Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Rwanda

Name: Rwanda
Address: RW

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.

58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Rwanda
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Rwanda Living Index

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🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$811

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in South Africa and in Rwanda actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

South Africa $1,203
Rwanda $811

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

South Africa $1,893
Rwanda $1,311

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

South Africa $2,583
Rwanda $1,810

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 South Africa is roughly 48% more expensive than in Rwanda on average.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 R 177

$3.02 RWF 4,448

253.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.66 R 692

$24.94 RWF 36.7K

67.04%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 R 96.3

$6.87 RWF 10.1K

-15.57%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.16

$2.27 RWF 3,336

3.96%

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

$1.12 R 18.53

$0.80 RWF 1,176

40.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 14.97

$0.54 RWF 793

66.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 40.13

$0.98 RWF 1,445

146.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R 50.8

$2.06 RWF 3,030

48.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.55

$0.85 RWF 1,247

38.82%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.80

$1.03 RWF 1,512

9.71%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.86

$1.24 RWF 1,831

40.32%

Eggs

$2.57 R 42.73

$1.59 RWF 2,333

61.64%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 R 140

$4.02 RWF 5,914

109.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 R 85.0

$4.35 RWF 6,407

17.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.59 R 126

$4.15 RWF 6,111

82.89%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.47

$2.76 RWF 4,065

-35.87%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.85

$0.84 RWF 1,229

107.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.38

$1.56 RWF 2,288

13.46%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.21

$0.98 RWF 1,446

79.59%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.77

$0.47 RWF 686

217.02%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.34

$0.80 RWF 1,178

83.75%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.49

$0.49 RWF 727

151.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 R 18.22

$0.80 RWF 1,179

37.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 53.9

$2.00 RWF 2,944

62.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.00 R 83.1

$9.95 RWF 14.6K

-49.75%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.86

$1.11 RWF 1,640

35.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 32.21

$1.52 RWF 2,243

27.63%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.54

$0.36 RWF 524

311.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 R 985

$26.57 RWF 39.1K

123.11%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 R 18.18

$2.79 RWF 4,106

-60.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R 16.44

$1.98 RWF 2,911

-50.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 R 124

$3.44 RWF 5,067

116.86%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.72

$1.80 RWF 2,648

-20.56%

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

$35.3K R 586.4K

$26.2K RWF 38.5M

34.85%

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

$32.4K R 538.8K

$23.2K RWF 34.2M

39.65%

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

$133 R 2,205

$83.3 RWF 122.5K

59.37%

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

$34.83 R 579

$7.62 RWF 11.2K

357.09%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.76 R 660

$20.87 RWF 30.7K

90.51%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.09 R 550

$31.13 RWF 45.8K

6.30%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.65 R 193

$4.13 RWF 6,079

182.08%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 R 119

$3.31 RWF 4,875

116.92%

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

$224 R 3,722

$133 RWF 195.2K

68.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,462 R 90.7K

$9,517 RWF 14.0M

-42.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 R 900

$20.58 RWF 30.3K

163.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.13 R 567

$17.16 RWF 25.2K

98.89%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 R 1,696

$27.09 RWF 39.9K

276.85%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 R 1,470

$35.62 RWF 52.4K

148.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 R 8,176

$601 RWF 883.9K

-18.07%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,607

$340 RWF 500.0K

17.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 R 15.7K

$1,290 RWF 1.9M

-26.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$827 R 13.7K

$802 RWF 1.2M

3.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,099 R 18.3K

$3,440 RWF 5.1M

-68.05%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$769 R 12.8K

$2,986 RWF 4.4M

-74.25%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,502 R 24.9K

$290 RWF 426.8K

417.64%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

16.2

-30.68%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Rwanda: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Africa

$398 33.1%

Rwanda

$340 41.9% 14.5% $58

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Africa

$207 17.2%

Rwanda

$112 13.8% 46.1% $96

Groceries & Markets

South Africa

$196 16.3%

Rwanda

$149 18.4% 23.8% $47

Eating Out

South Africa

$157 13.1%

Rwanda

$86 10.7% 45.1% $71

Clothing & Footwear

South Africa

$126 10.4%

Rwanda

$45 5.6% 64% $80

Getting Around

South Africa

$71 5.9%

Rwanda

$41 5% 42.9% $31

Sport & Entertainment

South Africa

$47 4%

Rwanda

$38 4.7% 20.4% $9.7

Cost Breakdown

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

National salary averages: $1,488 in South Africa, $232 in Rwanda. 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

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇷🇼 Rwanda

🕒 Local time

17:25 5:25 PM

Same time as South Africa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,027,503

13,246,394

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.09 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RWF, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 29, 2026: 1 USD = 16.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.54 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

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).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

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Between locations

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

From you

South Africa
Rwanda

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

South Africa vs Rwanda: 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.