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

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $783 in Gabon versus $1,143 in South Africa.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,279 in Gabon versus $1,781 in South Africa.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,774 in Gabon versus $2,419 in South Africa.

Living in Gabon costs about 31% less than in South Africa on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Gabon 43% lower, South Africa 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.69 FCFA 9,993

$11.30 R 182

56.55%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$71.0 FCFA 40.1K

$44.51 R 717

59.56%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$16.21 FCFA 9,159

$5.90 R 95.0

174.75%

Cappuccino

$6.30 FCFA 3,557

$2.44 R 39.22

158.20%

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

$1.82 FCFA 1,027

$1.16 R 18.64

56.90%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.49 FCFA 845

$0.96 R 15.39

55.21%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.04 FCFA 585

$2.56 R 41.29

-59.38%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.97 FCFA 1,115

$3.08 R 49.60

-36.04%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.10 FCFA 1,751

$1.28 R 20.57

142.19%

White Bread (500g)

$1.22 FCFA 691

$1.13 R 18.15

7.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$4.00 FCFA 2,258

$1.83 R 29.55

118.58%

Eggs

$5.33 FCFA 3,009

$2.55 R 41.12

109.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.83 FCFA 6,118

$8.35 R 134

29.70%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.69 FCFA 4,910

$5.44 R 87.6

59.74%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$26.89 FCFA 15.2K

$7.88 R 127

241.24%

Apples (1kg)

$3.07 FCFA 1,736

$1.90 R 30.61

61.58%

Banana (1kg)

$3.88 FCFA 2,194

$1.70 R 27.36

128.24%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.63 FCFA 2,051

$1.81 R 29.14

100.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.64 FCFA 2,058

$1.88 R 30.23

93.62%

Potato (1kg)

$3.05 FCFA 1,725

$1.54 R 24.76

98.05%

Onion (1kg)

$4.48 FCFA 2,529

$1.49 R 24.03

200.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.14 FCFA 1,212

$1.33 R 21.45

60.90%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.66 FCFA 935

$1.19 R 19.09

39.50%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.63 FCFA 1,487

$3.41 R 55.0

-22.87%

Wine (Bottle)

$12.03 FCFA 6,797

$5.08 R 81.7

136.81%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 FCFA 530

$1.51 R 24.28

-37.75%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.31 FCFA 738

$2.03 R 32.64

-35.47%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.87 FCFA 494

$1.76 R 28.39

-50.57%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$49.07 FCFA 27.7K

$63.1 R 1,016

-22.25%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.30 FCFA 736

$1.12 R 17.97

16.07%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.78 FCFA 440

$1.01 R 16.33

-22.77%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$18.02 FCFA 10.2K

$8.07 R 130

123.30%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.11 FCFA 625

$1.46 R 23.53

-23.97%

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

$30.3K FCFA 17.1M

$36.8K R 592.8K

-17.76%

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

$23.1K FCFA 13.1M

$32.5K R 523.6K

-28.89%

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

$87.1 FCFA 49.2K

$136 R 2,185

-35.83%

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

$35.83 FCFA 20.2K

$35.72 R 575

0.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$66.9 FCFA 37.8K

$41.40 R 667

61.62%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$66.8 FCFA 37.7K

$34.96 R 563

90.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$27.09 FCFA 15.3K

$12.46 R 201

117.42%

Cinema Ticket

$4.54 FCFA 2,567

$7.62 R 123

-40.42%

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

$178 FCFA 100.4K

$231 R 3,725

-23.20%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,691 FCFA 3.2M

$5,726 R 92.2K

-0.60%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$87.0 FCFA 49.1K

$56.4 R 908

54.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.86 FCFA 24.8K

$33.91 R 546

29.34%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$53.3 FCFA 30.1K

$102 R 1,639

-47.58%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 FCFA 60.5K

$93.0 R 1,497

15.13%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,064 FCFA 600.9K

$506 R 8,154

110.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$447 FCFA 252.4K

$418 R 6,727

6.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,136 FCFA 1.2M

$979 R 15.8K

118.21%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$899 FCFA 508.0K

$838 R 13.5K

7.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,723 FCFA 2.1M

$1,151 R 18.5K

223.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$2,886 FCFA 1.6M

$800 R 12.9K

260.67%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$454 FCFA 256.5K

$1,554 R 25.0K

-70.79%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.5

11.24

2.31%

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

Last update for Gabon: September 6, 2026

Last update for South Africa: September 8, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $526 in Gabon, $445 in South Africa. Capital cities: $1,052 in Libreville vs $324 in Bloemfontein.

National salary averages: $443 in Gabon, $1,553 in South Africa. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 18% higher in Gabon.

Dining out costs 11% more in South Africa.

Public transport is 41% more expensive in Gabon.

Salaries are 251% higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

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

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

At $784 per month in Gabon and $1,231 in South Africa, there's a 57% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is simply cheaper in Gabon: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in South Africa is consistently higher than in Gabon across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Gabon, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in South Africa it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

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