Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Rwanda and the United Kingdom

Name: United Kingdom
Address: GB

For one person, living is cheaper in Rwanda: $811 a month against $2,462 in the United Kingdom, rent and utilities included – about $19,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

39

Cost of Living Index in Rwanda
Learn more

Rwanda Living Index
119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
Learn more

United Kingdom Living Index

Jump to prices

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$811

/mo nomad

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Rwanda and in the United Kingdom

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 the United Kingdom actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $811 in Rwanda versus $2,462 in the United Kingdom.

Rwanda $811
United Kingdom $2,462

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,311 in Rwanda versus $3,600 in the United Kingdom.

Rwanda $1,311
United Kingdom $3,600

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,810 in Rwanda versus $4,738 in the United Kingdom.

Rwanda $1,810
United Kingdom $4,738

Internal cost variation is higher in the United Kingdom: monthly costs span $1,126 to $4,646, compared to $369–$881 in Rwanda. City choice carries more weight in the United Kingdom.

Living in Rwanda costs about 67% less than in the United Kingdom on average.

Rwanda (40% below) and the United Kingdom (81% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.02 RWF 4,448

$21.48 £16.13

-85.94%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$24.94 RWF 36.7K

$85.7 £64.4

-70.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$6.87 RWF 10.1K

$10.61 £7.97

-35.25%

Cappuccino

$2.27 RWF 3,336

$4.91 £3.69

-53.77%

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

$0.80 RWF 1,176

$2.66 £2.00

-69.92%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.54 RWF 793

$1.87 £1.40

-71.12%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.98 RWF 1,445

$6.63 £4.97

-85.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.06 RWF 3,030

$6.84 £5.14

-69.88%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.85 RWF 1,247

$1.68 £1.26

-49.40%

White Bread (500g)

$1.03 RWF 1,512

$1.72 £1.29

-40.12%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.24 RWF 1,831

$2.17 £1.63

-42.86%

Eggs

$1.59 RWF 2,333

$4.00 £3.00

-60.25%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$4.02 RWF 5,914

$9.42 £7.07

-57.32%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.35 RWF 6,407

$9.19 £6.90

-52.67%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$4.15 RWF 6,111

$14.77 £11.08

-71.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.76 RWF 4,065

$2.97 £2.23

-7.07%

Banana (1kg)

$0.84 RWF 1,229

$1.62 £1.22

-48.15%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.56 RWF 2,288

$2.85 £2.14

-45.26%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.98 RWF 1,446

$3.52 £2.64

-72.16%

Potato (1kg)

$0.47 RWF 686

$1.83 £1.37

-74.32%

Onion (1kg)

$0.80 RWF 1,178

$1.61 £1.21

-50.31%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.49 RWF 727

$1.25 £0.94

-60.80%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.80 RWF 1,179

$1.66 £1.24

-51.81%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.00 RWF 2,944

$23.65 £17.75

-91.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$9.95 RWF 14.6K

$10.50 £7.88

-5.24%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.11 RWF 1,640

$2.98 £2.24

-62.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.52 RWF 2,243

$3.51 £2.64

-56.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.36 RWF 524

$3.98 £2.99

-90.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.57 RWF 39.1K

$107 £80.6

-75.27%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.79 RWF 4,106

$5.18 £3.89

-46.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.98 RWF 2,911

$2.35 £1.76

-15.74%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.44 RWF 5,067

$26.84 £20.14

-87.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.80 RWF 2,648

$1.99 £1.49

-9.55%

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

$26.2K RWF 38.5M

$39.4K £29.6K

-33.64%

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

$23.2K RWF 34.2M

$40.5K £30.4K

-42.63%

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

$83.3 RWF 122.5K

$327 £246

-74.54%

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

$7.62 RWF 11.2K

$18.21 £13.67

-58.15%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$20.87 RWF 30.7K

$43.60 £32.73

-52.13%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.13 RWF 45.8K

$42.36 £31.79

-26.51%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.13 RWF 6,079

$18.22 £13.68

-77.33%

Cinema Ticket

$3.31 RWF 4,875

$13.85 £10.39

-76.10%

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

$133 RWF 195.2K

$1,868 £1,402

-92.90%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$9,517 RWF 14.0M

$22.6K £17.0K

-57.94%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$20.58 RWF 30.3K

$92.9 £69.8

-77.85%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$17.16 RWF 25.2K

$45.92 £34.47

-62.63%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$27.09 RWF 39.9K

$102 £76.3

-73.35%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$35.62 RWF 52.4K

$102 £76.7

-65.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$601 RWF 883.9K

$1,342 £1,008

-55.25%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$340 RWF 500.0K

$1,073 £806

-68.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,290 RWF 1.9M

$2,231 £1,675

-42.20%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$802 RWF 1.2M

$1,742 £1,308

-53.93%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,440 RWF 5.1M

$5,601 £4,204

-38.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,986 RWF 4.4M

$4,265 £3,201

-30.00%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$290 RWF 426.8K

$3,349 £2,514

-91.34%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.2

5.32

204.51%

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

Last update for Rwanda: October 25, 2026

Last update for the United Kingdom: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Rwanda

$340 41.9%

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6% 216% $733

Groceries & Markets

Rwanda

$149 18.4%

United Kingdom

$307 12.5% 106% $158

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Rwanda

$112 13.8%

United Kingdom

$389 15.8% 248% $277

Eating Out

Rwanda

$86 10.7%

United Kingdom

$328 13.3% 279% $241

Clothing & Footwear

Rwanda

$45 5.6%

United Kingdom

$154 6.3% 241% $109

Getting Around

Rwanda

$41 5%

United Kingdom

$140 5.7% 245% $100

Sport & Entertainment

Rwanda

$38 4.7%

United Kingdom

$70 2.9% 85.5% $32

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $354 in Rwanda, $1,287 in the United Kingdom. Capital cities: $672 in Kigali vs $2,811 in London.

National salary averages: $232 in Rwanda, $3,251 in the United Kingdom. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 264% higher in the United Kingdom.

Dining out costs 246% more in the United Kingdom.

Public transport is 261% more expensive in the United Kingdom.

Salaries are about 14 times higher in the United Kingdom, and purchasing power comes out stronger in the United Kingdom.

Good to know

🇷🇼 Rwanda

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🕒 Local time

18:46 6:46 PM

16:46 4:46 PM

2 h behind Rwanda

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

13,246,394

67,326,569

💱 Currency

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

British Pound GBP £

📈 Exchange rate

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.09 EUR

1 GBP = 1.33 USD

1 GBP = 1.19 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GBP, USD, EUR 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).

British Pound exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 0.751 GBP (1 GBP = 1.33 USD). 1 EUR = 0.838 GBP (1 GBP = 1.19 EUR).

USD to RWF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Rwanda United Kingdom 6,590 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Rwanda
United Kingdom

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 United Kingdom: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $811 per month in Rwanda and $2,462 in the United Kingdom, Rwanda comes out about 67% 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 $1,287 in the United Kingdom 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.