Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Cameroon and South Africa

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

For one person, living is cheaper in Cameroon: $1,000 a month against $1,197 in South Africa, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in South Africa outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

48

Cost of Living Index in Cameroon
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Cameroon Living Index
57

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index

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🇨🇲 Cameroon

$1,000

/mo nomad

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,197

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Cameroon 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 Cameroon and in South Africa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,000 per month in Cameroon vs $1,197 in South Africa, rent included.

Cameroon $1,000
South Africa $1,197

A couple spends around $1,606 per month in Cameroon vs $1,879 in South Africa, rent included.

Cameroon $1,606
South Africa $1,879

A family of three spends $2,212 per month in Cameroon vs $2,562 in South Africa, rent included.

Cameroon $2,212
South Africa $2,562

Cost ranges are similar: Cameroon spans $349–$1,330, South Africa $622–$1,527. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in Cameroon is roughly 16% lower than in South Africa on average.

Both Cameroon and South Africa are more affordable than the global median – Cameroon 26% lower, South Africa 11% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.90 FCFA 2,280

$10.89 R 181

-64.19%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$86.0 FCFA 50.3K

$42.93 R 712

100.30%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.86 FCFA 3,428

$5.62 R 93.3

4.27%

Cappuccino

$1.84 FCFA 1,075

$2.34 R 38.88

-21.37%

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

$1.66 FCFA 972

$1.10 R 18.28

50.91%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.64 FCFA 376

$0.84 R 13.87

-23.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.17 FCFA 683

$2.43 R 40.31

-51.85%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.73 FCFA 1,010

$2.96 R 49.03

-41.55%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.83 FCFA 1,657

$1.19 R 19.68

137.82%

White Bread (500g)

$0.74 FCFA 434

$1.12 R 18.62

-33.93%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.72 FCFA 1,006

$1.83 R 30.41

-6.01%

Eggs

$2.01 FCFA 1,174

$2.51 R 41.60

-19.92%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$14.78 FCFA 8,645

$8.25 R 137

79.15%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.18 FCFA 3,029

$5.32 R 88.2

-2.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.83 FCFA 3,410

$7.64 R 127

-23.69%

Apples (1kg)

$3.51 FCFA 2,050

$1.81 R 29.97

93.92%

Banana (1kg)

$1.30 FCFA 761

$1.68 R 27.95

-22.62%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.58 FCFA 925

$1.78 R 29.60

-11.24%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.44 FCFA 840

$1.76 R 29.25

-18.18%

Potato (1kg)

$2.18 FCFA 1,273

$1.50 R 24.82

45.33%

Onion (1kg)

$1.71 FCFA 1,000

$1.46 R 24.19

17.12%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.78 FCFA 457

$1.29 R 21.45

-39.53%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.66 FCFA 387

$1.13 R 18.81

-41.59%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.68 FCFA 983

$3.38 R 56.1

-50.30%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.69 FCFA 5,080

$5.08 R 84.4

71.06%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.45 FCFA 849

$1.48 R 24.59

-2.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.91 FCFA 1,120

$1.96 R 32.49

-2.55%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 FCFA 441

$1.53 R 25.36

-50.98%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$17.23 FCFA 10.1K

$60.2 R 1,000

-71.40%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.62 FCFA 363

$0.94 R 15.64

-34.04%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.53 FCFA 308

$0.92 R 15.27

-42.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.81 FCFA 3,400

$7.73 R 128

-24.84%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 FCFA 848

$1.44 R 23.86

0.69%

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

$30.2K FCFA 17.7M

$35.6K R 590.3K

-15.08%

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

$17.6K FCFA 10.3M

$32.4K R 538.2K

-45.82%

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

$144 FCFA 84.1K

$134 R 2,226

7.21%

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

$23.28 FCFA 13.6K

$34.27 R 569

-32.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$129 FCFA 75.7K

$40.66 R 675

218.35%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.85 FCFA 15.7K

$32.99 R 547

-18.61%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.56 FCFA 3,254

$11.61 R 193

-52.11%

Cinema Ticket

$8.57 FCFA 5,011

$7.24 R 120

18.37%

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

$512 FCFA 299.3K

$223 R 3,708

129.02%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,275 FCFA 4.8M

$7,429 R 123.3K

11.39%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$63.4 FCFA 37.1K

$54.0 R 896

17.29%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$60.8 FCFA 35.6K

$32.83 R 545

85.26%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$135 FCFA 78.7K

$101 R 1,684

32.68%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$122 FCFA 71.5K

$87.2 R 1,447

40.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$311 FCFA 182.1K

$485 R 8,054

-35.86%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$149 FCFA 86.9K

$389 R 6,450

-61.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$634 FCFA 370.9K

$941 R 15.6K

-32.58%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$241 FCFA 140.9K

$795 R 13.2K

-69.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$2,000 FCFA 1.2M

$1,071 R 17.8K

86.79%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$968 FCFA 566.4K

$768 R 12.7K

26.04%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$150 FCFA 88.0K

$1,475 R 24.5K

-89.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.96

11.23

68.83%

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

Last update for Cameroon: November 2, 2026

Last update for South Africa: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Cameroon

$297 29.7%

South Africa

$209 17.5% 29.5% $87

Groceries & Markets

Cameroon

$227 22.7%

South Africa

$197 16.5% 12.9% $29

Clothing & Footwear

Cameroon

$171 17.1%

South Africa

$124 10.4% 27.7% $47

Accommodation & Living

Cameroon

$149 14.9%

South Africa

$389 32.5% 162% $240

Eating Out

Cameroon

$89 8.9%

South Africa

$158 13.2% 76.8% $69

Sport & Entertainment

Cameroon

$44 4.4%

South Africa

$47 4% 7.9% $3.5

Getting Around

Cameroon

$23 2.4%

South Africa

$72 6% 206% $48

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $259 in Cameroon vs $421 in South Africa. For reference, capital cities sit at $140 in Yaounde and $1,047 in Cape Town.

Average salary: $147 in Cameroon vs $1,505 in South Africa. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 63% higher in South Africa.

Dining out costs 179% more in Cameroon.

Public transport is 276% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are about 10 times higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇨🇲 Cameroon

🇿🇦 South Africa

🕒 Local time

05:01 5:01 AM

06:01 6:01 AM

1 h ahead of Cameroon

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

28,372,687

62,027,503

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to XAF – Central African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 Central African CFA Franc (Fr)

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 654 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to XAF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Cameroon South Africa 3,990 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Cameroon
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

Cameroon vs South Africa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cameroon is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 16% lower on average.

Housing costs more in South Africa: a central one-bedroom averages $421 versus $259 in Cameroon.

$1,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Cameroon, but in South Africa it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

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