Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Liberia and South Africa

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

For one person, living costs are similar in Liberia and in South Africa: $1,263 and $1,203 a month, rent and utilities included.

61

Cost of Living Index in Liberia
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Liberia Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index

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🇱🇷 Liberia

$1,263

/mo nomad

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,263 per month in Liberia vs $1,203 in South Africa, rent included.

Liberia $1,263
South Africa $1,203

A couple spends around $1,869 per month in Liberia vs $1,893 in South Africa, rent included.

Liberia $1,869
South Africa $1,893

A family of three spends $2,474 per month in Liberia vs $2,583 in South Africa, rent included.

Liberia $2,474
South Africa $2,583

The regional cost range is wider in South Africa ($618–$1,556) than in Liberia ($1,286–$1,286), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Liberia is about 5% higher than in South Africa on average.

Both Liberia and South Africa are more affordable than the global median – Liberia 7% lower, South Africa 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$7.42 LRD 1,256

$10.67 R 177

-30.46%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.66 R 693

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.82 LRD 1,664

$5.80 R 96.5

69.31%

Cappuccino

$3.05 LRD 516

$2.36 R 39.23

29.24%

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

$1.96 LRD 332

$1.12 R 18.56

75.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.03 LRD 343

$0.90 R 15.00

125.56%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.06 LRD 348

$2.42 R 40.20

-14.88%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 LRD 505

$3.06 R 50.9

-2.61%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.13 LRD 361

$1.18 R 19.58

80.51%

White Bread (500g)

$1.83 LRD 309

$1.13 R 18.83

61.95%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$5.17 LRD 876

$1.74 R 28.90

197.13%

Eggs

$3.70 LRD 626

$2.57 R 42.80

43.97%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.55 LRD 1,279

$8.43 R 140

-10.44%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$11.86 LRD 2,009

$5.12 R 85.1

131.64%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.74 LRD 2,327

$7.59 R 126

81.03%

Apples (1kg)

$1.62 LRD 273

$1.77 R 29.52

-8.47%

Banana (1kg)

$8.37 LRD 1,417

$1.74 R 28.90

381.03%

Oranges (1kg)

$10.49 LRD 1,776

$1.77 R 29.43

492.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$10.93 LRD 1,851

$1.76 R 29.26

521.02%

Potato (1kg)

$2.14 LRD 363

$1.49 R 24.81

43.62%

Onion (1kg)

$10.56 LRD 1,788

$1.47 R 24.38

618.37%

Lettuce (1 head)

$4.63 LRD 784

$1.23 R 20.52

276.42%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.98 LRD 336

$1.10 R 18.25

80.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$5.10 LRD 863

$3.24 R 54.0

57.41%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.84 LRD 1,159

$5.00 R 83.2

36.80%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.52 LRD 426

$1.50 R 24.90

68.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.45 LRD 584

$1.94 R 32.26

77.84%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.92 LRD 495

$1.48 R 24.58

97.30%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$12.38 LRD 2,097

$59.3 R 986

-79.12%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.01 LRD 340

$1.09 R 18.21

84.40%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.84 LRD 311

$0.99 R 16.46

85.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$24.51 LRD 4,151

$7.46 R 124

228.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.27 LRD 214

$1.43 R 23.76

-11.19%

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

$19.7K LRD 3.3M

$35.3K R 587.4K

-44.28%

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

$15.3K LRD 2.6M

$32.4K R 539.7K

-52.85%

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

$151 LRD 25.6K

$133 R 2,208

13.82%

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

$22.79 LRD 3,858

$34.83 R 580

-34.57%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$180 LRD 30.5K

$39.76 R 662

352.52%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$63.6 LRD 10.8K

$33.09 R 551

92.05%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$10.12 LRD 1,714

$11.65 R 194

-13.13%

Cinema Ticket

$4.96 LRD 840

$7.18 R 119

-30.92%

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

$99.5 LRD 16.8K

$224 R 3,728

-55.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$990 LRD 167.7K

$5,462 R 90.9K

-81.87%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$25.49 LRD 4,317

$54.2 R 902

-52.97%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.57 LRD 5,515

$34.13 R 568

-4.57%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$54.0 LRD 9,151

$102 R 1,699

-47.07%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$93.8 LRD 15.9K

$88.5 R 1,472

5.96%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$247 LRD 41.8K

$492 R 8,189

-49.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$94.1 LRD 15.9K

$398 R 6,617

-76.35%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$659 LRD 111.6K

$946 R 15.7K

-30.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$266 LRD 45.0K

$827 R 13.8K

-67.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,099 R 18.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$769 R 12.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$697 LRD 118.0K

$1,502 R 25.0K

-53.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

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

Last update for Liberia: October 27, 2026

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Liberia

$456 36.1%

South Africa

$196 16.3% 57% $260

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Liberia

$354 28%

South Africa

$207 17.2% 41.4% $146

Eating Out

Liberia

$158 12.5%

South Africa

$157 13.1% 0.2% $0.3

Accommodation & Living

Liberia

$94 7.5%

South Africa

$398 33.1% 323% $304

Clothing & Footwear

Liberia

$93 7.3%

South Africa

$126 10.4% 35.5% $33

Sport & Entertainment

Liberia

$73 5.8%

South Africa

$47 4% 35.4% $26

Getting Around

Liberia

$35 2.8%

South Africa

$71 5.9% 102% $36

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $250 in Liberia vs $422 in South Africa. For reference, capital cities sit at $250 in Monrovia and $450 in Pretoria.

Average salary: $691 in Liberia vs $1,488 in South Africa. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 69% higher in South Africa.

Public transport is 205% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are about 2.2 times higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇱🇷 Liberia

🇿🇦 South Africa

🕒 Local time

10:23 10:23 AM

12:23 12:23 PM

2 h ahead of Liberia

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

5,214,030

62,027,503

💱 Currency

Liberian Dollar LRD $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 LRD = 5.91 USD

1,000 LRD = 5.31 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to LRD – Liberian Dollar Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇱🇷 Liberian Dollar ($)

Liberian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 169 LRD (1,000 LRD = 5.91 USD). 1 EUR = 188 LRD (1,000 LRD = 5.31 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to LRD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Liberia South Africa 5,590 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Liberia
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

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

South Africa is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 5% lower on average.

Not necessarily. Overall, Liberia costs about 5% more, but the gap varies by category, and some expenses can be lower in Liberia. Compare the categories that matter most for your budget.

South Africa is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.