3.09/5
84 reviews
Photo by Reagan M. via Unsplash

Kigali

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pretty

spent

north

safe

potential

care

hospital

rural

virunga

good

restaurants

night

internet

dangerous

road

affordable

great

culture

food

Kigali is a very safe and affordable city with friendly locals and clean surroundings. It offers a peaceful environment that suits people looking for a slower pace of life. The government services function fairly well, and electricity and internet access are stable, though the internet is average in speed. The city is green and pleasant, with scenic landscapes nearby if you can find the right location. Clean air and a few decent restaurants add to the quality of life for the right kind of resident.

However, Kigali can feel limiting for those who enjoy vibrant city life or nightlife. The food quality is lacking, and the social culture is conservative and insular, which can be a challenge for some. Service in restaurants is slow, and you often need a vehicle to get around as the city is not very walkable. Foreigners may find it uncomfortable being stared at often, and dealing with frequent unsolicited requests for money can get tiring. Shopping options are limited and costly, and health precautions, such as avoiding tap water, are necessary. Overall, Kigali is a calm and orderly place best suited for those looking for a safe and simple lifestyle, but it may not be ideal for someone seeking excitement or convenience.

AI-generated summary of reviews
1 year ago

Spent 2 months in Kigali and criss-crossed the country from there as my base. Pros: friendly people in the city (not so much in the far North rural areas of Rwanda if you travel on your own near Virunga). Clean air. A few good restaurants. Safe in the city (Kigali), even at night. Amazing wildlife and scenery/landscapes if you get a place with a good view and some nature around. Government entities have their sh*t straight more than many other nations. Average internet. Stable power grid. Cons: dangerous near Virunga unless you go on a guided tour, water is unpotable and unsafe from the tap unless boiled even in Kigali, locals stare at you without interruption (not in a frightening way but it's uncomfortable), dangerous to navigate the traffic unless you're used to complete road chaos, slow/poor service in restaurants, everyone asks you for money even the children in rural villages where tourists don’t go, need a car/motorcycle to do anything (not a walkable city), very poor selection of anything in terms of shopping needs and expensive. There's a lot of potential here and I'd gladly come back overall, just watch your safety (health, road, and up North).

4 years ago

I've spent a total of ~2 months in Kigali. Pros: very safe, pretty affordable, very pretty, hospitable people, great coffee. Cons: a bit dull, culture is very insular (respectful but quite conservative), food is bad, police state vibes are kind of weird. A certain kind of person who doesn't care about nightlife at all, is open to experiencing a foreign culture that's more inward-oriented, and wants to live a really chill lifestyle in a green, pleasant city would really like it. I personally need some more action and didn't vibe with the reservedness of the people there, lovely as they are.

4 years ago

Spent 1 month here with my girlfriend. The place has potential, but is not quite there yet. Pollution can be pretty bad. Otherwise it's very pretty and the people are helpful. You can find workable Internet, but not everywhere. Try Nyarutarama, which has a lot of embassies. Not extremely cheap, but affordable. Definitely take a trip to Lake Kivu and Volcanoes National Park in the North. Food isn't that great. The most common and cheapest way of getting around is by mototaxi, but beware, they can be very careless - we had an accident on day 1 that required medical attention. You need to haggle with taxi drivers, otherwise they'll rip you off. Car rentals could be cheaper for what you get. Malaria is not that much of an issue in the capital. Otherwise, Kigali is very safe for an African capital, you are mostly free to walk around at night. Very hilly, so be prepared for that. Hospital care was OK, although lacking - needed to go to a different hospital for an X-Ray machine that worked, but the doctors were very professional and care was cheap ($10 for an X-Ray at King Faizal hospital, rebandaging and wound cleaning between $8 to $12 each time).

All in all, I'm happy we went and will probably be back at some point - lots of growth potential.

