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

🙂 Solo nomad: Eswatini is 28.4% cheaper than South Africa without rent, and 39.3% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Eswatini is 28.3% cheaper than South Africa without rent, and 35.3% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Eswatini
South Africa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$1.64 SZL 29.15
$9.05 R 161
-81.88%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$27.71 SZL 493
$38.84 R 691
-28.66%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$2.39 SZL 42.47
$4.9 R 87.1
-51.22%
Cappuccino
$1.66 SZL 29.57
$1.98 R 35.28
-16.16%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.84 SZL 14.96
$0.96 R 17.06
-12.50%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.49 SZL 8.67
$0.75 R 13.31
-34.67%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.45 SZL 25.74
$2.18 R 38.72
-33.49%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 SZL 30.64
$2.54 R 45.1
-32.28%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Eswatini
South Africa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.03 SZL 18.31
$1.1 R 19.58
-6.36%
White Bread (500g)
$0.8 SZL 14.22
$1.03 R 18.32
-22.33%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.27 SZL 22.58
$1.56 R 27.71
-18.59%
Eggs
$1.53 SZL 27.24
$2.25 R 39.93
-32.00%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.92 SZL 159
$7.67 R 136
16.30%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.04 SZL 71.8
$4.62 R 82.2
-12.55%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$4.68 SZL 83.3
$6.86 R 122
-31.78%
Apples (1kg)
$1.31 SZL 23.31
$1.58 R 28.02
-17.09%
Banana (1kg)
$0.78 SZL 13.94
$1.42 R 25.3
-45.07%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.14 SZL 20.22
$1.44 R 25.58
-20.83%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.42 SZL 25.25
$1.49 R 26.5
-4.70%
Potato (1kg)
$0.91 SZL 16.17
$1.25 R 22.16
-27.20%
Onion (1kg)
$0.99 SZL 17.69
$1.34 R 23.81
-26.12%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.52 SZL 9.32
$1.09 R 19.31
-52.29%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.75 SZL 13.28
$0.96 R 17.15
-21.87%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.63 SZL 46.71
$2.9 R 51.6
-9.31%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.72 SZL 83.9
$5.07 R 90.3
-6.90%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.99 SZL 17.52
$1.38 R 24.49
-28.26%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.37 SZL 24.45
$1.68 R 29.79
-18.45%
🚌 Getting Around
Eswatini
South Africa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.91 SZL 16.2
$1.71 R 30.47
-46.78%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$29.46 SZL 524
$45.01 R 801
-34.55%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.42 SZL 60.9
$1.1 R 19.61
210.91%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$2.69 SZL 47.79
$1.09 R 19.41
146.79%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$3.45 SZL 61.4
$4.8 R 85.3
-28.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.17 SZL 20.86
$1.31 R 23.23
-10.69%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$16.5K SZL 293.1K
$21K R 374.2K
-21.68%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$19.1K SZL 340K
$23.7K R 421.3K
-19.32%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Eswatini
South Africa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$75.6 SZL 1,344
$113 R 2,009
-33.10%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$27.14 SZL 483
$33.11 R 589
-18.03%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$27.83 SZL 495
$41.49 R 738
-32.92%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Eswatini
South Africa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$27.84 SZL 495
$31.69 R 564
-12.15%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$4.92 SZL 87.4
$9.45 R 168
-47.94%
Cinema Ticket
$3.4 SZL 60.5
$6.7 R 119
-49.25%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Eswatini
South Africa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$107 SZL 1,909
$186 R 3,303
-42.20%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,516 SZL 80.3K
$4,336 R 77.1K
4.14%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Eswatini
South Africa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$42.09 SZL 749
$48.56 R 864
-13.32%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$26.6 SZL 473
$30.74 R 547
-13.47%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$63.2 SZL 1,124
$92 R 1,636
-31.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$75.2 SZL 1,337
$79.6 R 1,415
-5.50%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Eswatini
South Africa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$235 SZL 4,176
$442 R 7,860
-46.88%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$144 SZL 2,564
$370 R 6,579
-61.04%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$426 SZL 7,585
$880 R 15.7K
-51.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$326 SZL 5,801
$724 R 12.9K
-54.93%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$348 SZL 6,189
$1,021 R 18.2K
-65.92%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$262 SZL 4,662
$803 R 14.3K
-67.37%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Eswatini
South Africa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$545 SZL 9,689
$1,406 R 25K
-61.27%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.12
11.55
-21.04%

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

Last update for Eswatini: October 27, 2025

Last update for South Africa: October 29, 2025

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