Cost of living in Kigali

Real monthly costs in Kigali, Rwanda: USD, from the same data behind the Pro model.

Kigali, RwandaKigali
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Kigali at a glance

Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.

Essentials / mo$709rent + bills + food + transit
Men per 100 women144.6ages 20โ€“39, sector level
Avg net salary$278monthly, after tax
Safety score75/100higher = safer

Monthly cost breakdown

Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget.

Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit$709
Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD$419
Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD$671
Groceriesmonthly, one person$81
Dining outmonthly, one person$77
Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet$106
Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent$26
Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median$278
Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD$857
Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD$1,391

Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.

Everyday prices

What single items cost in Kigali, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.

Eating out

Meal, inexpensive restaurant$2.39
Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses$27.26
McMeal at McDonald's$6.82
Cappuccino, regular$2.38
Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught$1.02
Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle$2.56
Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L$0.80
Water, 0.33 L bottle$0.53

Groceries

Milk, 1 L$0.77
White bread, 500 g$1.06
White rice, 1 kg$1.29
Eggs, 12$1.66
Local cheese, 1 kg$4.24
Chicken fillets, 1 kg$4.46
Apples, 1 kg$2.43
Bananas, 1 kg$0.85
Tomatoes, 1 kg$1.02
Potatoes, 1 kg$0.48
Onions, 1 kg$0.75
Water, 1.5 L bottle$0.83

Transport & bills

One-way ticket, local transport$0.34
Monthly transit pass$25.56
Taxi start$2.73
Taxi, 1 km$2.04
Gasoline, 1 L$1.76
Basic utilities, 85 mยฒ flat$84.62
Internet, 60 Mbps+$21.13
Mobile plan, monthly$7.04

Leisure

Gym, monthly$25.98
Cinema, one seat$3.41

Dating-age sex ratio

Kigali has 144.6 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (sector level). That is the 2nd-highest of 10 Rwanda cities we track. Rwanda's national figure is 96.5, so Kigali runs 48 above the country as a whole.

A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.

How Kigali ranks against every city we track

Kigali sits ahead of 81% of the 562 cities we track on safety. On cost of living it is ahead of 73% of 542. Its weakest measure is women aged 20โ€“39, ahead of only 2% of 892.

More women aged 20โ€“39men per 100 women, census144.6
2% of 892
Cheaper to liveessentials a month$709
73% of 542
Cheaper city-centre rentone-bed a month$671
52% of 553
Higher local salaryaverage net, monthly$278
10% of 545
Salary goes furtheressentials covered by one salary0.39ร—
3% of 534
Safersafety score, perception-based75/100
81% of 562
Cleaner airPM2.5 ยตg/mยณ a year24.5
12% of 898

Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Kigali sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.

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Kigali, Rwanda

Photo: Gerard van de Bruinhorst, CC BY-SA 4.0.