Cost of living comparison

 Nairobi, Kenya
compared to
 Kigali, Rwanda
Kigali vs. Nairobi Cost of Living Summary

Kigali is 7.1% cheaper than Nairobi.

Restaurants
pay 2.7% more in Kigali
Groceries
pay 8.9% less in Kigali
Transportation
pay 12.8% less in Kigali
Housing
pay 19.6% more in Kigali
Childcare
pay 4.8% more in Kigali
Entertainment and Sports
pay 29.3% less in Kigali
Clothing
pay 25.8% less in Kigali

The cost of housing, childcare, and restaurants in Kigali are more expensive than in Nairobi. Expenses including entertainment and sports, clothing, transportation, and groceries are lower in Kigali.

Kigali vs. Nairobi Cost Breakdown

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

pay 2.7% more for restaurants

 
Nairobi
Kigali
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $3.85
KES498.05
$3.26
RWF4,676
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$6.17
KES796.87
$6.16
RWF8,833
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.66
KES85.65
$0.89
RWF1,282

Improve prices ·

pay 8.9% less for groceries

 
Nairobi
Kigali
Bread
1 loaf
$0.56
KES72.13
$1.01
RWF1,445
Local cheese (8 oz) $5.59
KES722.48
$2.26
RWF3,236
Milk (1 gallon) $3.35
KES433.19
$2.66
RWF3,807

Improve prices ·

pay 12.8% less for transportation

 
Nairobi
Kigali
Gasoline (1 gallon) $6.17
KES798.05
$4.48
RWF6,419
Monthly public transit pass $30.83
KES3,984.37
$24.66
RWF35,333
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $19,266.80
KES2,490,233.99
$20,668.41
RWF29,617,255

Improve prices ·

pay 19.6% more for housing

 
Nairobi
Kigali
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$39.39
KES5,091.51
$26.20
RWF37,541
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $428.53
KES55,387.25
$489.52
RWF701,461
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $166.44
KES21,511.79
$271.95
RWF389,701

Improve prices ·

pay 4.8% more for childcare

 
Nairobi
Kigali
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $166.67
KES21,542.71
$149.39
RWF214,076
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $8,008.06
KES1,035,041.33
$9,609.00
RWF13,769,425

Improve prices ·

pay 29.3% less for entertainment and sports

 
Nairobi
Kigali
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $2.31
KES298.83
$1.09
RWF1,559
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.24
KES289.63
$2.22
RWF3,175
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$3.08
KES398.44
$2.36
RWF3,377

Improve prices ·

pay 25.8% less for clothing

 
Nairobi
Kigali
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$16.84
KES2,176.94
$16.68
RWF23,902
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$22.95
KES2,966.15
$21.76
RWF31,176
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$61.84
KES7,992.47
$26.59
RWF38,104

Improve prices ·
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: May 2025
Share this

Compare countries by overall cost of living

See the cost of living in Kenya vs. Rwanda. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within Kenya and Rwanda.

Help us improve these prices

MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate. Learn more

ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY

Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Kigali or Nairobi. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.