Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rwanda and China

Name: China
Address: CN

For one person, living costs are similar in Rwanda and in China: $811 and $791 a month, rent and utilities included.

39

Cost of Living Index in Rwanda
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Rwanda Living Index
38

Cost of Living Index in China
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China Living Index

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🇷🇼 Rwanda

$811

/mo nomad

🇨🇳 China

$791

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rwanda and in China

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $811 in Rwanda versus $791 in China.

Rwanda $811
China $791

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,311 in Rwanda versus $1,251 in China.

Rwanda $1,311
China $1,251

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,810 in Rwanda versus $1,711 in China.

Rwanda $1,810
China $1,711

Internal cost variation is higher in China: monthly costs span $465 to $1,222, compared to $369–$881 in Rwanda. City choice carries more weight in China.

On average, monthly costs in Rwanda and in China are close – where you settle within each country matters more.

Both countries sit below the global median: Rwanda 40% lower, China 42% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.02 RWF 4,448

$2.98 ¥19.81

1.34%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.94 RWF 36.7K

$22.09 ¥147

12.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.87 RWF 10.1K

$5.20 ¥34.60

32.12%

Cappuccino

$2.27 RWF 3,336

$2.97 ¥19.74

-23.57%

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

$0.80 RWF 1,176

$0.48 ¥3.19

66.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 RWF 793

$0.30 ¥2.01

80.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.98 RWF 1,445

$1.08 ¥7.18

-9.26%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 RWF 3,030

$2.28 ¥15.15

-9.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 RWF 1,247

$1.80 ¥11.96

-52.78%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 RWF 1,512

$1.68 ¥11.15

-38.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 RWF 1,831

$0.92 ¥6.13

34.78%

Eggs

$1.59 RWF 2,333

$1.61 ¥10.73

-1.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.02 RWF 5,914

$13.38 ¥89.1

-69.96%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 RWF 6,407

$3.35 ¥22.28

29.85%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.15 RWF 6,111

$11.35 ¥75.5

-63.44%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 RWF 4,065

$1.82 ¥12.12

51.65%

Banana (1kg)

$0.84 RWF 1,229

$1.31 ¥8.69

-35.88%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 RWF 2,288

$1.49 ¥9.89

4.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.98 RWF 1,446

$1.27 ¥8.47

-22.83%

Potato (1kg)

$0.47 RWF 686

$0.71 ¥4.73

-33.80%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RWF 1,178

$0.93 ¥6.21

-13.98%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 RWF 727

$0.62 ¥4.12

-20.97%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 RWF 1,179

$0.56 ¥3.74

42.86%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.00 RWF 2,944

$3.78 ¥25.15

-47.09%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 RWF 14.6K

$12.13 ¥80.8

-17.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 RWF 1,640

$0.83 ¥5.54

33.73%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 RWF 2,243

$1.68 ¥11.21

-9.52%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 RWF 524

$0.29 ¥1.92

24.14%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.57 RWF 39.1K

$17.83 ¥119

49.02%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.79 RWF 4,106

$1.49 ¥9.89

87.25%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 RWF 2,911

$0.37 ¥2.49

435.14%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 RWF 5,067

$7.10 ¥47.24

-51.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 RWF 2,648

$1.26 ¥8.37

42.86%

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

$26.2K RWF 38.5M

$19.4K ¥129.4K

34.63%

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

$23.2K RWF 34.2M

$17.5K ¥116.7K

32.45%

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

$83.3 RWF 122.5K

$54.6 ¥363

52.66%

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

$7.62 RWF 11.2K

$8.73 ¥58.1

-12.71%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.87 RWF 30.7K

$11.07 ¥73.7

88.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.13 RWF 45.8K

$40.77 ¥271

-23.64%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.13 RWF 6,079

$14.48 ¥96.4

-71.48%

Cinema Ticket

$3.31 RWF 4,875

$6.78 ¥45.12

-51.18%

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

$133 RWF 195.2K

$517 ¥3,438

-74.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,517 RWF 14.0M

$19.8K ¥131.8K

-51.96%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.58 RWF 30.3K

$46.53 ¥310

-55.77%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.16 RWF 25.2K

$35.66 ¥237

-51.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$27.09 RWF 39.9K

$77.0 ¥512

-64.81%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.62 RWF 52.4K

$80.3 ¥534

-55.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$601 RWF 883.9K

$386 ¥2,567

55.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 RWF 500.0K

$235 ¥1,561

44.92%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 RWF 1.9M

$822 ¥5,469

56.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$802 RWF 1.2M

$453 ¥3,015

77.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,440 RWF 5.1M

$4,697 ¥31.3K

-26.75%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,986 RWF 4.4M

$2,372 ¥15.8K

25.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$290 RWF 426.8K

$1,093 ¥7,275

-73.46%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.2

3.46

368.21%

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

Last update for Rwanda: October 25, 2026

Last update for China: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rwanda

$340 41.9%

China

$235 29.6% 31% $105

Groceries & Markets

Rwanda

$149 18.4%

China

$210 26.5% 40.6% $61

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rwanda

$112 13.8%

China

$74 9.4% 33.5% $37

Eating Out

Rwanda

$86 10.7%

China

$88 11.1% 2% $1.7

Clothing & Footwear

Rwanda

$45 5.6%

China

$108 13.6% 138% $63

Getting Around

Rwanda

$41 5%

China

$22 2.8% 45.1% $18

Sport & Entertainment

Rwanda

$38 4.7%

China

$54 6.9% 43.9% $17

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $354 in Rwanda, $298 in China. Capital cities: $672 in Kigali vs $933 in Beijing (Pekin).

National salary averages: $232 in Rwanda, $873 in China. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.