Cost of Living Comparison Between Eritrea and South Africa Cost of Living Comparison Between Eritrea and South Africa

😐 Solo nomad: Eritrea is 70.3% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 38.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Eritrea is 44.4% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 25.8% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Eritrea
South Africa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$12.47 ERN 188
$9.05 R 161
37.79%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$30.46 ERN 459
$38.84 R 691
-21.58%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.44 ERN 81.9
$4.9 R 87.1
11.02%
Cappuccino
$0.8 ERN 12.01
$1.98 R 35.28
-59.60%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.81 ERN 27.25
$0.96 R 17.06
88.54%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.35 ERN 20.29
$0.75 R 13.31
80.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.02 ERN 15.34
$2.18 R 38.72
-53.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.06 ERN 30.99
$2.54 R 45.1
-18.90%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Eritrea
South Africa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.6 ERN 24.16
$1.1 R 19.58
45.45%
White Bread (500g)
$0.51 ERN 7.73
$1.03 R 18.32
-50.49%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$2.03 ERN 30.61
$1.56 R 27.71
30.13%
Eggs
$4.59 ERN 69.2
$2.25 R 39.93
104.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$2.92 ERN 44.01
$7.67 R 136
-61.93%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$27.32 ERN 412
$4.62 R 82.2
491.34%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$9.88 ERN 149
$6.86 R 122
44.02%
Apples (1kg)
$12.09 ERN 182
$1.58 R 28.02
665.19%
Banana (1kg)
$1.3 ERN 19.62
$1.42 R 25.3
-8.45%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.93 ERN 29.15
$1.44 R 25.58
34.03%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.24 ERN 18.67
$1.49 R 26.5
-16.78%
Potato (1kg)
$1.79 ERN 26.95
$1.25 R 22.16
43.20%
Onion (1kg)
$1.09 ERN 16.44
$1.34 R 23.81
-18.66%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.68 ERN 10.25
$1.09 R 19.31
-37.61%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.2 ERN 33.16
$0.96 R 17.15
129.17%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.95 ERN 29.41
$2.9 R 51.6
-32.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$11.94 ERN 180
$5.07 R 90.3
135.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.99 ERN 14.87
$1.38 R 24.49
-28.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.2 ERN 18.09
$1.68 R 29.79
-28.57%
🚌 Getting Around
Eritrea
South Africa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.14 ERN 2.17
$1.71 R 30.47
-91.81%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$8.23 ERN 124
$45.01 R 801
-81.72%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$0.64 ERN 9.6
$1.1 R 19.61
-41.82%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.65 ERN 9.77
$1.09 R 19.41
-40.37%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$8.47 ERN 128
$4.8 R 85.3
76.46%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.2 ERN 33.12
$1.31 R 23.23
67.94%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$65.8K ERN 991.8K
$21K R 374.2K
212.82%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$70.2K ERN 1.1M
$23.7K R 421.3K
196.25%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Eritrea
South Africa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$27.29 ERN 411
$113 R 2,009
-75.84%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$66.9 ERN 1,008
$33.11 R 589
102.11%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$200 ERN 3,013
$41.49 R 738
381.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Eritrea
South Africa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$27.5 ERN 414
$31.69 R 564
-13.22%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$7.54 ERN 114
$9.45 R 168
-20.21%
Cinema Ticket
$1.11 ERN 16.79
$6.7 R 119
-83.43%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Eritrea
South Africa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$24.96 ERN 376
$186 R 3,303
-86.56%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,693 ERN 25.5K
$4,336 R 77.1K
-60.95%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Eritrea
South Africa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$83.6 ERN 1,260
$48.56 R 864
72.22%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$74.2 ERN 1,118
$30.74 R 547
141.25%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$198 ERN 2,978
$92 R 1,636
114.80%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$93.5 ERN 1,409
$79.6 R 1,415
17.49%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Eritrea
South Africa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$470 ERN 7,080
$442 R 7,860
6.31%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$393 ERN 5,928
$370 R 6,579
6.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$713 ERN 10.7K
$880 R 15.7K
-19.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$650 ERN 9,795
$724 R 12.9K
-10.19%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$407 ERN 6,135
$1,021 R 18.2K
-60.13%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$2,185 ERN 32.9K
$803 R 14.3K
172.04%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Eritrea
South Africa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$887 ERN 13.4K
$1,406 R 25K
-36.93%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
12
11.55
3.90%

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

Last update for Eritrea: October 28, 2025

Last update for South Africa: October 29, 2025

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