$17.62 RWF 25.9K

$17.24 RWF 25.3K

2.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$15.44 RWF 22.7K

$15.65 RWF 23.0K

-1.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$22.64 RWF 33.3K

$22.03 RWF 32.4K

2.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$34.27 RWF 50.4K

$34.32 RWF 50.5K

-0.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$666 RWF 978.8K

$100.0 RWF 147.0K

566.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$411 RWF 603.7K

$67.9 RWF 99.8K

504.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,399 RWF 2.1M

$343 RWF 503.9K

308.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$859 RWF 1.3M

$240 RWF 353.5K

257.44%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,420 RWF 5.0M

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,059 RWF 4.5M

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$281 RWF 413.1K

$180 RWF 264.8K

56.00%

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: October 12, 2026

Last update for Nyamata: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Kigali

$411 46.9%

Nyamata

$68 11.9% 83.5% $343

Groceries & Markets

Kigali

$152 17.4%

Nyamata

$126 22.2% 17.1% $26

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Kigali

$114 13%

Nyamata

$110 19.3% 3.5% $4

Eating Out

Kigali

$87 9.9%

Nyamata

$75 13.3% 13.4% $12

Clothing & Footwear

Kigali

$40 4.6%

Nyamata

$40 7.1% 0.8% $0.3

Getting Around

Kigali

$39 4.5%

Nyamata

$43 * 7.6% 10.5% $4.1

Sport & Entertainment

Kigali

$33 3.8%

Nyamata

$106 18.7% 221% $73

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $666 in Kigali and $100.0 in Nyamata. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Kigali pays 56% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $30.00 in Kigali vs $12.00 in Nyamata for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $152 vs $126 per month, with Nyamata cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇷🇼 Kigali

🇷🇼 Nyamata

🕒 Local time

21:59 9:59 PM

Same time as Kigali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,132,686 Capital

21,509

💱 Currency

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.05 EUR

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.05 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Kigali Nyamata 23 km

From you

Kigali
Nyamata

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 Nyamata: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Nyamata wins on cost – living expenses run 54% lower than in Kigali. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Nyamata the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 56% higher in Kigali, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $666 in Kigali versus $100.0 in Nyamata. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 21% higher in Kigali. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Nyamata – a meal for two runs $12.00 versus $30.00 in Kigali. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $569 in Nyamata versus $876 in Kigali, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Nyamata but tight or insufficient in Kigali. The gap between the two cities makes Nyamata the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Nyamata delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $569 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Nyamata hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Kigali and Nyamata are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Nyamata gentler on the wallet – expenses run 54% less than in Kigali. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.