Cost of Living Comparison Between Rwanda and South Africa Cost of Living Comparison Between Rwanda and South Africa

🙂 Solo nomad: Rwanda is 36.1% cheaper than South Africa without rent, and 32.8% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Rwanda is 35.8% cheaper than South Africa without rent, and 30.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Rwanda
South Africa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.38 RWF 4,767
$9.05 R 161
-62.65%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$28.14 RWF 39.7K
$38.84 R 691
-27.55%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$6.13 RWF 8,655
$4.9 R 87.1
25.10%
Cappuccino
$2.28 RWF 3,218
$1.98 R 35.28
15.15%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.81 RWF 1,138
$0.96 R 17.06
-15.62%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.5 RWF 699
$0.75 R 13.31
-33.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.02 RWF 1,444
$2.18 R 38.72
-53.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.08 RWF 2,941
$2.54 R 45.1
-18.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Rwanda
South Africa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$0.66 RWF 932
$1.1 R 19.58
-40.00%
White Bread (500g)
$1.05 RWF 1,481
$1.03 R 18.32
1.94%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.21 RWF 1,710
$1.56 R 27.71
-22.44%
Eggs
$1.66 RWF 2,348
$2.25 R 39.93
-26.22%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$3.78 RWF 5,341
$7.67 R 136
-50.72%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$3.94 RWF 5,566
$4.62 R 82.2
-14.72%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$3.48 RWF 4,906
$6.86 R 122
-49.27%
Apples (1kg)
$2.78 RWF 3,919
$1.58 R 28.02
75.95%
Banana (1kg)
$0.82 RWF 1,163
$1.42 R 25.3
-42.25%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.38 RWF 1,952
$1.44 R 25.58
-4.17%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.01 RWF 1,420
$1.49 R 26.5
-32.21%
Potato (1kg)
$0.46 RWF 656
$1.25 R 22.16
-63.20%
Onion (1kg)
$0.81 RWF 1,145
$1.34 R 23.81
-39.55%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.44 RWF 615
$1.09 R 19.31
-59.63%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.74 RWF 1,038
$0.96 R 17.15
-22.92%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.76 RWF 2,483
$2.9 R 51.6
-39.31%
Wine (Bottle)
$10.49 RWF 14.8K
$5.07 R 90.3
106.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 RWF 1,329
$1.38 R 24.49
-31.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.7 RWF 2,394
$1.68 R 29.79
1.19%
🚌 Getting Around
Rwanda
South Africa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.37 RWF 515
$1.71 R 30.47
-78.36%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$28.15 RWF 39.7K
$45.01 R 801
-37.46%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.86 RWF 4,041
$1.1 R 19.61
160.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.22 RWF 1,723
$1.09 R 19.41
11.93%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.1 RWF 5,782
$4.8 R 85.3
-14.58%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.19 RWF 1,681
$1.31 R 23.23
-9.16%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$24K RWF 33.9M
$21K R 374.2K
14.06%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$22.5K RWF 31.7M
$23.7K R 421.3K
-5.18%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Rwanda
South Africa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$50.8 RWF 71.6K
$113 R 2,009
-55.07%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.13 RWF 12.9K
$33.11 R 589
-72.43%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$21.59 RWF 30.5K
$41.49 R 738
-47.96%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Rwanda
South Africa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$30.83 RWF 43.5K
$31.69 R 564
-2.71%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$4.29 RWF 6,055
$9.45 R 168
-54.60%
Cinema Ticket
$3.38 RWF 4,777
$6.7 R 119
-49.55%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Rwanda
South Africa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$138 RWF 194.2K
$186 R 3,303
-25.92%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,281 RWF 6M
$4,336 R 77.1K
-1.27%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Rwanda
South Africa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$18.87 RWF 26.6K
$48.56 R 864
-61.14%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$22.78 RWF 32.2K
$30.74 R 547
-25.89%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$28.02 RWF 39.6K
$92 R 1,636
-69.54%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$34.81 RWF 49.1K
$79.6 R 1,415
-56.25%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Rwanda
South Africa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$430 RWF 606.9K
$442 R 7,860
-2.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$285 RWF 401.7K
$370 R 6,579
-23.09%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$874 RWF 1.2M
$880 R 15.7K
-0.77%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$558 RWF 788.1K
$724 R 12.9K
-22.85%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$2,709 RWF 3.8M
$1,021 R 18.2K
165.31%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$3,084 RWF 4.4M
$803 R 14.3K
283.94%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Rwanda
South Africa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$271 RWF 383.2K
$1,406 R 25K
-80.70%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
16.43
11.55
42.25%

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

Last update for Rwanda: October 26, 2025

Last update for South Africa: October 29, 2025

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