Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Butare Cost of Living Comparison Between Playa del Carmen and Butare

😐 Solo nomad: Playa del Carmen is 189.7% more expensive than Butare without rent, and 173.9% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Playa del Carmen is 190.7% more expensive than Butare without rent, and 210.5% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Playa del Carmen
Butare
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$11.85 MX$212
$1.77 RWF 2,586
569.49%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$42.16 MX$755
$20.66 RWF 30.1K
104.07%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$10.75 MX$192
$5.43 RWF 7,923
97.97%
Cappuccino
$3.47 MX$62.2
$1.71 RWF 2,491
102.92%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.45 MX$26.01
$0.59 RWF 857
145.76%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.90 MX$16.16
$0.36 RWF 531
150.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$3.05 MX$54.7
$0.71 RWF 1,033
329.58%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$4.42 MX$79.1
$1.07 RWF 1,559
313.08%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Playa del Carmen
Butare
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.37 MX$24.51
$0.39 RWF 574
251.28%
White Bread (500g)
$1.87 MX$33.51
$0.98 RWF 1,437
90.82%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 MX$27.63
$0.91 RWF 1,323
69.23%
Eggs
$2.50 MX$44.81
$1.47 RWF 2,145
70.07%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.61 MX$154
$2.29 RWF 3,344
275.98%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.63 MX$155
$2.97 RWF 4,337
190.57%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.02 MX$197
$2.68 RWF 3,913
311.19%
Apples (1kg)
$2.75 MX$49.22
$2.26 RWF 3,294
21.68%
Banana (1kg)
$1.43 MX$25.56
$0.89 RWF 1,297
60.67%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.87 MX$33.52
$1.13 RWF 1,653
65.49%
Tomato (1kg)
$2.17 MX$38.80
$0.79 RWF 1,156
174.68%
Potato (1kg)
$1.88 MX$33.70
$0.32 RWF 460
487.50%
Onion (1kg)
$2.25 MX$40.21
$0.47 RWF 682
378.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.07 MX$19.11
$0.35 RWF 505
205.71%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$1.07 MX$19.22
$0.58 RWF 843
84.48%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$4.15 MX$74.4
$1.21 RWF 1,760
242.98%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.34 MX$185
$6.85 RWF 9,992
50.95%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.68 MX$30.06
$0.90 RWF 1,309
86.67%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.48 MX$44.46
$1.42 RWF 2,066
74.65%
🚌 Getting Around
Playa del Carmen
Butare
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.55 MX$9.93
$0.29 RWF 427
89.66%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$26.53 MX$475
$9.97 RWF 14.6K
166.10%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.22 MX$57.6
$2.11 RWF 3,076
52.61%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.48 MX$44.42
$0.87 RWF 1,263
185.06%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.11 MX$55.7
$3.85 RWF 5,619
-19.22%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.26 MX$22.48
$0.77 RWF 1,130
63.64%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$30.7K MX$548.8K
$17.0K RWF 24.8M
80.62%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.0K MX$430.3K
$8,586 RWF 12.5M
179.98%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Playa del Carmen
Butare
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$82.5 MX$1,476
$37.05 RWF 54.1K
122.62%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$22.29 MX$399
$8.83 RWF 12.9K
152.43%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$30.02 MX$537
$17.66 RWF 25.8K
69.99%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Playa del Carmen
Butare
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$51.4 MX$921
$26.01 RWF 38.0K
97.77%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$18.29 MX$327
$5.56 RWF 8,116
228.96%
Cinema Ticket
$4.98 MX$89.2
$3.45 RWF 5,029
44.35%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Playa del Carmen
Butare
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$200 MX$3,580
$93.2 RWF 136.0K
114.68%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$5,304 MX$94.9K
$1,372 RWF 2.0M
286.60%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Playa del Carmen
Butare
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$35.71 MX$639
$14.14 RWF 20.6K
152.55%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$39.56 MX$708
$19.66 RWF 28.7K
101.22%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$80.6 MX$1,442
$24.08 RWF 35.1K
234.51%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$88.3 MX$1,581
$31.51 RWF 46.0K
180.29%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Playa del Carmen
Butare
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$969 MX$17.4K
$205 RWF 299.7K
372.01%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$482 MX$8,632
$140 RWF 203.7K
245.44%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,595 MX$28.6K
$313 RWF 457.4K
408.95%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$1,184 MX$21.2K
$236 RWF 343.9K
402.34%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$4,050 MX$72.5K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$6,522 MX$116.7K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Playa del Carmen
Butare
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$756 MX$13.5K
$231 RWF 336.8K
227.74%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.42
16.2
-29.51%

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

Last update for Playa del Carmen: March 3, 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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