Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Equatorial Guinea and South Africa

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

For one person, living is cheaper in South Africa: $1,203 a month against $1,445 in Equatorial Guinea, rent and utilities included – about $2,900 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

69

Cost of Living Index in Equatorial Guinea
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Equatorial Guinea Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index

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🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea

$1,445

/mo nomad

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,445 in Equatorial Guinea versus $1,203 in South Africa.

Equatorial Guinea $1,445
South Africa $1,203

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,133 in Equatorial Guinea versus $1,893 in South Africa.

Equatorial Guinea $2,133
South Africa $1,893

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,820 in Equatorial Guinea versus $2,583 in South Africa.

Equatorial Guinea $2,820
South Africa $2,583

Equatorial Guinea ($634–$1,431) and South Africa ($618–$1,556) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Equatorial Guinea is roughly 20% more expensive than in South Africa on average.

Equatorial Guinea (6% above) and South Africa (12% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$13.80 FCFA 8,129

$10.67 R 177

29.33%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$55.8 FCFA 32.9K

$41.66 R 693

33.94%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.54 FCFA 5,029

$5.80 R 96.5

47.24%

Cappuccino

$3.94 FCFA 2,321

$2.36 R 39.23

66.95%

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

$1.03 FCFA 609

$1.12 R 18.56

-8.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.62 FCFA 364

$0.90 R 15.00

-31.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.50 FCFA 1,470

$2.42 R 40.20

3.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.32 FCFA 2,543

$3.06 R 50.9

41.18%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.44 FCFA 1,438

$1.18 R 19.58

106.78%

White Bread (500g)

$3.01 FCFA 1,775

$1.13 R 18.83

166.37%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.60 FCFA 945

$1.74 R 28.90

-8.05%

Eggs

$3.19 FCFA 1,880

$2.57 R 42.80

24.12%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.36 FCFA 4,926

$8.43 R 140

-0.83%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.68 FCFA 3,932

$5.12 R 85.1

30.47%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$8.98 FCFA 5,290

$7.59 R 126

18.31%

Apples (1kg)

$6.21 FCFA 3,656

$1.77 R 29.52

250.85%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 FCFA 988

$1.74 R 28.90

-3.45%

Oranges (1kg)

$8.44 FCFA 4,971

$1.77 R 29.43

376.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.34 FCFA 1,970

$1.76 R 29.26

89.77%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 FCFA 1,522

$1.49 R 24.81

73.15%

Onion (1kg)

$2.60 FCFA 1,530

$1.47 R 24.38

76.87%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 FCFA 519

$1.23 R 20.52

-28.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.25 FCFA 736

$1.10 R 18.25

13.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.68 FCFA 2,756

$3.24 R 54.0

44.44%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.00 FCFA 3,537

$5.00 R 83.2

20.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.48 FCFA 1,463

$1.50 R 24.90

65.33%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.81 FCFA 476

$1.94 R 32.26

-58.25%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 FCFA 1,018

$1.48 R 24.58

16.89%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$26.49 FCFA 15.6K

$59.3 R 986

-55.31%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.87 FCFA 511

$1.09 R 18.21

-20.18%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.82 FCFA 481

$0.99 R 16.46

-17.17%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 R 124

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.04 FCFA 615

$1.43 R 23.76

-27.27%

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

$33.0K FCFA 19.5M

$35.3K R 587.4K

-6.45%

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

$29.9K FCFA 17.6M

$32.4K R 539.7K

-7.93%

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

$346 FCFA 203.8K

$133 R 2,208

160.62%

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

$17.58 FCFA 10.4K

$34.83 R 580

-49.53%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$50.7 FCFA 29.9K

$39.76 R 662

27.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$51.1 FCFA 30.1K

$33.09 R 551

54.28%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$14.82 FCFA 8,728

$11.65 R 194

27.21%

Cinema Ticket

$5.42 FCFA 3,194

$7.18 R 119

-24.51%

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

$224 R 3,728

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$336 FCFA 198.0K

$5,462 R 90.9K

-93.84%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$77.4 FCFA 45.6K

$54.2 R 902

42.79%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$68.9 FCFA 40.6K

$34.13 R 568

101.96%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$146 FCFA 86.2K

$102 R 1,699

43.32%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$135 FCFA 79.5K

$88.5 R 1,472

52.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$377 FCFA 221.8K

$492 R 8,189

-23.49%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$219 FCFA 128.7K

$398 R 6,617

-45.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$473 FCFA 278.9K

$946 R 15.7K

-49.96%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$305 FCFA 179.4K

$827 R 13.8K

-63.17%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$836 FCFA 492.1K

$1,099 R 18.3K

-23.98%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$646 FCFA 380.2K

$769 R 12.8K

-16.03%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$752 FCFA 443.1K

$1,502 R 25.0K

-49.90%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.8

11.23

-39.45%

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

Last update for Equatorial Guinea: October 27, 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

Equatorial Guinea

$414 28.7%

South Africa

$207 17.2% 49.9% $207

Groceries & Markets

Equatorial Guinea

$308 21.3%

South Africa

$196 16.3% 36.4% $112

Accommodation & Living

Equatorial Guinea

$219 15.1%

South Africa

$398 33.1% 82% $179

Eating Out

Equatorial Guinea

$211 14.6%

South Africa

$157 13.1% 25.5% $54

Clothing & Footwear

Equatorial Guinea

$192 13.3%

South Africa

$126 10.4% 34.8% $67

Sport & Entertainment

Equatorial Guinea

$62 4.3%

South Africa

$47 4% 23.3% $14

Getting Around

Equatorial Guinea

$38 2.7%

South Africa

$71 5.9% 85.7% $33

Cost Breakdown

National salary averages: $769 in Equatorial Guinea, $1,488 in South Africa. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 12% higher in South Africa.

Dining out costs 44% more in Equatorial Guinea.

Public transport is 135% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are 93% higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇬🇶 Equatorial Guinea

🇿🇦 South Africa

🕒 Local time

10:29 10:29 AM

11:29 11:29 AM

1 h ahead of Equatorial Guinea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

1,847,549

62,027,503

💱 Currency

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XAF = 1.7 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.01 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 589 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.7 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 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 XAF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Equatorial Guinea South Africa 4,100 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Equatorial Guinea
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

Equatorial Guinea vs South Africa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,445 per month in Equatorial Guinea and $1,203 in South Africa, there’s a 20% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, South Africa is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

It depends on what you’re after: South Africa wins on affordability; Equatorial Guinea may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.