Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Chad and South Africa

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

For one person, living is cheaper in Chad: $1,074 a month against $1,209 in South Africa, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in South Africa outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

53

Cost of Living Index in Chad
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Chad Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index

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🇹🇩 Chad

$1,074

/mo nomad

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,209

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,074 per month in Chad vs $1,209 in South Africa, rent included.

Chad $1,074
South Africa $1,209

A couple spends around $1,430 per month in Chad vs $1,900 in South Africa, rent included.

Chad $1,430
South Africa $1,900

A family of three spends $1,787 per month in Chad vs $2,590 in South Africa, rent included.

Chad $1,787
South Africa $2,590

The cost of living in Chad is roughly 11% lower than in South Africa on average.

Both Chad and South Africa are more affordable than the global median – Chad 20% lower, South Africa 10% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.73 FCFA 5,089

$10.95 R 180

-20.27%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.96 R 708

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 R 94.9

Cappuccino

$0.81 FCFA 472

$2.38 R 39.20

-65.97%

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

$0.89 FCFA 518

$1.16 R 19.15

-23.28%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.86 FCFA 504

$0.87 R 14.33

-1.15%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.32 FCFA 767

$2.44 R 40.21

-45.90%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.75 FCFA 1,019

$2.98 R 49.14

-41.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.69 FCFA 2,152

$1.18 R 19.38

212.71%

White Bread (500g)

$0.35 FCFA 206

$1.11 R 18.30

-68.47%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.38 FCFA 1,971

$1.74 R 28.71

94.25%

Eggs

$2.01 FCFA 1,171

$2.49 R 40.95

-19.28%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.32 FCFA 1,937

$8.50 R 140

-60.94%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.64 FCFA 3,870

$5.16 R 85.0

28.68%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$3.51 FCFA 2,046

$7.50 R 124

-53.20%

Apples (1kg)

$4.76 FCFA 2,775

$1.88 R 31.00

153.19%

Banana (1kg)

$2.08 FCFA 1,214

$1.68 R 27.71

23.81%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.49 FCFA 1,455

$1.78 R 29.39

39.89%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.41 FCFA 1,403

$1.83 R 30.21

31.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.62 FCFA 947

$1.49 R 24.51

8.72%

Onion (1kg)

$1.57 FCFA 915

$1.50 R 24.77

4.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.52 FCFA 304

$1.27 R 20.99

-59.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.15 FCFA 1,254

$1.10 R 18.09

95.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.03 FCFA 599

$3.27 R 53.9

-68.50%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.81 FCFA 4,554

$5.03 R 82.9

55.27%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 FCFA 657

$1.52 R 25.10

-25.66%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 FCFA 1,001

$1.95 R 32.16

-11.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.42 FCFA 245

$1.58 R 26.08

-73.42%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$85.1 FCFA 49.6K

$61.4 R 1,011

38.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.45 FCFA 262

$1.11 R 18.34

-59.46%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.41 FCFA 240

$0.95 R 15.64

-56.84%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$5.06 FCFA 2,950

$7.46 R 123

-32.17%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 FCFA 758

$1.46 R 23.98

-10.96%

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

$11.8K FCFA 6.9M

$35.4K R 583.7K

-66.63%

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

$11.0K FCFA 6.4M

$30.9K R 509.0K

-64.29%

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

$42.11 FCFA 24.6K

$134 R 2,201

-68.47%

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

$25.14 FCFA 14.7K

$34.44 R 567

-27.00%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$418 FCFA 243.5K

$40.37 R 665

934.31%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.11 R 562

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.59 R 191

Cinema Ticket

$7.17 R 118

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

$227 R 3,746

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,487 R 90.4K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.53 FCFA 14.9K

$53.7 R 885

-52.48%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.59 FCFA 19.6K

$33.60 R 554

-0.03%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$42.68 FCFA 24.9K

$99.9 R 1,645

-57.26%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$84.7 FCFA 49.4K

$87.4 R 1,440

-3.06%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,722 FCFA 1.0M

$482 R 7,943

257.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$84.6 FCFA 49.3K

$399 R 6,568

-78.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$254 FCFA 148.1K

$935 R 15.4K

-72.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$168 FCFA 98.1K

$818 R 13.5K

-79.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$186 FCFA 108.2K

$1,096 R 18.1K

-83.07%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$181 FCFA 105.5K

$785 R 12.9K

-76.96%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$343 FCFA 200.2K

$1,515 R 25.0K

-77.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

3.5

11.23

-68.83%

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

Last update for Chad: October 11, 2026

Last update for South Africa: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Chad

$485 45.2%

South Africa

$208 17.2% 57% $276

Groceries & Markets

Chad

$235 21.8%

South Africa

$197 16.3% 16.1% $38

Eating Out

Chad

$97 * 9%

South Africa

$160 13.2% 65.4% $63

Getting Around

Chad

$89 8.3%

South Africa

$74 6.1% 17.6% $16

Accommodation & Living

Chad

$85 7.9%

South Africa

$399 33% 371% $314

Clothing & Footwear

Chad

$84 7.8%

South Africa

$124 10.2% 47.2% $40

Sport & Entertainment

Chad

- * 0%

South Africa

$48 4%

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

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $858 in Chad vs $421 in South Africa. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,716 in N'Djamena and $1,021 in Cape Town.

Average salary: $347 in Chad vs $1,487 in South Africa. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 104% higher in Chad.

Public transport is 153% more expensive in Chad.

Salaries are 329% higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇹🇩 Chad

🇿🇦 South Africa

🕒 Local time

07:26 7:26 AM

08:26 8:26 AM

1 h ahead of Chad

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

19,319,064

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 = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 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 October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 583 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to XAF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Chad South Africa 4,740 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Chad
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

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

Chad is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 13% lower on average.

Not necessarily. Overall, South Africa costs about 13% more, but the gap varies by category, and some expenses can be lower in South Africa. Compare the categories that matter most for your budget.

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

Chad is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.