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

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $209 in Gambia versus $1,143 in South Africa.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $376 in Gambia versus $1,781 in South Africa.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $542 in Gambia versus $2,419 in South Africa.

Living in Gambia costs about 82% less than in South Africa on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Gambia 85% lower, South Africa 17% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.04 GMD 519

$11.30 R 182

-37.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$77.1 GMD 5,683

$44.51 R 717

73.24%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.07 GMD 595

$5.90 R 95.0

36.78%

Cappuccino

$3.48 GMD 257

$2.44 R 39.22

42.62%

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

$2.27 GMD 167

$1.16 R 18.64

95.69%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.33 GMD 98.2

$0.96 R 15.39

38.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$5.67 GMD 418

$2.56 R 41.29

121.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.77 GMD 352

$3.08 R 49.60

54.87%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.45 GMD 107

$1.28 R 20.57

13.28%

White Bread (500g)

$0.68 GMD 50.0

$1.13 R 18.15

-39.82%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.14 GMD 84.2

$1.83 R 29.55

-37.70%

Eggs

$2.06 GMD 152

$2.55 R 41.12

-19.22%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$5.95 GMD 439

$8.35 R 134

-28.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$8.63 GMD 636

$5.44 R 87.6

58.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.50 GMD 405

$7.88 R 127

-30.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.97 GMD 145

$1.90 R 30.61

3.68%

Banana (1kg)

$1.59 GMD 118

$1.70 R 27.36

-6.47%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.00 GMD 147

$1.81 R 29.14

10.50%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.85 GMD 137

$1.88 R 30.23

-1.60%

Potato (1kg)

$1.02 GMD 75.3

$1.54 R 24.76

-33.77%

Onion (1kg)

$0.94 GMD 69.1

$1.49 R 24.03

-36.91%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.26 GMD 19.11

$1.33 R 21.45

-80.45%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.38 GMD 27.68

$1.19 R 19.09

-68.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.70 GMD 126

$3.41 R 55.0

-50.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.83 GMD 503

$5.08 R 81.7

34.45%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.59 GMD 117

$1.51 R 24.28

5.30%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.65 GMD 122

$2.03 R 32.64

-18.72%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.33 GMD 24.07

$1.76 R 28.39

-81.25%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$6.58 GMD 485

$63.1 R 1,016

-89.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.12 R 17.97

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.65 GMD 48.07

$1.01 R 16.33

-35.64%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.94 GMD 290

$8.07 R 130

-51.18%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 GMD 80.4

$1.46 R 23.53

-25.34%

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

$2,650 GMD 195.3K

$36.8K R 592.8K

-92.80%

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

$3,215 GMD 236.9K

$32.5K R 523.6K

-90.11%

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

$29.84 GMD 2,199

$136 R 2,185

-78.01%

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

$14.36 GMD 1,058

$35.72 R 575

-59.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$52.5 GMD 3,867

$41.40 R 667

26.71%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$23.22 GMD 1,711

$34.96 R 563

-33.58%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.26 GMD 978

$12.46 R 201

6.42%

Cinema Ticket

$3.31 GMD 244

$7.62 R 123

-56.56%

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

$6.60 GMD 486

$231 R 3,725

-97.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$137 GMD 10.1K

$5,726 R 92.2K

-97.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.1 GMD 4,058

$56.4 R 908

-2.31%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.76 GMD 3,299

$33.91 R 546

32.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.2 GMD 7,313

$102 R 1,639

-2.50%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.0 GMD 6,410

$93.0 R 1,497

-6.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$101 GMD 7,461

$506 R 8,154

-80.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$108 GMD 7,987

$418 R 6,727

-74.06%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$245 GMD 18.1K

$979 R 15.8K

-74.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$99.8 GMD 7,355

$838 R 13.5K

-88.10%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,422 GMD 104.8K

$1,151 R 18.5K

23.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,164 GMD 85.8K

$800 R 12.9K

45.44%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$60.3 GMD 4,444

$1,554 R 25.0K

-96.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.24

33.45%

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

Last update for Gambia: September 5, 2026

Last update for South Africa: September 8, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $14.00 in Gambia, $445 in South Africa. Capital cities: $101 in Banjul vs $324 in Bloemfontein.

National salary averages: $61.0 in Gambia, $1,553 in South Africa. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 3079% higher in South Africa.

Dining out costs 38% more in South Africa.

Public transport is 1600% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are 2446% 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

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

At $332 per month in Gambia and $1,231 in South Africa, there's a 271% 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 Gambia: 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 Gambia across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Gambia, $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: Gambia wins on affordability; South Africa may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.