Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rwanda and Italy

Name: Italy
Address: IT

For one person, living is cheaper in Rwanda: $811 a month against $1,843 in Italy, rent and utilities included – about $12,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Rwanda
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Rwanda Living Index
88

Cost of Living Index in Italy
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Italy Living Index

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🇷🇼 Rwanda

$811

/mo nomad

🇮🇹 Italy

$1,843

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rwanda and in Italy

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $811 in Rwanda versus $1,843 in Italy.

Rwanda $811
Italy $1,843

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,311 in Rwanda versus $2,816 in Italy.

Rwanda $1,311
Italy $2,816

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,810 in Rwanda versus $3,788 in Italy.

Rwanda $1,810
Italy $3,788

Internal cost variation is higher in Italy: monthly costs span $1,038 to $2,555, compared to $369–$881 in Rwanda. City choice carries more weight in Italy.

Living in Rwanda costs about 56% less than in Italy on average.

Rwanda (40% below) and Italy (35% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.02 RWF 4,448

$20.46 €18.36

-85.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.94 RWF 36.7K

$79.5 €71.3

-68.63%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.87 RWF 10.1K

$11.15 €10.01

-38.39%

Cappuccino

$2.27 RWF 3,336

$2.04 €1.83

11.27%

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

$0.80 RWF 1,176

$3.10 €2.78

-74.19%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 RWF 793

$1.40 €1.26

-61.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.98 RWF 1,445

$5.51 €4.95

-82.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 RWF 3,030

$5.74 €5.15

-64.11%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 RWF 1,247

$1.57 €1.41

-45.86%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 RWF 1,512

$2.38 €2.14

-56.72%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 RWF 1,831

$2.90 €2.60

-57.24%

Eggs

$1.59 RWF 2,333

$4.07 €3.66

-60.93%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.02 RWF 5,914

$17.44 €15.65

-76.95%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 RWF 6,407

$12.56 €11.27

-65.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.15 RWF 6,111

$20.17 €18.10

-79.42%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 RWF 4,065

$2.58 €2.32

6.98%

Banana (1kg)

$0.84 RWF 1,229

$2.19 €1.96

-61.64%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 RWF 2,288

$2.68 €2.40

-41.79%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.98 RWF 1,446

$3.27 €2.93

-70.03%

Potato (1kg)

$0.47 RWF 686

$1.90 €1.71

-75.26%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RWF 1,178

$1.82 €1.63

-56.04%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 RWF 727

$1.57 €1.41

-68.79%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 RWF 1,179

$0.55 €0.49

45.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.00 RWF 2,944

$6.69 €6.01

-70.10%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 RWF 14.6K

$7.99 €7.17

24.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 RWF 1,640

$1.77 €1.59

-37.29%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 RWF 2,243

$2.35 €2.11

-35.32%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 RWF 524

$1.91 €1.71

-81.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.57 RWF 39.1K

$43.44 €38.98

-38.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.79 RWF 4,106

$5.62 €5.04

-50.36%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 RWF 2,911

$1.71 €1.54

15.79%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 RWF 5,067

$33.64 €30.18

-89.77%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 RWF 2,648

$2.03 €1.82

-11.33%

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

$26.2K RWF 38.5M

$35.3K €31.7K

-25.86%

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

$23.2K RWF 34.2M

$36.7K €33.0K

-36.79%

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

$83.3 RWF 122.5K

$227 €203

-63.24%

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

$7.62 RWF 11.2K

$11.59 €10.40

-34.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.87 RWF 30.7K

$30.38 €27.26

-31.30%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.13 RWF 45.8K

$51.8 €46.46

-39.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.13 RWF 6,079

$23.70 €21.26

-82.57%

Cinema Ticket

$3.31 RWF 4,875

$10.60 €9.51

-68.77%

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

$133 RWF 195.2K

$568 €509

-76.62%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,517 RWF 14.0M

$11.5K €10.3K

-17.41%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.58 RWF 30.3K

$90.5 €81.2

-77.27%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.16 RWF 25.2K

$38.55 €34.59

-55.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$27.09 RWF 39.9K

$103 €92.1

-73.61%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.62 RWF 52.4K

$131 €118

-72.81%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$601 RWF 883.9K

$826 €741

-27.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 RWF 500.0K

$646 €580

-47.40%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 RWF 1.9M

$1,400 €1,256

-7.89%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$802 RWF 1.2M

$1,054 €946

-23.89%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,440 RWF 5.1M

$3,662 €3,286

-6.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,986 RWF 4.4M

$2,301 €2,065

29.75%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$290 RWF 426.8K

$1,886 €1,692

-84.62%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.2

3.56

355.06%

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

Last update for Rwanda: October 25, 2026

Last update for Italy: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rwanda

$340 41.9%

Italy

$646 35.1% 90.1% $306

Groceries & Markets

Rwanda

$149 18.4%

Italy

$348 18.9% 133% $198

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rwanda

$112 13.8%

Italy

$269 14.6% 140% $157

Eating Out

Rwanda

$86 10.7%

Italy

$279 15.1% 223% $192

Clothing & Footwear

Rwanda

$45 5.6%

Italy

$163 8.9% 261% $118

Getting Around

Rwanda

$41 5%

Italy

$65 3.5% 60.4% $25

Sport & Entertainment

Rwanda

$38 4.7%

Italy

$73 4% 93.3% $35

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $354 in Rwanda, $729 in Italy. Capital cities: $672 in Kigali vs $1,297 in Rome.

National salary averages: $232 in Rwanda, $1,890 in Italy. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 106% higher in Italy.

Dining out costs 204% more in Italy.

Public transport is 54% more expensive in Italy.

Salaries are about 8.1 times higher in Italy, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Italy.

Good to know

🇷🇼 Rwanda

🇮🇹 Italy

🕒 Local time

19:58 7:58 PM

18:58 6:58 PM

1 h behind Rwanda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,246,394

58,850,717

💱 Currency

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

Euro EUR €

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.09 EUR

1 EUR = 1.11 USD

Exchange rates and currency converter

EUR, USD to RWF – Rwandan Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇼 Rwandan Franc (Fr)

Rwandan Franc exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 1,471 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD). 1 EUR = 1,642 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.09 EUR).

Euro exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.897 EUR (1 EUR = 1.11 USD).

USD to RWF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rwanda Italy 5,190 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Rwanda
Italy

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

Rwanda vs Italy: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,843 per month in Italy and $811 in Rwanda, Rwanda comes out about 56% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Rwanda: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $729 in Italy and $354 in Rwanda. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: Rwanda wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.