Cost of living comparison
compared to
United Arab Emirates vs. Rwanda Cost of Living Summary
United Arab Emirates is 2.5 times more expensive than Rwanda overall.
- Restaurants
- pay 41.1% more in United Arab Emirates
- Groceries
- pay 67.8% more in United Arab Emirates
- Transportation
- pay 14.8% more in United Arab Emirates
- Housing
- pay 3.5 times more in United Arab Emirates
- Childcare
- pay 2.0 times more in United Arab Emirates
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 4.4 times more in United Arab Emirates
- Clothing
- pay 3.6 times more in United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates vs. Rwanda Cost Breakdown
If you lived in United Arab Emirates instead of Rwanda, you would:
pay 41.1% more for restaurants
Rwanda | United Arab Emirates | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $3.45 RWF5,053 | $7.91 AED29.06 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $6.89 RWF10,106 | $8.65 AED31.75 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $0.86 RWF1,258 | $1.04 AED3.83 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $0.57 RWF839 | $0.50 AED1.85 | |
Rwanda vs. United Arab Emirates - Cost of restaurants
pay 67.8% more for groceries
Rwanda | United Arab Emirates | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $1.05 RWF1,533 | $1.47 AED5.39 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $2.26 RWF3,307 | $5.36 AED19.68 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $2.64 RWF3,873 | $6.96 AED25.56 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $1.65 RWF2,425 | $2.81 AED10.34 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $2.10 RWF3,071 | $3.68 AED13.51 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $1.15 RWF1,690 | $0.98 AED3.59 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.37 RWF541 | $0.75 AED2.75 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $0.70 RWF1,029 | $0.73 AED2.69 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $0.48 RWF703 | $0.59 AED2.15 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.23 RWF334 | $0.48 AED1.76 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.39 RWF573 | $0.53 AED1.93 | |
Rwanda vs. United Arab Emirates - Cost of groceries
pay 14.8% more for transportation
Rwanda | United Arab Emirates | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.42 RWF6,482 | $2.91 AED10.69 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $29.30 RWF42,950 | $53.10 AED195.00 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $26,543.61 RWF39M | $40,680.12 AED149K | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $14.48 RWF21,222 | $8.50 AED31.21 | |
Rwanda vs. United Arab Emirates - Cost of transportation
pay 3.5 times more for housing
Rwanda | United Arab Emirates | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $19.48 RWF28,549 | $101.41 AED372.42 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $575.44 RWF843K | $1,438.18 AED5,281.71 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $322.51 RWF473K | $990.79 AED3,638.67 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $39.98 RWF58,604 | $122.67 AED450.49 | |
Rwanda vs. United Arab Emirates - Cost of housing
pay 2.0 times more for childcare
Rwanda | United Arab Emirates | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $166.62 RWF244K | $497.28 AED1,826.25 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $7,842.43 RWF11M | $8,164.49 AED29,984.10 | |
Rwanda vs. United Arab Emirates - Cost of childcare
pay 4.4 times more for entertainment and sports
Rwanda | United Arab Emirates | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $1.03 RWF1,516 | $10.43 AED38.31 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $2.31 RWF3,391 | $4.99 AED18.32 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $1.72 RWF2,526 | $6.23 AED22.88 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $31.41 RWF46,038 | $75.55 AED277.45 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $3.45 RWF5,053 | $13.19 AED48.44 | |
Rwanda vs. United Arab Emirates - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 3.6 times more for clothing
Rwanda | United Arab Emirates | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $19.19 RWF28,128 | $75.04 AED275.58 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $19.30 RWF28,296 | $59.50 AED218.51 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $22.98 RWF33,686 | $105.66 AED388.03 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $37.92 RWF55,582 | $106.53 AED391.23 | |
Rwanda vs. United Arab Emirates - Cost of clothing
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: June 2026
Change currency:
Compare further: Rwanda vs. United Arab Emirates
Salary Calculator · Free tool
What salary would you need in United Arab Emirates?
→
Quality of Life Comparison · 13 statistics
Make 25.2 times more money in United Arab Emirates
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Rwanda is about 3.2 times smaller than United Arab Emirates.
→
Moving from Rwanda to United Arab Emirates · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→
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 United Arab Emirates or Rwanda. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.