Rwanda vs. China Cost of Living Summary

Rwanda is 8.9% more expensive than China overall.

Restaurants
pay 61.1% more in Rwanda
Groceries
pay 10.2% less in Rwanda
Transportation
pay 88.0% more in Rwanda
Housing
pay 56.3% more in Rwanda
Childcare
pay 53.3% less in Rwanda
Entertainment and Sports
pay 26.8% less in Rwanda
Clothing
pay 52.9% less in Rwanda

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

Rwanda vs. China Cost Breakdown

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

pay 61.1% more for restaurants

 
China
Rwanda
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $2.90
CN¥20.14
$3.45
RWF5,005
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
$5.02
CN¥34.87
$6.89
RWF10,011
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $0.47
CN¥3.30
$0.86
RWF1,246

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pay 10.2% less for groceries

 
China
Rwanda
Bread
1 loaf
$1.63
CN¥11.32
$1.05
RWF1,518
Local cheese (8 oz) $6.32
CN¥43.93
$2.26
RWF3,276
Milk (1 gallon) $6.70
CN¥46.61
$2.64
RWF3,837

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pay 88.0% more for transportation

 
China
Rwanda
Gasoline (1 gallon) $4.34
CN¥30.15
$4.42
RWF6,421
Monthly public transit pass $20.32
CN¥141.27
$29.30
RWF42,546
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $19,143.98
CN¥133K
$26,543.61
RWF39M

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pay 56.3% more for housing

 
China
Rwanda
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
$11.18
CN¥77.70
$19.48
RWF28,280
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $304.90
CN¥2,119.55
$575.44
RWF836K
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $195.65
CN¥1,360.08
$322.51
RWF468K

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pay 53.3% less for childcare

 
China
Rwanda
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $390.25
CN¥2,712.92
$166.62
RWF242K
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $15,493.57
CN¥108K
$7,842.43
RWF11M

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pay 26.8% less for entertainment and sports

 
China
Rwanda
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $1.04
CN¥7.24
$1.03
RWF1,502
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.84
CN¥19.72
$2.31
RWF3,359
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
$3.36
CN¥23.35
$1.72
RWF2,503

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pay 52.9% less for clothing

 
China
Rwanda
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
$45.93
CN¥319.28
$19.19
RWF27,863
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
$30.93
CN¥215.03
$19.30
RWF28,030
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
$71.26
CN¥495.38
$22.98
RWF33,369

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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: February 2026
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