Cost of living comparison

compared to

Kigali vs. Abuja Cost of Living Summary

Kigali is 13.3% more expensive than Abuja.

Restaurants
pay 42.3% more in Kigali
Groceries
pay 28.4% less in Kigali
Transportation
pay 34.3% more in Kigali
Housing
pay 48.5% less in Kigali
Childcare
pay 2.6 times more in Kigali
Entertainment and Sports
pay 20.6% less in Kigali
Clothing
pay 47.7% less in Kigali

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

Kigali vs. Abuja Cost Breakdown

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

pay 42.3% more for restaurants

 
Abuja
Kigali
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $2.17
NGN3,155.10
$3.45
RWF5,016
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$4.64
NGN6,730.95
$6.89
RWF10,031
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.66
NGN960.21
$0.86
RWF1,248

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pay 28.4% less for groceries

 
Abuja
Kigali
Bread
1 loaf
$1.15
NGN1,670.29
$1.05
RWF1,521
Local cheese (8 oz) $2.95
NGN4,282.14
$2.26
RWF3,283
Milk (1 gallon) $11.61
NGN16,846.86
$2.64
RWF3,845

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pay 34.3% more for transportation

 
Abuja
Kigali
Gasoline (1 gallon) $3.04
NGN4,405.94
$4.42
RWF6,434
Monthly public transit pass ?? $29.30
RWF42,632
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $26,143.00
NGN37,928,899.83
$26,543.61
RWF38,619,482

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pay 48.5% less for housing

 
Abuja
Kigali
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$45.99
NGN66,727.08
$19.48
RWF28,338
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $2,461.96
NGN3,571,875.44
$575.44
RWF837,239
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $1,158.05
NGN1,680,131.05
$322.51
RWF469,235

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pay 2.6 times more for childcare

 
Abuja
Kigali
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $133.90
NGN194,272.14
$166.62
RWF242,417
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $1,965.88
NGN2,852,142.93
$7,842.43
RWF11,410,301

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pay 20.6% less for entertainment and sports

 
Abuja
Kigali
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.05
NGN1,523.37
$1.03
RWF1,505
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.29
NGN3,319.37
$2.31
RWF3,366
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$2.00
NGN2,901.65
$1.72
RWF2,508

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pay 47.7% less for clothing

 
Abuja
Kigali
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$29.79
NGN43,217.66
$19.19
RWF27,920
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$28.76
NGN41,731.38
$19.30
RWF28,087
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$68.91
NGN99,973.04
$22.98
RWF33,437

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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: December 2025
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