Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Ghana and South Africa

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

For one person, living is cheaper in Ghana: $991 a month against $1,203 in South Africa, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

48

Cost of Living Index in Ghana
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Ghana Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index

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🇬🇭 Ghana

$991

/mo nomad

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $991 in Ghana versus $1,203 in South Africa.

Ghana $991
South Africa $1,203

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,570 in Ghana versus $1,893 in South Africa.

Ghana $1,570
South Africa $1,893

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,148 in Ghana versus $2,583 in South Africa.

Ghana $2,148
South Africa $2,583

Internal cost variation is higher in Ghana: monthly costs span $3 to $1,260, compared to $618–$1,556 in South Africa. City choice carries more weight in Ghana.

Living in Ghana costs about 18% less than in South Africa on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Ghana 27% lower, South Africa 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.87 GHS 79.5

$10.67 R 178

-35.61%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$49.92 GHS 578

$41.66 R 694

19.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.34 GHS 120

$5.80 R 96.6

78.28%

Cappuccino

$3.97 GHS 45.98

$2.36 R 39.29

68.22%

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

$1.09 GHS 12.61

$1.12 R 18.59

-2.68%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.48 GHS 5.59

$0.90 R 15.02

-46.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.67 GHS 19.40

$2.42 R 40.26

-30.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.60 GHS 30.15

$3.06 R 51.0

-15.03%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.37 GHS 39.05

$1.18 R 19.61

185.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 GHS 17.98

$1.13 R 18.86

37.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.96 GHS 34.33

$1.74 R 28.95

70.11%

Eggs

$2.65 GHS 30.74

$2.57 R 42.87

3.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$10.98 GHS 127

$8.43 R 140

30.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.86 GHS 67.9

$5.12 R 85.3

14.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.50 GHS 86.8

$7.59 R 127

-1.19%

Apples (1kg)

$3.09 GHS 35.78

$1.77 R 29.57

74.58%

Banana (1kg)

$1.38 GHS 15.96

$1.74 R 28.94

-20.69%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.66 GHS 19.26

$1.77 R 29.48

-6.21%

Tomato (1kg)

$3.18 GHS 36.79

$1.76 R 29.31

80.68%

Potato (1kg)

$2.82 GHS 32.65

$1.49 R 24.85

89.26%

Onion (1kg)

$2.22 GHS 25.69

$1.47 R 24.41

51.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.91 GHS 10.52

$1.23 R 20.55

-26.02%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.63 GHS 7.31

$1.10 R 18.28

-42.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.18 GHS 25.21

$3.24 R 54.1

-32.72%

Wine (Bottle)

$7.25 GHS 84.0

$5.00 R 83.3

45.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.40 GHS 16.17

$1.50 R 24.94

-6.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.56 GHS 29.61

$1.94 R 32.31

31.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.26 GHS 14.61

$1.48 R 24.62

-14.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$39.42 GHS 456

$59.3 R 988

-33.50%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.65 GHS 19.09

$1.09 R 18.24

51.38%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.26 GHS 14.56

$0.99 R 16.49

27.27%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$3.62 GHS 41.96

$7.46 R 124

-51.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 GHS 14.71

$1.43 R 23.80

-11.19%

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

$7,959 GHS 92.2K

$35.3K R 588.3K

-77.45%

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

$20.4K GHS 236.7K

$32.4K R 540.5K

-36.97%

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

$77.7 GHS 900

$133 R 2,212

-41.46%

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

$18.87 GHS 218

$34.83 R 580

-45.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$46.54 GHS 539

$39.76 R 663

17.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$60.1 GHS 696

$33.09 R 551

81.75%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$17.97 GHS 208

$11.65 R 194

54.25%

Cinema Ticket

$12.33 GHS 143

$7.18 R 120

71.73%

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

$409 GHS 4,731

$224 R 3,734

82.32%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$15.6K GHS 180.6K

$5,462 R 91.0K

185.61%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$14.00 GHS 162

$54.2 R 903

-74.17%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$18.28 GHS 212

$34.13 R 569

-46.44%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$38.76 GHS 449

$102 R 1,701

-62.03%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$49.88 GHS 578

$88.5 R 1,475

-43.63%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$554 GHS 6,414

$492 R 8,202

12.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$250 GHS 2,889

$398 R 6,628

-37.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,055 GHS 12.2K

$946 R 15.8K

11.47%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$426 GHS 4,935

$827 R 13.8K

-48.48%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,225 GHS 37.3K

$1,099 R 18.3K

193.38%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,719 GHS 19.9K

$769 R 12.8K

123.64%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$247 GHS 2,855

$1,502 R 25.0K

-83.58%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

28.8

11.23

156.46%

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

Last update for Ghana: October 26, 2026

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Ghana

$253 25.6%

South Africa

$196 16.3% 22.7% $57

Accommodation & Living

Ghana

$250 25.2%

South Africa

$398 33.1% 59.4% $148

Eating Out

Ghana

$153 15.5%

South Africa

$157 13.1% 2.5% $3.8

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Ghana

$143 14.4%

South Africa

$207 17.2% 44.9% $64

Sport & Entertainment

Ghana

$85 8.6%

South Africa

$47 4% 44.1% $37

Clothing & Footwear

Ghana

$54 5.5%

South Africa

$126 10.4% 131% $71

Getting Around

Ghana

$52 5.3%

South Africa

$71 5.9% 35.9% $19

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $444 in Ghana, $422 in South Africa. Capital cities: $686 in Accra vs $450 in Pretoria.

National salary averages: $340 in Ghana, $1,488 in South Africa. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 5% higher in Ghana.

Dining out costs 21% more in Ghana.

Public transport is 79% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are about 4.4 times higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇬🇭 Ghana

🇿🇦 South Africa

🕒 Local time

21:47 9:47 PM

23:47 11:47 PM

2 h ahead of Ghana

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

32,833,031

62,027,503

💱 Currency

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 GHS = 8.64 USD

100 GHS = 7.76 EUR

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to GHS – Ghanaian Cedi Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇬🇭 Ghanaian Cedi (₵)

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 11.58 GHS (100 GHS = 8.64 USD). 1 EUR = 12.89 GHS (100 GHS = 7.76 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to GHS in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Ghana South Africa 4,780 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Ghana
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

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

At $991 per month in Ghana and $1,203 in South Africa, Ghana comes out about 18% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, Ghana is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

It depends on what you’re after: Ghana wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.