Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rwanda and South Africa

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

For one person, living is cheaper in Rwanda: $811 a month against $1,203 in South Africa, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 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
58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index

Jump to prices

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$811

/mo nomad

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rwanda and in South Africa

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $811 in Rwanda versus $1,203 in South Africa.

Rwanda $811
South Africa $1,203

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,311 in Rwanda versus $1,893 in South Africa.

Rwanda $1,311
South Africa $1,893

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,810 in Rwanda versus $2,583 in South Africa.

Rwanda $1,810
South Africa $2,583

Internal cost variation is higher in South Africa: monthly costs span $618 to $1,556, compared to $369–$881 in Rwanda. City choice carries more weight in South Africa.

Living in Rwanda costs about 33% less than in South Africa on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Rwanda 40% lower, South Africa 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.02 RWF 4,448

$10.67 R 177

-71.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.94 RWF 36.7K

$41.66 R 692

-40.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.87 RWF 10.1K

$5.80 R 96.3

18.45%

Cappuccino

$2.27 RWF 3,336

$2.36 R 39.18

-3.81%

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

$0.80 RWF 1,176

$1.12 R 18.54

-28.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 RWF 793

$0.90 R 14.98

-40.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.98 RWF 1,445

$2.42 R 40.14

-59.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 RWF 3,030

$3.06 R 50.8

-32.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 RWF 1,247

$1.18 R 19.56

-27.97%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 RWF 1,512

$1.13 R 18.81

-8.85%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 RWF 1,831

$1.74 R 28.86

-28.74%

Eggs

$1.59 RWF 2,333

$2.57 R 42.75

-38.13%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.02 RWF 5,914

$8.43 R 140

-52.31%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 RWF 6,407

$5.12 R 85.0

-15.04%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.15 RWF 6,111

$7.59 R 126

-45.32%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 RWF 4,065

$1.77 R 29.48

55.93%

Banana (1kg)

$0.84 RWF 1,229

$1.74 R 28.86

-51.72%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 RWF 2,288

$1.77 R 29.39

-11.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.98 RWF 1,446

$1.76 R 29.22

-44.32%

Potato (1kg)

$0.47 RWF 686

$1.49 R 24.77

-68.46%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RWF 1,178

$1.47 R 24.34

-45.58%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 RWF 727

$1.23 R 20.50

-60.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 RWF 1,179

$1.10 R 18.23

-27.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.00 RWF 2,944

$3.24 R 53.9

-38.27%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 RWF 14.6K

$5.00 R 83.1

99.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 RWF 1,640

$1.50 R 24.87

-26.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 RWF 2,243

$1.94 R 32.22

-21.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 RWF 524

$1.48 R 24.55

-75.68%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.57 RWF 39.1K

$59.3 R 985

-55.18%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.79 RWF 4,106

$1.09 R 18.19

155.96%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 RWF 2,911

$0.99 R 16.44

100.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 RWF 5,067

$7.46 R 124

-53.89%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 RWF 2,648

$1.43 R 23.73

25.87%

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

$26.2K RWF 38.5M

$35.3K R 586.6K

-25.85%

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

$23.2K RWF 34.2M

$32.4K R 539.0K

-28.39%

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

$83.3 RWF 122.5K

$133 R 2,206

-37.25%

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

$7.62 RWF 11.2K

$34.83 R 579

-78.12%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.87 RWF 30.7K

$39.76 R 661

-47.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.13 RWF 45.8K

$33.09 R 550

-5.92%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.13 RWF 6,079

$11.65 R 194

-64.55%

Cinema Ticket

$3.31 RWF 4,875

$7.18 R 119

-53.90%

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

$133 RWF 195.2K

$224 R 3,723

-40.78%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,517 RWF 14.0M

$5,462 R 90.8K

74.25%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.58 RWF 30.3K

$54.2 R 901

-62.03%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.16 RWF 25.2K

$34.13 R 567

-49.72%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$27.09 RWF 39.9K

$102 R 1,696

-73.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.62 RWF 52.4K

$88.5 R 1,470

-59.75%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$601 RWF 883.9K

$492 R 8,178

22.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 RWF 500.0K

$398 R 6,609

-14.55%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 RWF 1.9M

$946 R 15.7K

36.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$802 RWF 1.2M

$827 R 13.7K

-2.99%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,440 RWF 5.1M

$1,099 R 18.3K

213.01%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,986 RWF 4.4M

$769 R 12.8K

288.39%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$290 RWF 426.8K

$1,502 R 25.0K

-80.68%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.2

11.23

44.26%

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

Last update for Rwanda: October 25, 2026

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rwanda

$340 41.9%

South Africa

$398 33.1% 17% $58

Groceries & Markets

Rwanda

$149 18.4%

South Africa

$196 16.3% 31.1% $47

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rwanda

$112 13.8%

South Africa

$207 17.2% 85.5% $96

Eating Out

Rwanda

$86 10.7%

South Africa

$157 13.1% 82.1% $71

Clothing & Footwear

Rwanda

$45 5.6%

South Africa

$126 10.4% 178% $80

Getting Around

Rwanda

$41 5%

South Africa

$71 5.9% 75.1% $31

Sport & Entertainment

Rwanda

$38 4.7%

South Africa

$47 4% 25.6% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $354 in Rwanda, $422 in South Africa. Capital cities: $672 in Kigali vs $450 in Pretoria.

National salary averages: $232 in Rwanda, $1,488 in South Africa. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 19% higher in South Africa.

Dining out costs 63% more in South Africa.

Public transport is 118% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are about 6.4 times higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇷🇼 Rwanda

🇿🇦 South Africa

🕒 Local time

02:07 2:07 AM

Same time as Rwanda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,246,394

62,027,503

💱 Currency

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.1 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to RWF – Rwandan Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇷🇼 Rwandan Franc (Fr)

Rwandan Franc exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 1,471 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD). 1 EUR = 1,640 RWF (10,000 RWF = 6.1 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 16.62 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to RWF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rwanda South Africa 3,050 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Rwanda
South Africa

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 South Africa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $811 per month in Rwanda and $1,203 in South Africa, Rwanda comes out about 33% 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 $422 in South Africa 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.