Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mali and Cape Town

For one person, living is cheaper in Mali: $898 a month against $1,568 in Cape Town, rent and utilities included – about $8,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

45

Cost of Living Index in Mali
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Mali Living Index
76

Cost of Living Index in Cape Town
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Cape Town Living Index

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🇲🇱 Mali

$898

/mo nomad

Cape Town

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,568

/mo nomad

🙂 Solo nomad: Mali is 2.3% cheaper than Cape Town without rent, and 42.7% cheaper with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: Mali is 22.1% cheaper than Cape Town without rent, and 37.7% cheaper with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.57 F CFA 5,015

$11.78 R 194

-27.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.26 F CFA 21.2K

$46.55 R 768

-22.11%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.95 F CFA 4,650

$5.96 R 98.4

33.39%

Cappuccino

$1.65 F CFA 967

$2.47 R 40.80

-33.20%

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

$0.96 F CFA 563

$1.33 R 21.91

-27.82%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 F CFA 414

$1.03 R 16.99

-31.07%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 F CFA 1,414

$3.01 R 49.72

-19.60%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$21.29 F CFA 12.5K

$3.66 R 60.4

481.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 F CFA 1,086

$1.39 R 22.96

33.81%

White Bread (500g)

$3.80 F CFA 2,220

$1.19 R 19.60

219.33%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.11 R 34.84

Eggs

$6.07 F CFA 3,549

$3.01 R 49.58

101.66%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.64 F CFA 10.3K

$8.96 R 148

96.87%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.24 F CFA 10.1K

$6.65 R 110

159.25%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.45 F CFA 7,867

$9.29 R 153

44.78%

Apples (1kg)

$3.03 F CFA 1,774

$1.83 R 30.13

65.57%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 F CFA 852

$1.90 R 31.31

-23.16%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.77 F CFA 1,619

$1.75 R 28.83

58.29%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.35 F CFA 1,377

$2.09 R 34.41

12.44%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 F CFA 978

$1.55 R 25.64

7.74%

Onion (1kg)

$1.61 F CFA 945

$1.49 R 24.53

8.05%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.10 F CFA 60.1

$1.30 R 21.41

-92.31%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.84 F CFA 1,665

$1.16 R 19.19

144.83%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.02 F CFA 595

$3.71 R 61.2

-72.51%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.06 R 100

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.54 F CFA 900

$1.39 R 22.85

10.79%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.36 F CFA 794

$2.20 R 36.32

-38.18%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.51 R 24.98

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.0 R 1,006

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.63 R 10.33

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.25 F CFA 732

$1.53 R 25.29

-18.30%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.81 R 79.4

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.14 F CFA 668

$1.58 R 26.08

-27.85%

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

$35.5K R 585.7K

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

$31.7K R 523.8K

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

$150 F CFA 88.0K

$116 R 1,920

29.21%

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

$28.37 R 468

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$64.9 F CFA 37.9K

$40.69 R 671

59.38%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$68.7 F CFA 40.2K

$48.85 R 806

40.53%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.13 R 184

Cinema Ticket

$8.83 R 146

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

$78.3 F CFA 45.8K

$261 R 4,314

-70.04%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$6,702 R 110.6K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 R 914

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.27 R 532

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$118 R 1,939

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$107 R 1,766

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$177 F CFA 103.3K

$1,015 R 16.7K

-82.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$80.0 F CFA 46.8K

$715 R 11.8K

-88.82%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$494 F CFA 289.1K

$1,801 R 29.7K

-72.57%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$299 F CFA 175.1K

$1,330 R 22.0K

-77.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.2K F CFA 6.0M

$2,331 R 38.5K

336.96%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$823 F CFA 481.3K

$1,513 R 25.0K

-45.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$264 F CFA 154.4K

$1,636 R 27.0K

-83.87%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.97

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

Last update for Mali: October 3, 2026

Last update for Cape Town: October 4, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Mali

$360 * 39.8%

Cape Town

$222 14.1% 38.2% $138

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mali

$215 * 23.8%

Cape Town

$185 11.7% 13.8% $30

Eating Out

Mali

$174 19.2%

Cape Town

$174 11% 0% $0.1

Accommodation & Living

Mali

$80 8.9%

Cape Town

$715 45.3% 795% $635

Sport & Entertainment

Mali

$69 * 7.6%

Cape Town

$67 4.2% 3.1% $2.1

Getting Around

Mali

$6.3 * 0.7%

Cape Town

$75 4.8% 1105% $69

Clothing & Footwear

Mali

- * 0%

Cape Town

$141 8.9%

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Good to know

🇲🇱 Mali

🇿🇦 Cape Town

🕒 Local time

05:16 5:16 AM

07:16 7:16 AM

2 h ahead of Mali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,250,833

3,740,026 Capital

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.06 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🌐 West African CFA Franc (Fr)

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 10, 2026: 1 USD = 16.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.06 USD). 1 EUR = 18.5 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to XOF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Mali Cape Town 5,890 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Mali
Cape Town

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

Mali vs other spots: cost of living compared

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mali and Cape Town

ZAR, USD, EUR to XOF – West African CFA Franc Converter

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

Mali

Cape Town

Mali

Cape Town

Mali vs other spots: cost of living compared

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