Cost of living comparison

 Kingston, Jamaica
compared to
 Kigali, Rwanda
Kigali vs. Kingston Cost of Living Summary

Kigali is 19.4% cheaper than Kingston.

Restaurants
pay 42.0% less in Kigali
Groceries
pay 62.3% less in Kigali
Transportation
pay 36.7% less in Kigali
Housing
pay 51.3% less in Kigali
Childcare
pay 2.6 times more in Kigali
Entertainment and Sports
pay 62.7% less in Kigali
Clothing
pay 42.1% less in Kigali

Expenses including entertainment and sports, groceries, housing, clothing, restaurants, and transportation are lower in Kigali. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Kigali.

Kigali vs. Kingston Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Kigali instead of Kingston, you would:

pay 42.0% less for restaurants

 
Kingston
Kigali
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $7.52
JMD1,204.46
$3.26
RWF4,710
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$8.62
JMD1,380.11
$6.16
RWF8,898
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.41
JMD226.22
$0.89
RWF1,291

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pay 62.3% less for groceries

 
Kingston
Kigali
Bread
1 loaf
$3.54
JMD567.33
$1.01
RWF1,456
Local cheese (8 oz) $6.58
JMD1,053.26
$2.26
RWF3,259
Milk (1 gallon) $15.26
JMD2,443.97
$2.66
RWF3,834

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pay 36.7% less for transportation

 
Kingston
Kigali
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.83
JMD774.33
$4.48
RWF6,466
Monthly public transit pass $37.59
JMD6,022.28
$24.66
RWF35,590
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $42,920.30
JMD6,875,436.63
$20,668.41
RWF29,832,928

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pay 51.3% less for housing

 
Kingston
Kigali
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$52.89
JMD8,472.15
$26.20
RWF37,815
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $874.50
JMD140,087.00
$489.52
RWF706,569
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $425.21
JMD68,114.10
$271.95
RWF392,539

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pay 2.6 times more for childcare

 
Kingston
Kigali
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $227.66
JMD36,468.25
$149.39
RWF215,634
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $2,105.29
JMD337,247.69
$9,609.00
RWF13,869,695

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pay 62.7% less for entertainment and sports

 
Kingston
Kigali
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $3.13
JMD501.86
$1.09
RWF1,570
Cappuccino in mid-range area $4.28
JMD686.09
$2.22
RWF3,198
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$8.77
JMD1,405.20
$2.36
RWF3,402

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pay 42.1% less for clothing

 
Kingston
Kigali
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$26.32
JMD4,215.60
$16.68
RWF24,076
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$25.59
JMD4,098.50
$21.76
RWF31,403
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$71.01
JMD11,375.42
$26.59
RWF38,382

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: July 2025
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