Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Djibouti and South Africa

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

For one person, living is cheaper in South Africa: $1,203 a month against $2,068 in Djibouti, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

100

Cost of Living Index in Djibouti
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Djibouti Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index

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🇩🇯 Djibouti

$2,068

/mo nomad

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $2,068 per month in Djibouti vs $1,203 in South Africa, rent included.

Djibouti $2,068
South Africa $1,203

A couple spends around $3,229 per month in Djibouti vs $1,893 in South Africa, rent included.

Djibouti $3,229
South Africa $1,893

A family of three spends $4,389 per month in Djibouti vs $2,583 in South Africa, rent included.

Djibouti $4,389
South Africa $2,583

The regional cost range is wider in South Africa ($618–$1,556) than in Djibouti ($2,069–$2,069), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Djibouti is about 72% higher than in South Africa on average.

Djibouti sits 52% above the global median, while South Africa is 12% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.60 DJF 1,711

$10.67 R 177

-10.03%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$73.3 DJF 13.1K

$41.66 R 693

75.88%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$15.52 DJF 2,765

$5.80 R 96.5

167.59%

Cappuccino

$3.45 DJF 615

$2.36 R 39.23

46.19%

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

$1.86 DJF 331

$1.12 R 18.56

66.07%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.68 DJF 299

$0.90 R 15.00

86.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$6.84 DJF 1,219

$2.42 R 40.20

182.64%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.21 DJF 1,463

$3.06 R 50.9

168.30%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.85 DJF 509

$1.18 R 19.58

141.53%

White Bread (500g)

$9.42 DJF 1,678

$1.13 R 18.83

733.63%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.79 DJF 497

$1.74 R 28.90

60.34%

Eggs

$5.84 DJF 1,041

$2.57 R 42.80

127.24%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$9.73 DJF 1,733

$8.43 R 140

15.42%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.01 DJF 3,209

$5.12 R 85.1

251.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.30 DJF 2,192

$7.59 R 126

62.06%

Apples (1kg)

$3.71 DJF 661

$1.77 R 29.52

109.60%

Banana (1kg)

$1.20 DJF 214

$1.74 R 28.90

-31.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.63 DJF 468

$1.77 R 29.43

48.59%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.58 DJF 281

$1.76 R 29.26

-10.23%

Potato (1kg)

$1.56 DJF 279

$1.49 R 24.81

4.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 DJF 301

$1.47 R 24.38

14.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$5.71 DJF 1,017

$1.23 R 20.52

364.23%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.54 DJF 96.0

$1.10 R 18.25

-50.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.94 DJF 346

$3.24 R 54.0

-40.12%

Wine (Bottle)

$20.72 DJF 3,692

$5.00 R 83.2

314.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.39 DJF 426

$1.50 R 24.90

59.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 DJF 615

$1.94 R 32.26

77.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.43 DJF 77.0

$1.48 R 24.58

-70.95%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.59 DJF 7,589

$59.3 R 986

-28.15%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.84 DJF 506

$1.09 R 18.21

160.55%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$5.59 DJF 996

$0.99 R 16.46

464.65%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$28.15 DJF 5,016

$7.46 R 124

277.35%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.23 DJF 398

$1.43 R 23.76

55.94%

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

$34.0K DJF 6.1M

$35.3K R 587.4K

-3.79%

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

$33.3K DJF 5.9M

$32.4K R 539.7K

2.67%

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

$526 DJF 93.6K

$133 R 2,208

295.93%

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

$32.11 DJF 5,721

$34.83 R 580

-7.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$59.9 DJF 10.7K

$39.76 R 662

50.68%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$85.8 DJF 15.3K

$33.09 R 551

159.35%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$28.63 DJF 5,101

$11.65 R 194

145.75%

Cinema Ticket

$12.46 DJF 2,219

$7.18 R 119

73.54%

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

$338 DJF 60.3K

$224 R 3,728

50.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,942 DJF 1.6M

$5,462 R 90.9K

63.72%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$42.81 DJF 7,628

$54.2 R 902

-21.01%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$19.91 DJF 3,547

$34.13 R 568

-41.66%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$121 DJF 21.6K

$102 R 1,699

18.77%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$55.1 DJF 9,819

$88.5 R 1,472

-37.72%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$675 DJF 120.2K

$492 R 8,189

37.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$472 DJF 84.2K

$398 R 6,617

18.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$999 DJF 178.0K

$946 R 15.7K

5.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,263 DJF 225.0K

$827 R 13.8K

52.64%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$12.6K DJF 2.2M

$1,099 R 18.3K

1044.92%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$6,183 DJF 1.1M

$769 R 12.8K

704.31%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,790 DJF 497.1K

$1,502 R 25.0K

85.77%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

13.07

11.23

16.38%

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

Last update for Djibouti: October 26, 2026

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Djibouti

$618 29.9%

South Africa

$207 17.2% 66.4% $410

Accommodation & Living

Djibouti

$472 22.8%

South Africa

$398 33.1% 15.8% $75

Groceries & Markets

Djibouti

$455 22%

South Africa

$196 16.3% 56.9% $259

Eating Out

Djibouti

$230 11.1%

South Africa

$157 13.1% 31.5% $72

Sport & Entertainment

Djibouti

$111 5.4%

South Africa

$47 4% 57.2% $63

Clothing & Footwear

Djibouti

$108 5.2%

South Africa

$126 10.4% 16.7% $18

Getting Around

Djibouti

$75 3.6%

South Africa

$71 5.9% 5.2% $3.9

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $672 in Djibouti vs $422 in South Africa. For reference, capital cities sit at $672 in Djibouti and $450 in Pretoria.

Average salary: $2,785 in Djibouti 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 59% higher in Djibouti.

Dining out costs 85% more in Djibouti.

Public transport is 42% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are 87% higher in Djibouti, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Djibouti.

Good to know

🇩🇯 Djibouti

🇿🇦 South Africa

🕒 Local time

11:49 11:49 AM

10:49 10:49 AM

1 h behind Djibouti

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,152,944

62,027,503

💱 Currency

Djiboutian Franc DJF Fr

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 DJF = 5.61 USD

1,000 DJF = 5.04 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to DJF – Djiboutian Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇩🇯 Djiboutian Franc (Fr)

Djiboutian Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 178 DJF (1,000 DJF = 5.61 USD). 1 EUR = 198 DJF (1,000 DJF = 5.04 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to DJF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Djibouti South Africa 4,880 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Djibouti
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

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

South Africa is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 42% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Djibouti: a central one-bedroom averages $672 versus $422 in South Africa.

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