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

😐 Solo nomad: South Africa is 53% more expensive than Rwanda without rent, and 51.8% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: South Africa is 53.4% more expensive than Rwanda without rent, and 46.3% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
South Africa
Rwanda
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.84 R 145
$3.57 RWF 5,213
147.62%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.50 R 631
$28.25 RWF 41.2K
36.28%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.07 R 83.2
$5.91 RWF 8,623
-14.21%
Cappuccino
$2.04 R 33.40
$2.17 RWF 3,161
-5.99%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.04 R 17.02
$0.86 RWF 1,250
20.93%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.74 R 12.08
$0.49 RWF 722
51.02%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.31 R 37.83
$1.03 RWF 1,497
124.27%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.47 R 40.57
$2.02 RWF 2,951
22.28%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
South Africa
Rwanda
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.07 R 17.55
$0.65 RWF 955
64.62%
White Bread (500g)
$1.01 R 16.51
$1.00 RWF 1,467
1.00%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.57 R 25.79
$1.16 RWF 1,699
35.34%
Eggs
$2.33 R 38.26
$1.67 RWF 2,435
39.52%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.68 R 126
$3.85 RWF 5,615
99.48%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.47 R 73.4
$4.12 RWF 6,010
8.50%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.60 R 108
$3.46 RWF 5,058
90.75%
Apples (1kg)
$1.56 R 25.55
$2.65 RWF 3,866
-41.13%
Banana (1kg)
$1.45 R 23.80
$0.89 RWF 1,293
62.92%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.51 R 24.79
$1.40 RWF 2,042
7.86%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.49 R 24.39
$1.04 RWF 1,524
43.27%
Potato (1kg)
$1.21 R 19.91
$0.47 RWF 684
157.45%
Onion (1kg)
$1.33 R 21.80
$0.82 RWF 1,192
62.20%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.08 R 17.70
$0.44 RWF 642
145.45%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.94 R 15.34
$0.72 RWF 1,047
30.56%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.85 R 46.74
$1.78 RWF 2,602
60.11%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.89 R 80.3
$10.48 RWF 15.3K
-53.34%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.38 R 22.64
$1.03 RWF 1,499
33.98%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.69 R 27.65
$1.63 RWF 2,384
3.68%
🚌 Getting Around
South Africa
Rwanda
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.73 R 28.33
$0.36 RWF 530
380.56%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$45.33 R 743
$27.53 RWF 40.2K
64.66%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.10 R 18.01
$2.86 RWF 4,175
-61.54%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.10 R 18.03
$1.28 RWF 1,862
-14.06%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.69 R 76.9
$4.15 RWF 6,064
13.01%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 R 21.32
$1.14 RWF 1,661
14.04%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.6K R 337.3K
$24.7K RWF 36.1M
-16.78%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$24.2K R 396.4K
$22.4K RWF 32.7M
8.01%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Africa
Rwanda
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$110 R 1,811
$49.40 RWF 72.1K
123.58%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.07 R 526
$9.02 RWF 13.2K
255.54%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.81 R 669
$21.40 RWF 31.2K
90.70%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
South Africa
Rwanda
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.33 R 514
$31.60 RWF 46.1K
-0.85%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.44 R 155
$4.34 RWF 6,334
117.51%
Cinema Ticket
$6.90 R 113
$3.41 RWF 4,981
102.35%
🧸 Childcare & Education
South Africa
Rwanda
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$187 R 3,074
$135 RWF 196.6K
39.17%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,385 R 71.9K
$4,409 RWF 6.4M
-0.55%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
South Africa
Rwanda
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$49.70 R 815
$18.46 RWF 26.9K
169.23%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$31.23 R 512
$23.11 RWF 33.7K
35.14%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$93.0 R 1,526
$27.73 RWF 40.5K
235.52%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.7 R 1,307
$33.89 RWF 49.5K
135.08%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
South Africa
Rwanda
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$443 R 7,265
$433 RWF 632.2K
2.29%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$369 R 6,048
$286 RWF 418.2K
28.72%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$890 R 14.6K
$873 RWF 1.3M
1.89%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$724 R 11.9K
$555 RWF 810.7K
30.46%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,125 R 18.5K
$2,443 RWF 3.6M
-53.95%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$823 R 13.5K
$3,033 RWF 4.4M
-72.85%
💵 Salaries & Financials
South Africa
Rwanda
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,486 R 24.4K
$268 RWF 391.2K
454.67%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.55
16.43
-29.70%

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

Last update for South Africa: January 12, 2026

Last update for Rwanda: January 13, 2026

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