7 years ago

✅ Very safe

✅ Friendly people

✅ Very clean

✅ Affordable

✅ Pretty safe

✅ Warm now

✅ Warm all year round

✅ Perfect humidity now

✅ Good air quality usually

✅ Spacious and not crowded

✅ Very easy to do business

✅ Very safe for women

✅ Very friendly to LGBTQ+

✅ Not many people smoke tobacco

❌ Bad food

❌ Limited nightlife

❌ Difficult transportation

❌ Uncomfortable social dynamic

❌ Freedom of speech is weak

❌ No democracy

❌ Very slow internet

❌ Not much to do

❌ Quality of education is low

❌ Hospitals are not that great

❌ Roads can be dangerous

❌ People don't speak English well

❌ Not family friendly

❌ High alcohol consumption

❌ Marijuana is illegal

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Feels (median)

2272°
mild

2373°
mild

2272°
mild

2170°
mild

2272°
mild

2373°
mild

2272°
mild

2170°
mild

Real (median)

2272°
mild

2373°
mild

2272°
mild

2170°
mild

2272°
mild

2374°
warm

2373°
mild

2272°
mild

2271°
mild

2170°
mild

Humidity

nice
77%

nice
78%

nice
81%

nice
85%

nice
84%

nice
71%

nice
58%

nice
59%

nice
69%

nice
75%

nice
81%

nice
82%

Most common

☀️ Clear

☔️ Rain

☀️ Clear

☔️ Rain

☀️ Clear

Rain

rainy
85mm

rainy
90mm

rainy
115mm

rainy
149mm

rainy
92mm

dry
19mm

dry
5mm

dry
27mm

rainy
65mm

rainy
125mm

rainy
146mm

rainy
101mm

Cloud

cloudy
76%

cloudy
81%

cloudy
85%

cloudy
75%

cloudy
65%

cloudy
63%

cloudy
68%

cloudy
78%

cloudy
80%

cloudy
81%

cloudy
83%

Sun

avoid sun
8 UVI

avoid sun
7 UVI

avoid sun
8 UVI

avoid sun
7 UVI

Remote workers

933 people

1,000 people

700 people

960 people

800 people

1,125 people

1,200 people

771 people

750 people

600 people

750 people

Green is good. Red is bad. Values shown are the medians of all daily highs in a month based on past few years, not necessarily current numbers. Remote worker count is estimated based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members.

If you'd like to filter destinations based on their climate, try Nomads.com's Climate Finder

Current weather data from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0)

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111pts

85pts

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99pts

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94pts

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7pts

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Kampala

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☀️ Feels 27° 81° 26° 78° 🥵 AQI 134 😷

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Kisangani

DR Congo

⭐️ OverallAll

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📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

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☀️ Feels 42° 108° 34° 93° 🥵 AQI 60 😷

✈️49min

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Nairobi

Kenya

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

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🌥 Feels 23° 73° 23° 73° AQI 65 😷

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Juba

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⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked very bad

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☀️ Feels 39° 102° 37° 98° 🥵 AQI 41

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$4,033 / mo

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Mbuji-Mayi

DR Congo

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked very bad

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☀️ Feels 35° 95° 34° 93° 🥵 AQI 139 😷

✈️1h

$1,313 / mo

3 Mbps

Kananga

DR Congo

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety bad

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☀️ Feels 38° 100° 33° 92° 🥵 AQI 155 😷

✈️1h

$1,184 / mo

3 Mbps

Mombasa

Kenya

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety very bad

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🌥 Feels 30° 86° 27° 81° 🥵 AQI 55 😷

✈️1h

$1,391 / mo

10 Mbps

Lubumbashi

DR Congo

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety bad

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☀️ Feels 27° 81° 27° 81° 🥵 AQI 81 😷

✈️1h

$2,363 / mo

3 Mbps

Dar es Salaam

Tanzania

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety bad

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☀️ Feels 30° 86° 27° 81° 🥵 AQI 6

✈️2h

$1,769 / mo

1 Mbps

Lilongwe

Malawi

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🙂 Okay

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety bad

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☀️ Feels 24° 75° 24° 75° AQI 166 😷

✈️2h

$2,588 / mo

3 Mbps

Bangui

Central African Republic

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety very bad

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🌫 Feels 38° 100° 30° 85° 🥵 AQI 65 😷

✈️2h

$3,355 / mo

2 Mbps

Lusaka

Zambia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety bad

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☀️ Feels 26° 79° 26° 80° AQI 67 😷

