Moving to Rwanda from Tanzania

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What to Expect

A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Tanzania to Rwanda — from daily expenses to quality of life.

If you moved from Tanzania to Rwanda. You’ll also switch from driving on the left to the right.

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Who Else Is Making This Move?

Real numbers on people moving from Tanzania to Rwanda, and how the trend has changed.

Living there in 2020
42,713

people born in Tanzania live in Rwanda · UN DESA

Who's moving to Rwanda?

Top countries of origin for Rwanda's foreign-born residents.

Foreign-born population · UN DESA (2020)

Key Indicator Comparison

How Tanzania and Rwanda stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.

Is it safe?

Homicide rate World Bank, 2020

per 100,000 people per year

TZ
3.8
RW
3.6
Road traffic deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2021

per 100,000 people per year

TZ
15.8
RW
11.6

Rwanda performs significantly better than Tanzania across all safety metrics.

How's the healthcare?

Healthcare spending per person World Bank, 2023

annual government + private spending per person

TZ
$119
RW
$177
Doctors per 10,000 people World Bank, 2022

affects wait times and access to care

TZ
1.3
RW
0.9

Tanzania generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Rwanda leads in health coverage index.

What about the environment?

Air pollution deaths United Nations SDG Indicators, 2019

deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people

TZ
36.0
RW
62.0
CO₂ emissions per capita World Bank, 2024

tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year

TZ
0.3t
RW
0.2t

Tanzania generally does better on environment, though Rwanda leads in co₂ emissions per capita.

Will I have good infrastructure?

Broadband per 100 people World Bank, 2024

fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work

TZ
0.2
RW
0.6
Water stress level World Bank, 2022

higher means greater strain on freshwater supply

TZ
13.0%
RW
20.2%

Tanzania generally does better on infrastructure, though Rwanda leads in broadband per 100 people.

What are the job prospects?

Unemployment rate World Bank, 2025

percentage of the labour force without work

TZ
1.6%
RW
11.4%
GDP per capita World Bank, 2025

a broad measure of economic output per person

TZ
$1,319
RW
$1,124

Tanzania performs better than Rwanda across all employment & economy metrics.

Is it good for families?

Life expectancy World Bank, 2024

average years of life at birth

TZ
67.2 yrs
RW
68.0 yrs
Infant mortality World Bank, 2024

deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better

TZ
28.7
RW
29.4

Rwanda generally does better on family life, though Tanzania leads in infant mortality.

Sources: World Bank (2018–2025), United Nations SDG Indicators (2019–2021), World Health Organization (2024), Tanzania Revenue Authority (2016), Rwanda Revenue Authority (2016). How we calculate this

Weather in Rwanda vs Tanzania

Monthly averages — select a city to compare.

Dar Es Salaam Rain: 45.3 in/yr (1150 mm)
87° / 70°F

Avg. annual high / low

Kigali Rain: 37.4 in/yr (951 mm)
80° / 60°F

Avg. annual high / low

Months Dar Es Salaam Kigali
Jan–Mar 90°/74°F (32°/23°C) 80°/60°F (27°/16°C)
Apr–Jun 86°/70°F (30°/21°C) 79°/61°F (26°/16°C)
Jul–Sep 85°/65°F (30°/18°C) 82°/60°F (28°/16°C)
Oct–Dec 89°/70°F (31°/21°C) 80°/60°F (27°/16°C)
View all months
Month Dar Es Salaam Kigali
Jan 89°/74°F (31.8°/23.5°C) 80°/60°F (26.9°/15.6°C)
Feb 90°/74°F (32.4°/23.3°C) 81°/60°F (27.4°/15.8°C)
Mar 90°/73°F (32.1°/22.8°C) 80°/60°F (26.9°/15.7°C)
Apr 87°/72°F (30.7°/22.4°C) 79°/61°F (26.2°/16.1°C)
May 86°/70°F (29.8°/21.3°C) 79°/61°F (25.9°/16.2°C)
Jun 85°/67°F (29.3°/19.2°C) 80°/60°F (26.4°/15.3°C)
Jul 84°/65°F (28.9°/18.2°C) 81°/59°F (27.1°/15.0°C)
Aug 85°/65°F (29.4°/18.1°C) 82°/61°F (28.0°/16.0°C)
Sep 87°/65°F (30.3°/18.4°C) 83°/61°F (28.2°/16.0°C)
Oct 88°/67°F (30.9°/19.7°C) 81°/61°F (27.2°/15.9°C)
Nov 89°/70°F (31.4°/21.3°C) 79°/60°F (26.1°/15.5°C)
Dec 89°/73°F (31.6°/22.8°C) 80°/60°F (26.4°/15.6°C)

Data: Tanzania Meteorological Agency Tanzania Meteorological Agency, Rwanda Meteorology Agency Rwanda Meteorology Agency

Can you move from Tanzania to Rwanda?

Short-stay tourist visa rules between Tanzania and Rwanda. To live, work, or study long-term in Rwanda, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Rwanda's immigration authority.

Tanzania passport

Tanzania passport holder visiting Rwanda

Visa Free
Tanzania passport holders can enter Rwanda without a visa.
Rwanda passport

Rwanda passport holder visiting Tanzania

Visa Free
Rwanda passport holders can enter Tanzania without a visa.

Data: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I work remotely from Rwanda?

With 0.6 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Rwanda can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in Tanzania and Rwanda.

Is Rwanda safe for expats?

Rwanda performs significantly better than Tanzania across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Rwanda is 3.6 per 100,000 people, compared to 3.8 in Tanzania.

How is healthcare in Rwanda compared to Tanzania?

Tanzania generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Rwanda leads in health coverage index. There are 0.9 doctors per 10,000 people in Rwanda, compared to 1.3 in Tanzania. Rwanda scores 49 on the WHO universal health coverage index (Tanzania: 43).

What's the weather like in Rwanda compared to Tanzania?

The average high temperature in Kigali is 80°F, compared to 87°F in Dar Es Salaam. Kigali receives around 37.4 in of rainfall per year, while Dar Es Salaam gets 45.3 in.

What language do they speak in Rwanda?

The official languages in Rwanda are English, French and Kinyarwanda. In Tanzania, the official languages are English and Swahili.

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At a Glance

TZ RW
Population 70,545,865 14,569,341
Currency Tanzanian Shilling (TZS) Rwandan Franc (RWF)
Languages English, Swahili English, French, Kinyarwanda
Driving side Left Right
Calling code +255 +250
Time zones 1 1
Emergency number 112 112