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

😐 Solo nomad: South Africa is 51.5% more expensive than Rwanda without rent, and 49.3% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: South Africa is 55.6% more expensive than Rwanda without rent, and 51.6% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
South Africa
Rwanda
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.71 R 142
$3.42 RWF 4,981
154.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.43 R 643
$27.26 RWF 39.7K
44.64%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.16 R 84.1
$6.13 RWF 8,938
-15.82%
Cappuccino
$2.03 R 33.09
$2.28 RWF 3,321
-10.96%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 R 16.83
$0.87 RWF 1,270
18.39%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.79 R 12.83
$0.54 RWF 789
46.30%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.30 R 37.53
$1.07 RWF 1,560
114.95%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 R 41.59
$1.99 RWF 2,898
28.14%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
South Africa
Rwanda
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.11 R 18.16
$0.65 RWF 945
70.77%
White Bread (500g)
$1.04 R 16.92
$0.99 RWF 1,450
5.05%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 R 25.17
$1.18 RWF 1,716
30.51%
Eggs
$2.24 R 36.56
$1.68 RWF 2,443
33.33%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.86 R 128
$3.85 RWF 5,612
104.16%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.73 R 77.2
$4.16 RWF 6,065
13.70%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.65 R 108
$3.50 RWF 5,100
90.00%
Apples (1kg)
$1.51 R 24.66
$2.70 RWF 3,929
-44.07%
Banana (1kg)
$1.41 R 22.93
$0.88 RWF 1,289
60.23%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.49 R 24.31
$1.45 RWF 2,114
2.76%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.56 R 25.47
$1.01 RWF 1,471
54.46%
Potato (1kg)
$1.19 R 19.47
$0.50 RWF 722
138.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.30 R 21.13
$0.81 RWF 1,178
60.49%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.04 R 16.99
$0.41 RWF 593
153.66%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.96 R 15.69
$0.72 RWF 1,056
33.33%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.92 R 47.67
$1.71 RWF 2,490
70.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.80 R 78.3
$10.33 RWF 15.1K
-53.53%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.33 R 21.75
$0.93 RWF 1,363
43.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 R 28.08
$1.63 RWF 2,372
5.52%
🚌 Getting Around
South Africa
Rwanda
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.70 R 27.72
$0.33 RWF 485
415.15%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$45.20 R 737
$27.97 RWF 40.8K
61.60%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.09 R 17.81
$2.71 RWF 3,943
-59.78%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.05 R 17.13
$1.23 RWF 1,788
-14.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.73 R 77.1
$4.13 RWF 6,016
14.53%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.29 R 21.10
$1.15 RWF 1,675
12.17%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K R 343.2K
$24.5K RWF 35.8M
-14.19%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.6K R 384.2K
$22.3K RWF 32.5M
5.60%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Africa
Rwanda
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$112 R 1,818
$49.44 RWF 72.1K
125.65%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$31.97 R 521
$9.40 RWF 13.7K
240.11%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.41 R 659
$21.13 RWF 30.8K
91.24%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
South Africa
Rwanda
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.85 R 519
$30.89 RWF 45.0K
3.11%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.68 R 158
$4.47 RWF 6,522
116.55%
Cinema Ticket
$6.64 R 108
$3.45 RWF 5,033
92.46%
🧸 Childcare & Education
South Africa
Rwanda
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$190 R 3,100
$136 RWF 198.6K
39.57%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,317 R 70.4K
$4,451 RWF 6.5M
-2.99%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
South Africa
Rwanda
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.50 R 791
$18.52 RWF 27.0K
161.88%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.47 R 497
$22.37 RWF 32.6K
36.21%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 R 1,536
$28.71 RWF 41.8K
228.28%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$81.4 R 1,327
$34.76 RWF 50.7K
134.18%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
South Africa
Rwanda
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$453 R 7,380
$433 RWF 631.0K
4.60%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$371 R 6,047
$283 RWF 412.9K
30.96%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$881 R 14.4K
$853 RWF 1.2M
3.29%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$705 R 11.5K
$556 RWF 809.9K
26.88%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,147 R 18.7K
$3,387 RWF 4.9M
-66.14%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$818 R 13.3K
$3,069 RWF 4.5M
-73.36%
💵 Salaries & Financials
South Africa
Rwanda
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,476 R 24.1K
$288 RWF 419.8K
412.58%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Rwanda: April 14, 2026

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

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