Sending money from Rwanda to Kenya
The World Bank surveyed 5 providers on this corridor. On FRw 150,000 the cheapest costs 4.16% of what you send and the dearest 46.17%. Enter your own amount below — the ranking changes with it.
Cheapest surveyed
Ecobank Rapidcash
FRw 6,245.00 to send FRw 150,000
(4.16%)
The dearest would cost you
FRw 63,014.78
more, for the same transfer
Note: the survey priced this corridor at FRw 150,000 and FRw 375,000. Outside that range these figures are projected from each provider's fee and margin rather than directly observed.
Every provider, ranked at FRw 150,000
The fee and the exchange-rate margin are shown separately on purpose. A transfer advertised as "no fee" can still be the expensive one, because the margin is where the cost hides.
| Provider |
Type |
Fee |
FX margin |
Total cost |
% of transfer |
|
Ecobank Rapidcash
Less than one hour |
Bank |
FRw 1,700.00 |
FRw 4,545.00 |
FRw 6,245.00 |
4.16% |
|
MoneyGram
Less than one hour |
Money Transfer Operator |
FRw 5,000.00 |
FRw 4,575.00 |
FRw 9,575.00 |
6.38% |
|
MTN Mobile Money
Less than one hour |
Mobile Operator |
FRw 2,000.00 |
FRw 8,490.00 |
FRw 10,490.00 |
6.99% |
|
Western Union
Less than one hour |
Money Transfer Operator |
FRw 6,000.00 |
FRw 8,475.00 |
FRw 14,475.00 |
9.65% |
|
BPR Bank Rwanda Plc
Less than one hour |
Bank |
FRw 49,504.78 |
FRw 19,755.00 |
FRw 69,259.78 |
46.17% |
Banks, transfer operators and mobile money
Who you send with matters more than anything else about the transfer. Median cost by provider type, on FRw 150,000:
- Bank — 25.16%
(2 providers surveyed)
- Mobile Operator — 6.99%
(1 provider surveyed)
- Money Transfer Operator — 8.02%
(2 providers surveyed)
That ordering is for FRw 150,000 and does not necessarily hold at your amount. Where a provider charges a flat fee, it is punishing on a small transfer and forgettable on a large one — which is enough to reverse the order entirely. The ranked table above is the one computed at your amount; this one is not.
How to read these numbers
The cost of a transfer is the fee plus the margin the provider takes on the exchange rate. The margin is invisible at the counter: you are quoted a rate, not the difference between that rate and the interbank one, so a "free" transfer can quietly cost more than one with a fee attached. Both are separated in the table above.
Percentages fall as the amount rises wherever a provider charges a flat fee, which is why the same provider can be the cheapest at one amount and not at another. That is exactly what the calculator is for — the ranking above is computed at your amount, not at a fixed one.
Source: The World Bank, Remittance Prices Worldwide, available at https://remittanceprices.worldbank.org — survey period 2025 Q1, field-collected to 11 March 2025.
Licensed CC BY 4.0. These are surveyed benchmark costs from a dated quarterly study, not live quotes, and providers change pricing between surveys — check the current cost with the provider before you send. The World Bank does not endorse this use of its data. This is general information, not financial advice.
