Cost of living comparison
compared to
Kigali vs. San Jose Cost of Living Summary
Kigali is 51.7% cheaper than San Jose.
- Restaurants
-
pay 55.0% less in Kigali
- Groceries
-
pay 58.7% less in Kigali
- Transportation
-
pay 21.6% less in Kigali
- Housing
-
pay 46.7% less in Kigali
- Childcare
-
pay 55.0% less in Kigali
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 55.4% less in Kigali
- Clothing
-
pay 69.2% less in Kigali
Expenses including clothing, groceries, entertainment and sports, restaurants, childcare, and housing are lower in Kigali.
Kigali vs. San Jose Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Kigali instead of San Jose, you would:
pay 55.0% less for restaurants
|
San Jose
|
Kigali
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$9.95
CRC4,919.74
|
$3.45
RWF5,017
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.91
CRC4,896.35
|
$6.89
RWF10,033
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.06
CRC1,016.21
|
$0.86
RWF1,249
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.67
CRC827.04
|
$0.57
RWF833
|
|
San Jose vs. Kigali - Cost of restaurants
pay 58.7% less for groceries
|
San Jose
|
Kigali
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.64
CRC1,303.65
|
$1.05
RWF1,522
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.95
CRC2,448.18
|
$2.26
RWF3,284
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$7.78
CRC3,846.67
|
$2.64
RWF3,846
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.88
CRC1,421.56
|
$1.65
RWF2,408
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.97
CRC1,959.99
|
$2.10
RWF3,049
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.94
CRC958.18
|
$1.15
RWF1,678
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
CRC323.05
|
$0.37
RWF537
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.95
CRC962.41
|
$0.70
RWF1,021
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.58
CRC781.77
|
$0.48
RWF698
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.55
CRC764.55
|
$0.23
RWF331
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.43
CRC707.37
|
$0.39
RWF569
|
|
San Jose vs. Kigali - Cost of groceries
pay 21.6% less for transportation
|
San Jose
|
Kigali
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.39
CRC2,663.39
|
$4.42
RWF6,435
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$41.21
CRC20,368.82
|
$29.30
RWF42,642
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$37,640.45
CRC19M
|
$26,543.61
RWF39M
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.12
CRC7,966.36
|
$14.48
RWF21,070
|
|
San Jose vs. Kigali - Cost of transportation
pay 46.7% less for housing
|
San Jose
|
Kigali
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$58.88
CRC29,102.69
|
$19.48
RWF28,344
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$891.63
CRC441K
|
$575.44
RWF837K
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$560.77
CRC277K
|
$322.51
RWF469K
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$68.88
CRC34,048.57
|
$39.98
RWF58,184
|
|
San Jose vs. Kigali - Cost of housing
pay 55.0% less for childcare
|
San Jose
|
Kigali
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$600.27
CRC297K
|
$166.62
RWF242K
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$12,608.22
CRC6M
|
$7,842.43
RWF11M
|
|
San Jose vs. Kigali - Cost of childcare
pay 55.4% less for entertainment and sports
|
San Jose
|
Kigali
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.67
CRC1,322.02
|
$1.03
RWF1,505
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.85
CRC1,904.72
|
$2.31
RWF3,366
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$5.15
CRC2,546.10
|
$1.72
RWF2,508
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$55.98
CRC27,673.09
|
$31.41
RWF45,708
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$9.91
CRC4,896.35
|
$3.45
RWF5,017
|
|
San Jose vs. Kigali - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 69.2% less for clothing
|
San Jose
|
Kigali
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$61.74
CRC30,520.59
|
$19.19
RWF27,926
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$51.32
CRC25,367.98
|
$19.30
RWF28,094
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$120.28
CRC59,455.70
|
$22.98
RWF33,445
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$106.98
CRC52,880.60
|
$37.92
RWF55,184
|
|
San Jose vs. Kigali - 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: February 2026
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