Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Eritrea and South Africa

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

For one person, living is cheaper in South Africa: $1,203 a month against $1,378 in Eritrea, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Eritrea despite lower rent and utilities.

66

Cost of Living Index in Eritrea
Learn more

Eritrea Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
Learn more

South Africa Living Index

Jump to prices

🇪🇷 Eritrea

$1,378

/mo nomad

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,378 per month in Eritrea vs $1,203 in South Africa, rent included.

Eritrea $1,378
South Africa $1,203

A couple spends around $2,160 per month in Eritrea vs $1,893 in South Africa, rent included.

Eritrea $2,160
South Africa $1,893

A family of three spends $2,943 per month in Eritrea vs $2,583 in South Africa, rent included.

Eritrea $2,943
South Africa $2,583

The regional cost range is wider in South Africa ($618–$1,556) than in Eritrea ($1,387–$1,387), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Eritrea is about 15% higher than in South Africa on average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$21.02 ERN 316

$10.67 R 177

97.00%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$34.23 ERN 515

$41.66 R 693

-17.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.56 ERN 83.8

$5.80 R 96.5

-4.14%

Cappuccino

$0.73 ERN 10.98

$2.36 R 39.23

-69.07%

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

$1.03 ERN 15.50

$1.12 R 18.56

-8.04%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.03 ERN 15.46

$0.90 R 15.00

14.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$0.95 ERN 14.37

$2.42 R 40.20

-60.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R 50.9

Milk (1 liter)

$1.56 ERN 23.45

$1.18 R 19.58

32.20%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.83

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.31 ERN 34.81

$1.74 R 28.90

32.76%

Eggs

$4.34 ERN 65.4

$2.57 R 42.80

68.87%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$2.93 ERN 44.15

$8.43 R 140

-65.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$26.61 ERN 400

$5.12 R 85.1

419.73%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.89 ERN 149

$7.59 R 126

30.30%

Apples (1kg)

$12.39 ERN 187

$1.77 R 29.52

600.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.25 ERN 18.86

$1.74 R 28.90

-28.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.98 ERN 29.83

$1.77 R 29.43

11.86%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.16 ERN 17.41

$1.76 R 29.26

-34.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.85 ERN 27.86

$1.49 R 24.81

24.16%

Onion (1kg)

$0.96 ERN 14.45

$1.47 R 24.38

-34.69%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.52

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.28 ERN 34.37

$1.10 R 18.25

107.27%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 54.0

Wine (Bottle)

$11.87 ERN 179

$5.00 R 83.2

137.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 ERN 15.31

$1.50 R 24.90

-32.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.02 ERN 15.30

$1.94 R 32.26

-47.42%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.11 ERN 1.72

$1.48 R 24.58

-92.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$7.97 ERN 120

$59.3 R 986

-86.56%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 R 18.21

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.62 ERN 9.38

$0.99 R 16.46

-37.37%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.95 ERN 150

$7.46 R 124

33.38%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$2.48 ERN 37.28

$1.43 R 23.76

73.43%

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

$66.4K ERN 999.6K

$35.3K R 587.4K

88.13%

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

$70.5K ERN 1.1M

$32.4K R 539.7K

117.41%

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

$25.16 ERN 379

$133 R 2,208

-81.05%

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

$68.1 ERN 1,024

$34.83 R 580

95.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$201 ERN 3,031

$39.76 R 662

406.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$26.52 ERN 399

$33.09 R 551

-19.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$5.12 ERN 77.0

$11.65 R 194

-56.05%

Cinema Ticket

$1.19 ERN 17.89

$7.18 R 119

-83.43%

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

$25.46 ERN 383

$224 R 3,728

-88.64%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$2,622 ERN 39.5K

$5,462 R 90.9K

-51.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$135 ERN 2,027

$54.2 R 902

148.45%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$121 ERN 1,818

$34.13 R 568

253.88%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$198 ERN 2,981

$102 R 1,699

94.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$149 ERN 2,242

$88.5 R 1,472

68.37%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$249 ERN 3,748

$492 R 8,189

-49.40%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$202 ERN 3,043

$398 R 6,617

-49.16%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$446 ERN 6,716

$946 R 15.7K

-52.84%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$420 ERN 6,322

$827 R 13.8K

-49.22%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,276 ERN 19.2K

$1,099 R 18.3K

16.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,295 ERN 34.5K

$769 R 12.8K

198.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$505 ERN 7,606

$1,502 R 25.0K

-66.35%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

18.5

11.23

64.74%

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

Last update for Eritrea: October 25, 2026

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Eritrea

$363 * 26.3%

South Africa

$196 16.3% 46% $167

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Eritrea

$295 21.4%

South Africa

$207 17.2% 29.6% $87

Clothing & Footwear

Eritrea

$271 19.7%

South Africa

$126 10.4% 53.7% $146

Eating Out

Eritrea

$207 * 15%

South Africa

$157 13.1% 23.9% $49

Accommodation & Living

Eritrea

$202 14.7%

South Africa

$398 33.1% 96.7% $196

Sport & Entertainment

Eritrea

$29 2.1%

South Africa

$47 4% 64.2% $19

Getting Around

Eritrea

$12 * 0.8%

South Africa

$71 5.9% 517% $60

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

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $252 in Eritrea vs $422 in South Africa. For reference, capital cities sit at $252 in Asmara and $450 in Pretoria.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 67% higher in South Africa.

Dining out costs 15% more in South Africa.

Public transport is 663% more expensive in South Africa.

Good to know

🇪🇷 Eritrea

🇿🇦 South Africa

🕒 Local time

13:23 1:23 PM

12:23 12:23 PM

1 h behind Eritrea

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

3,497,000

62,027,503

💱 Currency

Eritrean Nakfa ERN ናቕፋ

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 ERN = 6.64 USD

100 ERN = 5.97 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to ERN – Eritrean Nakfa Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇷 Eritrean Nakfa (ናቕፋ)

Eritrean Nakfa exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 15.05 ERN (100 ERN = 6.64 USD). 1 EUR = 16.75 ERN (100 ERN = 5.97 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 ERN in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Eritrea South Africa 5,130 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Eritrea
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

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

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

Not necessarily. Overall, Eritrea costs about 15% more, but the gap varies by category, and some expenses can be lower in Eritrea. Compare the categories that matter most for your budget.

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.