Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Lisbon and Kigali

For one person, living is cheaper in Kigali: $881 a month against $2,203 in Lisbon, rent and utilities included – about $15,900 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

108

Cost of Living Index in Lisbon
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Lisbon Living Index
43

Cost of Living Index in Kigali
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Kigali Living Index

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Lisbon

🇵🇹 Portugal

$2,203

/mo nomad

Kigali

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$881

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Lisbon and in Kigali

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,203 in Lisbon versus $881 in Kigali.

Lisbon $2,203
Kigali $881

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,237 in Lisbon versus $1,376 in Kigali.

Lisbon $3,237
Kigali $1,376

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,272 in Lisbon versus $1,871 in Kigali.

Lisbon $4,272
Kigali $1,871

Living in Lisbon is roughly 150% more expensive than in Kigali, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in eating out.

The two cities straddle the global median: Lisbon is 64% above, Kigali is 34% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.01 €15.18

$2.75 RWF 4,037

518.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$62.7 €56.0

$30.32 RWF 44.6K

106.76%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$11.42 €10.19

$6.73 RWF 9,895

69.69%

Cappuccino

$3.09 €2.76

$2.45 RWF 3,599

26.12%

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

$2.37 €2.11

$0.76 RWF 1,112

211.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.66 €1.48

$0.55 RWF 803

201.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$3.46 €3.09

$1.00 RWF 1,471

246.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 €2.93

$2.34 RWF 3,435

40.60%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 €1.04

$0.82 RWF 1,204

42.68%

White Bread (500g)

$1.87 €1.66

$1.07 RWF 1,577

74.77%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.52 €1.36

$1.32 RWF 1,935

15.15%

Eggs

$3.88 €3.46

$1.60 RWF 2,354

142.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.87 €11.49

$4.19 RWF 6,162

207.16%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.94 €7.08

$4.68 RWF 6,878

69.66%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$17.63 €15.73

$4.51 RWF 6,631

290.91%

Apples (1kg)

$2.26 €2.01

$2.45 RWF 3,601

-7.76%

Banana (1kg)

$1.76 €1.57

$0.74 RWF 1,093

137.84%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.88 €1.68

$1.54 RWF 2,263

22.08%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.06 RWF 1,564

133.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.86 €1.66

$0.49 RWF 719

279.59%

Onion (1kg)

$2.07 €1.85

$0.71 RWF 1,050

191.55%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.39 €1.24

$0.70 RWF 1,024

98.57%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.81 €0.73

$0.82 RWF 1,204

-1.22%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$6.89 €6.15

$1.97 RWF 2,897

249.75%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.53 €4.93

$10.28 RWF 15.1K

-46.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.33 €1.19

$1.00 RWF 1,468

33.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.17 €1.93

$1.59 RWF 2,342

36.48%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.24 €2.00

$0.35 RWF 516

540.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.14 €40.29

$25.24 RWF 37.1K

78.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$4.00 €3.57

$2.67 RWF 3,920

49.81%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 €0.95

$2.01 RWF 2,957

-46.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.53 €14.75

$3.31 RWF 4,869

399.40%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.26 €2.02

$1.84 RWF 2,702

22.83%

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

$33.5K €29.9K

$26.5K RWF 38.9M

26.56%

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

$40.5K €36.1K

$29.1K RWF 42.7M

39.30%

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

$164 €146

$82.6 RWF 121.5K

97.98%

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

$18.54 €16.55

$7.06 RWF 10.4K

162.61%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$33.21 €29.64

$20.85 RWF 30.6K

59.28%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$46.01 €41.06

$26.26 RWF 38.6K

75.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.80 €16.78

$4.16 RWF 6,115

351.92%

Cinema Ticket

$9.47 €8.45

$3.49 RWF 5,126

171.35%

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

$690 €615

$112 RWF 164.1K

517.77%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$16.9K €15.0K

$9,532 RWF 14.0M

76.91%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$105 €93.4

$17.17 RWF 25.2K

509.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.27 €40.40

$15.74 RWF 23.1K

187.61%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.0 €88.3

$22.31 RWF 32.8K

343.52%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$124 €111

$34.12 RWF 50.2K

263.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,583 €1,413

$670 RWF 984.8K

136.30%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,209 €1,079

$411 RWF 604.6K

194.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,833 €2,528

$1,361 RWF 2.0M

108.22%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,964 €1,753

$837 RWF 1.2M

134.72%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,643 €6,821

$3,404 RWF 5.0M

124.53%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,431 €3,954

$3,062 RWF 4.5M

44.71%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,573 €1,403

$275 RWF 404.6K

471.27%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.79

16.2

-76.60%

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

Last update for Lisbon: October 4, 2026

Last update for Kigali: October 5, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Lisbon

$1.2K 54%

Kigali

$411 47.1% 66% $798

Groceries & Markets

Lisbon

$272 12.1%

Kigali

$153 17.5% 43.9% $119

Eating Out

Lisbon

$247 11%

Kigali

$86 9.9% 65.1% $161

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Lisbon

$215 9.6%

Kigali

$111 12.7% 48.7% $105

Clothing & Footwear

Lisbon

$168 7.5%

Kigali

$40 4.6% 76% $128

Sport & Entertainment

Lisbon

$65 2.9%

Kigali

$33 3.8% 48.8% $32

Getting Around

Lisbon

$63 2.8%

Kigali

$39 4.5% 38% $24

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,583 in Lisbon and $670 in Kigali. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Lisbon pays 471% 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: $63.0 in Lisbon vs $30.00 in Kigali for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $272 vs $153 per month, with Kigali cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇵🇹 Lisbon

🇷🇼 Kigali

🕒 Local time

07:42 7:42 AM

08:42 8:42 AM

1 h ahead of Lisbon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

545,923 Capital

1,132,686 Capital

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.07 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RWF, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 0.892 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

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).

USD to EUR in detail →

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Between locations

Lisbon Kigali 6,040 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

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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

Lisbon vs Kigali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Kigali wins on cost – living expenses run 150% lower than in Lisbon. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Kigali the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 471% higher in Lisbon, 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: $1,583 in Lisbon versus $670 in Kigali. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Supermarket bills run roughly 78% higher in Lisbon. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Dining out is cheaper in Kigali – a meal for two runs $30.00 versus $63.0 in Lisbon. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $881 in Kigali versus $2,203 in Lisbon, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Kigali but tight or insufficient in Lisbon. The gap between the two cities makes Kigali the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both work as nomad bases, but Kigali delivers better value – similar infrastructure at $881 monthly. If stretching your runway or maximizing savings is the goal, the price difference makes Kigali hard to pass up.

Safety-wise, Lisbon and Kigali 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 Kigali gentler on the wallet – expenses run 150% less than in Lisbon. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.