Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the United Kingdom and Rwanda

Name: Rwanda
Address: RW

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.

119

Cost of Living Index in the United Kingdom
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United Kingdom Living Index
39

Cost of Living Index in Rwanda
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Rwanda Living Index

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🇬🇧 United Kingdom

$2,462

/mo nomad

🇷🇼 Rwanda

$811

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in the United Kingdom 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 the United Kingdom and in Rwanda actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

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

United Kingdom $2,462
Rwanda $811

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

United Kingdom $3,600
Rwanda $1,311

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

United Kingdom $4,738
Rwanda $1,810

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 the United Kingdom is roughly 203% more expensive than in Rwanda on average.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.48 £16.06

$3.02 RWF 4,448

611.26%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$85.7 £64.1

$24.94 RWF 36.7K

243.79%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.61 £7.93

$6.87 RWF 10.1K

54.44%

Cappuccino

$4.91 £3.67

$2.27 RWF 3,336

116.30%

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

$2.66 £1.99

$0.80 RWF 1,176

232.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.87 £1.40

$0.54 RWF 793

246.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.63 £4.95

$0.98 RWF 1,445

576.53%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$6.84 £5.12

$2.06 RWF 3,030

232.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.68 £1.26

$0.85 RWF 1,247

97.65%

White Bread (500g)

$1.72 £1.29

$1.03 RWF 1,512

66.99%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.17 £1.62

$1.24 RWF 1,831

75.00%

Eggs

$4.00 £2.99

$1.59 RWF 2,333

151.57%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.42 £7.04

$4.02 RWF 5,914

134.33%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.19 £6.87

$4.35 RWF 6,407

111.26%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.77 £11.04

$4.15 RWF 6,111

255.90%

Apples (1kg)

$2.97 £2.22

$2.76 RWF 4,065

7.61%

Banana (1kg)

$1.62 £1.21

$0.84 RWF 1,229

92.86%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.85 £2.13

$1.56 RWF 2,288

82.69%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.52 £2.63

$0.98 RWF 1,446

259.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.83 £1.37

$0.47 RWF 686

289.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 £1.20

$0.80 RWF 1,178

101.25%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 £0.93

$0.49 RWF 727

155.10%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 £1.24

$0.80 RWF 1,179

107.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$23.65 £17.68

$2.00 RWF 2,944

1082.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.50 £7.85

$9.95 RWF 14.6K

5.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.98 £2.23

$1.11 RWF 1,640

168.47%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.51 £2.62

$1.52 RWF 2,243

130.92%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.98 £2.97

$0.36 RWF 524

1005.56%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$107 £80.3

$26.57 RWF 39.1K

304.29%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$5.18 £3.87

$2.79 RWF 4,106

85.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.35 £1.75

$1.98 RWF 2,911

18.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$26.84 £20.06

$3.44 RWF 5,067

680.23%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.99 £1.49

$1.80 RWF 2,648

10.56%

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

$39.4K £29.5K

$26.2K RWF 38.5M

50.69%

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

$40.5K £30.3K

$23.2K RWF 34.2M

74.30%

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

$327 £245

$83.3 RWF 122.5K

292.82%

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

$18.21 £13.61

$7.62 RWF 11.2K

138.98%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.60 £32.59

$20.87 RWF 30.7K

108.91%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$42.36 £31.66

$31.13 RWF 45.8K

36.07%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$18.22 £13.62

$4.13 RWF 6,079

341.16%

Cinema Ticket

$13.85 £10.35

$3.31 RWF 4,875

318.43%

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

$1,868 £1,396

$133 RWF 195.2K

1307.66%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$22.6K £16.9K

$9,517 RWF 14.0M

137.78%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$92.9 £69.5

$20.58 RWF 30.3K

351.55%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.92 £34.32

$17.16 RWF 25.2K

167.60%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 £76.0

$27.09 RWF 39.9K

275.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$102 £76.4

$35.62 RWF 52.4K

187.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,342 £1,003

$601 RWF 883.9K

123.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,073 £802

$340 RWF 500.0K

215.79%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,231 £1,668

$1,290 RWF 1.9M

73.02%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,742 £1,302

$802 RWF 1.2M

117.08%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$5,601 £4,187

$3,440 RWF 5.1M

62.81%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$4,265 £3,188

$2,986 RWF 4.4M

42.85%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$3,349 £2,504

$290 RWF 426.8K

1054.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

5.32

16.2

-67.16%

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

Last update for the United Kingdom: 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

United Kingdom

$1.1K 43.6%

Rwanda

$340 41.9% 68.3% $733

Monthly Utilities & Internet

United Kingdom

$389 15.8%

Rwanda

$112 13.8% 71.3% $277

Eating Out

United Kingdom

$328 13.3%

Rwanda

$86 10.7% 73.6% $241

Groceries & Markets

United Kingdom

$307 12.5%

Rwanda

$149 18.4% 51.4% $158

Clothing & Footwear

United Kingdom

$154 6.3%

Rwanda

$45 5.6% 70.7% $109

Getting Around

United Kingdom

$140 5.7%

Rwanda

$41 5% 71% $100

Sport & Entertainment

United Kingdom

$70 2.9%

Rwanda

$38 4.7% 46.1% $32

Cost Breakdown

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

National salary averages: $3,251 in the United Kingdom, $232 in Rwanda. 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

🇬🇧 United Kingdom

🇷🇼 Rwanda

🕒 Local time

01:16 1:16 AM

03:16 3:16 AM

2 h ahead of the United Kingdom

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

67,326,569

13,246,394

💱 Currency

British Pound GBP £

Rwandan Franc RWF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

1 GBP = 1.34 USD

1 GBP = 1.2 EUR

10,000 RWF = 6.8 USD

10,000 RWF = 6.1 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

RWF, USD, EUR to GBP – British Pound Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇧 British Pound (£)

British Pound exchange rates as of October 30, 2026: 1 USD = 0.747 GBP (1 GBP = 1.34 USD). 1 EUR = 0.833 GBP (1 GBP = 1.2 EUR).

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).

USD to GBP in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

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

From you

United Kingdom
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

United Kingdom vs Rwanda: 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.