Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Burkina Faso and South Africa

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

For one person, living costs are similar in Burkina Faso and in South Africa: $1,158 and $1,203 a month, rent and utilities included.

56

Cost of Living Index in Burkina Faso
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Burkina Faso Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index

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🇧🇫 Burkina Faso

$1,158

/mo nomad

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Burkina Faso and in South Africa

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Burkina Faso and in South Africa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,158 per month in Burkina Faso vs $1,203 in South Africa, rent included.

Burkina Faso $1,158
South Africa $1,203

A couple spends around $1,909 per month in Burkina Faso vs $1,893 in South Africa, rent included.

Burkina Faso $1,909
South Africa $1,893

A family of three spends $2,659 per month in Burkina Faso vs $2,583 in South Africa, rent included.

Burkina Faso $2,659
South Africa $2,583

The regional cost range is wider in South Africa ($618–$1,556) than in Burkina Faso ($1,158–$1,158), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Burkina Faso is roughly 4% lower than in South Africa on average.

Both Burkina Faso and South Africa are more affordable than the global median – Burkina Faso 15% lower, South Africa 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.03 F CFA 4,137

$10.67 R 178

-34.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$25.85 F CFA 15.2K

$41.66 R 694

-37.95%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.33 F CFA 4,310

$5.80 R 96.6

26.38%

Cappuccino

$1.95 F CFA 1,146

$2.36 R 39.30

-17.37%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.07 F CFA 627

$1.12 R 18.60

-4.46%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.10 F CFA 649

$0.90 R 15.02

22.22%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 F CFA 686

$2.42 R 40.27

-51.65%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.52 F CFA 1,484

$3.06 R 51.0

-17.65%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.03 F CFA 1,195

$1.18 R 19.62

72.03%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 F CFA 666

$1.13 R 18.86

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.84 F CFA 492

$1.74 R 28.95

-51.72%

Eggs

$2.57 F CFA 1,511

$2.57 R 42.88

Local Cheese (1kg)

$16.90 F CFA 9,935

$8.43 R 140

100.47%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$20.04 F CFA 11.8K

$5.12 R 85.3

291.41%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$14.67 F CFA 8,624

$7.59 R 127

93.28%

Apples (1kg)

$4.62 F CFA 2,720

$1.77 R 29.57

161.02%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.95

Oranges (1kg)

$3.36 F CFA 1,975

$1.77 R 29.48

89.83%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.84 F CFA 2,261

$1.76 R 29.31

118.18%

Potato (1kg)

$1.53 F CFA 901

$1.49 R 24.85

2.68%

Onion (1kg)

$1.75 F CFA 1,028

$1.47 R 24.42

19.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.25 F CFA 734

$1.23 R 20.56

1.63%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.27 F CFA 747

$1.10 R 18.29

15.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.28 F CFA 755

$3.24 R 54.1

-60.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.92 F CFA 3,482

$5.00 R 83.3

18.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.39 F CFA 815

$1.50 R 24.95

-7.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.61 F CFA 1,532

$1.94 R 32.32

34.54%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.17 F CFA 101

$1.48 R 24.63

-88.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 R 988

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.53 F CFA 310

$1.09 R 18.25

-51.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.84 F CFA 492

$0.99 R 16.49

-15.15%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.35 F CFA 4,909

$7.46 R 124

11.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 F CFA 845

$1.43 R 23.80

0.70%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$28.5K F CFA 16.7M

$35.3K R 588.4K

-19.41%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$30.9K F CFA 18.2M

$32.4K R 540.6K

-4.79%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$176 F CFA 103.6K

$133 R 2,212

32.70%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$25.41 F CFA 14.9K

$34.83 R 581

-27.05%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$53.0 F CFA 31.1K

$39.76 R 663

33.20%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$58.6 F CFA 34.5K

$33.09 R 552

77.21%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.28 F CFA 4,870

$11.65 R 194

-28.93%

Cinema Ticket

$6.76 F CFA 3,977

$7.18 R 120

-5.85%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$33.67 F CFA 19.8K

$224 R 3,735

-84.97%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,023 F CFA 3.5M

$5,462 R 91.0K

10.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$33.77 F CFA 19.9K

$54.2 R 903

-37.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$51.1 F CFA 30.0K

$34.13 R 569

49.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$85.3 F CFA 50.2K

$102 R 1,702

-16.43%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 F CFA 60.6K

$88.5 R 1,475

16.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$339 F CFA 199.2K

$492 R 8,204

-31.16%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$234 F CFA 137.5K

$398 R 6,629

-41.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,327 F CFA 780.5K

$946 R 15.8K

40.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$745 F CFA 438.3K

$827 R 13.8K

-9.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$866 F CFA 509.4K

$1,099 R 18.3K

-21.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$252 F CFA 148.2K

$769 R 12.8K

-67.21%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$578 F CFA 340.1K

$1,502 R 25.0K

-61.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

6.86%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Burkina Faso: October 26, 2026

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Groceries & Markets

Burkina Faso

$348 * 30.1%

South Africa

$196 16.3% 43.7% $152

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Burkina Faso

$255 22%

South Africa

$207 17.2% 18.5% $47

Accommodation & Living

Burkina Faso

$234 20.2%

South Africa

$398 33.1% 70.1% $164

Clothing & Footwear

Burkina Faso

$123 10.6%

South Africa

$126 10.4% 2.1% $2.6

Eating Out

Burkina Faso

$121 10.5%

South Africa

$157 13.1% 29.8% $36

Sport & Entertainment

Burkina Faso

$72 6.2%

South Africa

$47 4% 34.3% $25

Getting Around

Burkina Faso

$5.4 * 0.5%

South Africa

$71 5.9% 1222% $66

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $337 in Burkina Faso vs $422 in South Africa. For reference, capital cities sit at $337 in Ouagadougou and $450 in Pretoria.

Average salary: $607 in Burkina Faso vs $1,488 in South Africa. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 25% higher in South Africa.

Dining out costs 56% more in South Africa.

Salaries are about 2.5 times higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇧🇫 Burkina Faso

🇿🇦 South Africa

🕒 Local time

00:05 12:05 AM

02:05 2:05 AM

2 h ahead of Burkina Faso

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

23,025,776

62,027,503

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 588 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.67 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.58 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

USD to XOF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Burkina Faso South Africa 5,490 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Burkina Faso
South Africa

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Burkina Faso vs South Africa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Burkina Faso is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 4% lower on average.

Housing costs more in South Africa: a central one-bedroom averages $422 versus $337 in Burkina Faso.

Burkina Faso is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.