Cost of living comparison

 Zambia
compared to
 Rwanda
Rwanda vs. Zambia Cost of Living Summary

Rwanda is 6.1% more expensive than Zambia overall.

Restaurants
pay 18.6% more in Rwanda
Groceries
pay 19.2% less in Rwanda
Transportation
pay 30.1% more in Rwanda
Housing
pay 30.4% more in Rwanda
Childcare
pay 15.4% more in Rwanda
Entertainment and Sports
pay 1.0% less in Rwanda
Clothing
pay 31.6% less in Rwanda

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

Rwanda vs. Zambia Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Rwanda instead of Zambia, you would:

pay 18.6% more for restaurants

 
Zambia
Rwanda
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $7.21
ZMW205.21
$3.26
RWF4,667
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$3.82
ZMW108.75
$6.16
RWF8,816
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.71
ZMW20.31
$0.89
RWF1,279

Improve prices ·

pay 19.2% less for groceries

 
Zambia
Rwanda
Bread
1 loaf
$0.74
ZMW21.05
$1.01
RWF1,443
Local cheese (8 oz) $3.64
ZMW103.46
$2.26
RWF3,229
Milk (1 gallon) $4.85
ZMW138.08
$2.66
RWF3,799

Improve prices ·

pay 30.1% more for transportation

 
Zambia
Rwanda
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.77
ZMW135.61
$4.48
RWF6,406
Monthly public transit pass $37.04
ZMW1,053.98
$24.66
RWF35,264
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $8,004.53
ZMW227,796.39
$20,668.41
RWF29,559,600

Improve prices ·

pay 30.4% more for housing

 
Zambia
Rwanda
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$125.92
ZMW3,583.46
$26.20
RWF37,468
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $214.42
ZMW6,102.13
$489.52
RWF700,096
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $114.96
ZMW3,271.55
$271.95
RWF388,942

Improve prices ·

pay 15.4% more for childcare

 
Zambia
Rwanda
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $176.79
ZMW5,031.15
$149.39
RWF213,659
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $6,570.42
ZMW186,984.03
$9,609.00
RWF13,742,621

Improve prices ·

pay 1.0% less for entertainment and sports

 
Zambia
Rwanda
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $0.97
ZMW27.52
$1.09
RWF1,556
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.07
ZMW59.01
$2.22
RWF3,169
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$2.49
ZMW70.84
$2.36
RWF3,371

Improve prices ·

pay 31.6% less for clothing

 
Zambia
Rwanda
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$18.43
ZMW524.63
$16.68
RWF23,855
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$18.78
ZMW534.56
$21.76
RWF31,115
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$90.18
ZMW2,566.28
$26.59
RWF38,030

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: April 2025
Share this

Compare by city

Select a city in Zambia
Select a city..
compared to
Select a city in Rwanda
Select a city..
For example, try comparing the cost of living in Lusaka vs. Kigali

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 Rwanda or Zambia. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.