✈️2h

$2,341 / mo

8 Mbps

Lisbon

Portugal

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 32° 90° 28° 83° Barely AC 🥵 AQI 29

✈️8h

$5,068 / mo

100 Mbps

Vancouver

Canada

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 19° 66° 19° 66° AQI 27

✈️19h

$6,135 / mo

25 Mbps

Boston, MA

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 21° 70° 21° 69° AQI 38

✈️15h

$9,044 / mo

33 Mbps

Detroit, MI

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 36° 97° 30° 85° Has AC AQI 43

✈️16h

$5,043 / mo

103 Mbps

Dallas, TX

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked great

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 42° 108° 35° 95° Has AC AQI 55 😷

✈️18h

$5,048 / mo

81 Mbps

London

United Kingdom

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 21° 70° 20° 68° AQI 26

✈️9h

$8,461 / mo

23 Mbps

Nairobi

Kenya

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety very bad

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 23° 73° 23° 73° AQI 65 😷

✈️1h

$1,696 / mo

7 Mbps

New York City, NY

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 24° 75° 24° 75° AQI 46

✈️15h

$7,418 / mo

26 Mbps

Berlin

Germany

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 20° 68° 19° 67° AQI 35

✈️8h

$5,516 / mo

32 Mbps

San Juan

Puerto Rico

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 36° 97° 30° 86° Has AC AQI 13

✈️14h

$4,685 / mo

13 Mbps

Paris

France

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 22° 72° 22° 71° AQI 37

✈️8h

$7,522 / mo

40 Mbps

Los Angeles, CA

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 28° 82° 27° 80° Has AC AQI 61 😷

✈️20h

$6,700 / mo

105 Mbps

Kampala

Uganda

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 27° 81° 26° 78° 🥵 AQI 134 😷

✈️30min

$1,529 / mo

🌇 Also went here26 people

Nairobi

Kenya

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety very bad

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 23° 73° 23° 73° AQI 65 😷

✈️1h

$1,696 / mo

🌇 Also went here47 people

Cape Town

South Africa

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety very bad

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 19° 66° 19° 66° AQI 79 😷

✈️5h

$3,493 / mo

🌇 Also went here34 people

Dubai

United Arab Emirates

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 58° 136° 40° 104° Has AC AQI 170 😷

✈️5h

$6,481 / mo

🌇 Also went here33 people

Istanbul

Turkey

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 29° 84° 27° 80° Has AC AQI 80 😷

✈️6h

$3,304 / mo

🌇 Also went here35 people

Rome

Italy

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 36° 97° 33° 91° Barely AC 🥵 AQI 39

✈️7h

$6,190 / mo

🌇 Also went here26 people

Barcelona

Spain

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 29° 84° 27° 80° Has AC AQI 36

✈️7h

$7,418 / mo

🌇 Also went here27 people

Budapest

Hungary

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 27° 81° 26° 79° Some AC AQI 37

✈️7h

$3,622 / mo

🌇 Also went here31 people

Paris

France

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 22° 72° 22° 71° AQI 37

✈️8h

$7,522 / mo

🌇 Also went here37 people

Berlin

Germany

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 20° 68° 19° 67° AQI 35

✈️8h

$5,516 / mo

🌇 Also went here27 people

London

United Kingdom

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 21° 70° 20° 68° AQI 26

✈️9h

$8,461 / mo

🌇 Also went here38 people

Bangkok

Thailand

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 41° 106° 31° 88° Has AC AQI 65 😷

✈️11h

$1,628 / mo

🌇 Also went here34 people

Kuala Lumpur

Malaysia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 44° 111° 32° 90° Has AC AQI 97 😷

✈️11h

$1,838 / mo

🌇 Also went here27 people

Singapore

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 38° 100° 32° 89° Has AC AQI 69 😷

✈️11h

$6,041 / mo

🌇 Also went here35 people

New York City, NY

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 😡 Slow

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 24° 75° 24° 75° AQI 46

✈️15h

$7,418 / mo

🌇 Also went here32 people

600 remote workers in Kigali now, of which 1+ members checked in (some members are set to private)

Members who have been here

Values shown are estimated visits by traveling remote workers based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members. Visits to a place are only counted once per year per user, even if they visit more in that year. Visits are also normalized by overall trips added per month on the site, so if site usage goes up or down it does not affect trends. Not all digital nomads are on Nomads.com, and not all Nomads.com members log their trips. So the data is only indicative.

