Second this, this style of stove was my first thought.

They're definitely more of a "boil water fast" stove than an all purpose cooker. But you can cook on them with some practice. Cheap as chips too, maybe not the pocket rocket, but definitely the BRS 3000, that things only like $15.

The canisters aren't super cheap, but, not that bad. And you can get a converter to run them off the tall butane cans you can find at the Asian food store for like $2 a piece, at least around me you can.