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

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $376 in Ghana versus $1,020 in South Africa.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $632 in Ghana versus $1,587 in South Africa.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $888 in Ghana versus $2,154 in South Africa.

Living in Ghana costs about 63% less than in South Africa on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Ghana 72% lower, South Africa 24% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.84 GHS 44.30

$9.14 R 150

-57.99%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.81 GHS 518

$39.14 R 643

14.49%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.83 GHS 90.5

$5.19 R 85.3

50.87%

Cappuccino

$3.09 GHS 35.69

$1.98 R 32.50

56.06%

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

$0.94 GHS 10.85

$1.00 R 16.45

-6.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.36 GHS 4.20

$0.79 R 12.92

-54.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.33 GHS 15.35

$2.21 R 36.36

-39.82%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.28 GHS 26.38

$2.57 R 42.28

-11.28%

Milk (1 liter)

$3.02 GHS 34.90

$1.12 R 18.43

169.64%

White Bread (500g)

$1.39 GHS 16.01

$0.97 R 15.90

43.30%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.14 GHS 24.74

$1.54 R 25.37

38.96%

Eggs

$2.31 GHS 26.74

$2.25 R 36.96

2.67%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.11 GHS 93.7

$7.86 R 129

3.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.44 GHS 51.3

$4.58 R 75.3

-3.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$5.27 GHS 60.9

$6.68 R 110

-21.11%

Apples (1kg)

$2.83 GHS 32.73

$1.57 R 25.88

80.25%

Banana (1kg)

$1.39 GHS 16.09

$1.47 R 24.18

-5.44%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.62 GHS 18.74

$1.52 R 25.00

6.58%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.73 GHS 31.52

$1.51 R 24.81

80.79%

Potato (1kg)

$2.81 GHS 32.41

$1.26 R 20.71

123.02%

Onion (1kg)

$2.06 GHS 23.82

$1.27 R 20.96

62.20%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.80 GHS 9.28

$1.09 R 17.86

-26.61%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.51 GHS 5.88

$0.97 R 15.93

-47.42%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.61 GHS 18.62

$2.84 R 46.62

-43.31%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.97 GHS 80.5

$5.20 R 85.5

34.04%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.12 GHS 12.96

$1.38 R 22.74

-18.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.81 GHS 20.95

$1.72 R 28.24

5.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.08 GHS 12.43

$1.72 R 28.30

-37.21%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$34.62 GHS 400

$44.22 R 727

-21.71%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.47 GHS 17.03

$1.15 R 18.93

27.83%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.21 GHS 14.01

$1.07 R 17.51

13.08%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.43 GHS 51.2

$4.74 R 77.8

-6.54%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.07 GHS 12.40

$1.28 R 21.09

-16.41%

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

$8,033 GHS 92.8K

$20.4K R 334.8K

-60.56%

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

$10.1K GHS 116.9K

$24.0K R 394.3K

-57.81%

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

$47.57 GHS 549

$113 R 1,856

-57.88%

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

$13.53 GHS 156

$32.35 R 532

-58.18%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$42.42 GHS 490

$41.46 R 682

2.32%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.03 GHS 370

$31.04 R 510

3.19%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.84 GHS 183

$9.72 R 160

62.96%

Cinema Ticket

$9.62 GHS 111

$6.67 R 110

44.23%

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

$76.9 GHS 888

$186 R 3,051

-58.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,372 GHS 85.1K

$4,399 R 72.3K

67.57%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$16.71 GHS 193

$50.2 R 824

-66.69%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$20.70 GHS 239

$30.37 R 499

-31.84%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$31.52 GHS 364

$93.4 R 1,535

-66.24%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$45.13 GHS 521

$80.4 R 1,322

-43.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$515 GHS 5,951

$439 R 7,210

17.47%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$158 GHS 1,819

$372 R 6,112

-57.64%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,056 GHS 12.2K

$903 R 14.8K

16.95%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$403 GHS 4,651

$705 R 11.6K

-42.90%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$3,228 GHS 37.3K

$1,116 R 18.3K

189.18%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,697 GHS 19.6K

$793 R 13.0K

114.02%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$252 GHS 2,914

$1,506 R 24.8K

-83.24%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

26.83

11.55

132.29%

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

Last update for Ghana: July 12, 2026

Last update for South Africa: July 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $90.0 in Ghana, $368 in South Africa. Capital cities: $530 in Accra vs $292 in Bloemfontein.

National salary averages: $305 in Ghana, $1,513 in South Africa. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 309% higher in South Africa.

Dining out costs 30% more in South Africa.

Public transport is 167% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are 396% 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

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

At $404 per month in Ghana and $1,083 in South Africa, there's a 168% 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 Ghana: 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 Ghana across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

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