The chart below shows visitors by nationality normalized for population size. This means we take all trips logged on Nomads.com, check which country of origin the user is from, then divide that total visit count by the country of origin's population. If we didn't, it'd just show the big countries like US, Brazil and India always on top. Instead, this shows which nationalities worldwide proportionally visit more or less, which is more useful.

🎒 Nomad Score™	3.09/5 (Rank #655) 84 reviews
👍 Quality of life score	Okay
👶 Family score	Okay
🎒 Community score	Okay
🤯 Overcrowding score	0% is nomad here
💵 Cost	😙 Affordable: $2,171 / mo
📡 Internet	🤬 Unusably slow: 3 Mbps (avg)
😝 Fun	Okay
⛅️ Temperature (now)	🥵 Hot: 27°C81°F (feels 27°C81°F)
💦 Humidity (now)	😊 Comfy: 39%
💨 Air quality (now)	😷 Unhealthy for some: 113 US AQI
👌 Safety	Okay
👩 Safe for women	Good
🌈 Safe for LGBTQ+	Good
🤮 Food safety*	Okay
👮‍♀️ Lack of crime*	Good
🎓 Education level*	Low
⚡️ Power grid	Great
💰 Income level*	Very poor: $59 / mo
🙊 English speaking*	Bad
🚶 Walkability	Great
🚦 Traffic safety*	Bad
✈️ Airline scores*	Great
🧳 Lost luggage*	Great
🏥 Hospitals	Bad
😄 Happiness*	Bad
🍸 Nightlife	Okay
📶 Free WiFi in city	Good
🖥 Places to work from	Great
😁 Friendly to foreigners	Good
🗯 Freedom of speech*	Okay
🎅 Startup Score	Bad

🌍 Continent	Africa
🚩 Country	Rwanda
🗓️ Average trip length	11 days
📡 Internet speed (avg)	3 Mbps
⛅️ Weather (now)	🌥 27°C 81°F + 😊 Comfy (39%) = feels 27°C 81°F
💨 Air quality (now)	👎😷 113 US AQI = 🚬 🚬 / day
🔌 Power	230V 50Hz
🚑 Travel medical insurance	Safetywing
💸 10,000 RWF in USD	USD 6.78
🏧 Suggested ATM take out:	RWF 100,000 = USD 68
💳 Cashless	💵 No, cash only (esp. for foreigners)
💻 Best coworking space	The Office
🚰 Tap water	🚫 No, not drinkable
♻️ Return rate	👍12% of visitors return
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Population	1,500,000 people
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 GDP per capita*	$711 / year
👫 Gender ratio (population)	👨 55% 👱‍♀️ 45%
👫 Gender ratio (young adults)	👨 50% 👱‍♀️ 50%
👫 Gender ratio (nomads)	👨 75% 👱‍♀️ 25%
⛪️ Religious government	Religious
🏠 Apartment listings	Living in Kigali
✈️ Best short-haul air carrier	Rwanda Air
✈️ Best int'l air carrier	Emirates

💵 Cost of living for nomad	$2,171 / month
💵 Cost of living for expat	$1,325 / month
💵 Cost of living for family	$2,735 / month
💵 Cost of living for local	$781 / month
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$2,192 / month
🏡 Airbnb (median price)	$2,362 / month
🏠 1br studio rent in center	$668 / month
🏠 Median home price	$50
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$103 / night
🏠 Airbnb (median price)	$77 / night
🏢 Coworking hot desk	$156 / month
🍛 Dinner	$2
🥤 Coca-Cola (0.3L)	$1
🍺 Beer in cafe (0.5L)	$1
☕️ Coffee in cafe	$2
👩‍🏫 International school	$6,683 / year
📱 Mobile data (~10GB)	$4 / month
🚕 Taxi price (avg trip ~3km/2mi)	$7 / trip

Kigali

600 remote workers in Kigali now, of which 1+ members checked in (some members are set to private)

Members who have been here

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