Rubavu at a glance
- Rubavu ranks 8th of 10 priced cities in Rwanda on cost: $546 a month in essentials, 25% above Nyanza, the cheapest.
- The average net salary of $211 covers that 0.4×.
- 115.6 men per 100 women aged 20–39, measured at sector level.
- PM2.5 averages 19.4 µg/m³ a year, 4× the WHO guideline of 5.
Green is the better side of each figure. Every line is computed from the tables below.
Monthly cost breakdown
Rent outside centre plus utilities, groceries, dining and local transport make up the essentials figure. Not a full lifestyle budget. The middle column is the median across the 10 Rwanda cities we track, so every row says whether Rubavu is the cheap side of its own market or the dear one. Green is the better side of each row.
| Essentials, monthlyrent outside centre + bills + food + transit | $546 | $489 | $57 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $293 | $247 | $46 |
| Rent, 1-bed city centremonthly, USD | $470 | $396 | $74 |
| Groceriesmonthly, one person | $68 | $64 | $4 |
| Dining outmonthly, one person | $64 | $60 | $4 |
| Utilitiesmonthly: power, water, heating, internet | $97 | $94 | $2 |
| Local transportmonthly pass or fare equivalent | $24 | $23 | $1 |
| Average net salarymonthly, after tax; average, not median | $211 | $192 | $19 |
| Rent, 3-bed outside centremonthly, USD | $600 | $506 | $94 |
| Rent, 3-bed city centremonthly, USD | $974 | $821 | $153 |
Single person, USD. Data updated August 6, 2026.
Everyday prices
What single items cost in Rubavu, in USD. The monthly figures above are built from these. Cheaper side of each row in green.
Eating out
| Meal, inexpensive restaurant | $2.01 | $1.89 | $0.12 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meal for 2, mid-range, three courses | $22.90 | $21.54 | $1.36 |
| McMeal at McDonald's | $5.73 | $5.39 | $0.34 |
| Cappuccino, regular | $2.00 | $1.88 | $0.12 |
| Domestic beer, 0.5 L draught | $0.86 | $0.81 | $0.05 |
| Imported beer, 0.33 L bottle | $2.15 | $2.02 | $0.12 |
| Coke/Pepsi, 0.33 L | $0.67 | $0.63 | $0.04 |
| Water, 0.33 L bottle | $0.45 | $0.41 | $0.04 |
Groceries
| Milk, 1 L | $0.65 | $0.61 | $0.04 |
|---|---|---|---|
| White bread, 500 g | $0.89 | $0.84 | $0.05 |
| White rice, 1 kg | $1.08 | $1.02 | $0.06 |
| Eggs, 12 | $1.39 | $1.31 | $0.08 |
| Local cheese, 1 kg | $3.56 | $3.35 | $0.21 |
| Chicken fillets, 1 kg | $3.75 | $3.52 | $0.23 |
| Apples, 1 kg | $2.04 | $1.92 | $0.12 |
| Bananas, 1 kg | $0.71 | $0.67 | $0.04 |
| Tomatoes, 1 kg | $0.86 | $0.81 | $0.05 |
| Potatoes, 1 kg | $0.40 | $0.38 | $0.03 |
| Onions, 1 kg | $0.63 | $0.59 | $0.04 |
| Water, 1.5 L bottle | $0.70 | $0.66 | $0.04 |
Transport & bills
| One-way ticket, local transport | $0.31 | $0.30 | $0.01 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monthly transit pass | $23.52 | $22.88 | $0.64 |
| Taxi start | $2.51 | $2.45 | $0.06 |
| Taxi, 1 km | $1.88 | $1.83 | $0.05 |
| Gasoline, 1 L | $1.62 | $1.58 | $0.04 |
| Basic utilities, 85 m² flat | $77.85 | $75.73 | $2.11 |
| Internet, 60 Mbps+ | $19.44 | $18.91 | $0.53 |
| Mobile plan, monthly | $6.48 | $6.30 | $0.18 |
Leisure
| Gym, monthly | $21.82 | $20.52 | $1.30 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cinema, one seat | $2.86 | $2.70 | $0.16 |
Dating-age sex ratio
Rubavu has 115.6 men per 100 women aged 20–39 (sector level). That is the 4th-highest of 10 Rwanda cities we track. Rwanda's national figure is 96.5, so Rubavu runs 19 above the country as a whole.
Every Rwanda region by male-to-female ratio →
A supply figure, 20–39. The dating-pool model is in Pro.
How Rubavu ranks against every city we track
Rubavu sits ahead of 87% of the 1016 cities we track on safety. On cost of living it is ahead of 80% of 998. Its weakest measure is women aged 20–39, ahead of only 6% of 1001.
Longer is better on every row: bar length is where Rubavu sits among all the cities carrying that measure, which is why the count differs by row.
Put Rubavu on the board
Ratio, cost and visa for Rubavu beside every other city we measure. Free, no sign-in.
Open Rubavu in the research deskOr unlock the Rwanda deep-dive: visa, tax, scams, and the sub-national map.
Photo: No machine-readable author provided. Amakuru assumed (based on copyright claims)., CC BY-SA 3.0.
Data updated