Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Mali and South Africa

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

For one person, living is cheaper in Mali: $904 a month against $1,203 in South Africa, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in South Africa outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

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Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index

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🇲🇱 Mali

$904

/mo nomad

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $904 in Mali versus $1,203 in South Africa.

Mali $904
South Africa $1,203

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,481 in Mali versus $1,893 in South Africa.

Mali $1,481
South Africa $1,893

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,058 in Mali versus $2,583 in South Africa.

Mali $2,058
South Africa $2,583

Mali ($86–$894) and South Africa ($618–$1,556) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in Mali costs about 25% less than in South Africa on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Mali 34% lower, South Africa 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.47 F CFA 4,952

$10.67 R 177

-20.62%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$36.49 F CFA 21.3K

$41.66 R 693

-12.41%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$8.25 F CFA 4,825

$5.80 R 96.5

42.24%

Cappuccino

$1.71 F CFA 1,002

$2.36 R 39.23

-27.54%

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

$0.89 F CFA 519

$1.12 R 18.56

-20.54%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.71 F CFA 416

$0.90 R 14.99

-21.11%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.34 F CFA 1,368

$2.42 R 40.19

-3.31%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$21.20 F CFA 12.4K

$3.06 R 50.9

592.81%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.94 F CFA 1,137

$1.18 R 19.58

64.41%

White Bread (500g)

$3.80 F CFA 2,224

$1.13 R 18.83

236.28%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

Eggs

$6.05 F CFA 3,540

$2.57 R 42.80

135.41%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.84 F CFA 10.4K

$8.43 R 140

111.63%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$17.36 F CFA 10.2K

$5.12 R 85.1

239.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.30 F CFA 7,778

$7.59 R 126

75.23%

Apples (1kg)

$3.11 F CFA 1,819

$1.77 R 29.52

75.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 F CFA 853

$1.74 R 28.90

-16.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.90 F CFA 1,697

$1.77 R 29.43

63.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$2.32 F CFA 1,355

$1.76 R 29.26

31.82%

Potato (1kg)

$1.67 F CFA 975

$1.49 R 24.81

12.08%

Onion (1kg)

$1.58 F CFA 923

$1.47 R 24.37

7.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.11 F CFA 62.7

$1.23 R 20.52

-91.06%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.90 F CFA 1,696

$1.10 R 18.25

163.64%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$1.01 F CFA 592

$3.24 R 54.0

-68.83%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.00 R 83.2

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.46 F CFA 853

$1.50 R 24.90

-2.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.30 F CFA 762

$1.94 R 32.26

-32.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.58

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 R 986

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 R 18.21

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.22 F CFA 714

$0.99 R 16.46

23.23%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 R 124

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.09 F CFA 635

$1.43 R 23.76

-23.78%

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

$35.3K R 587.3K

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

$32.4K R 539.6K

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

$147 F CFA 86.2K

$133 R 2,208

11.07%

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

$34.83 R 579

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$65.0 F CFA 38.0K

$39.76 R 662

63.56%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$70.1 F CFA 41.0K

$33.09 R 550

111.76%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.65 R 194

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 R 119

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

$76.9 F CFA 45.0K

$224 R 3,728

-65.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,462 R 90.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 R 902

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.13 R 568

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 R 1,698

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 R 1,472

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$172 F CFA 100.3K

$492 R 8,189

-65.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$79.5 F CFA 46.5K

$398 R 6,617

-80.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$506 F CFA 295.9K

$946 R 15.7K

-46.53%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$297 F CFA 173.4K

$827 R 13.8K

-64.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$10.1K F CFA 5.9M

$1,099 R 18.3K

820.32%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$843 F CFA 493.3K

$769 R 12.8K

9.70%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$257 F CFA 150.1K

$1,502 R 25.0K

-82.91%

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 Mali: October 25, 2026

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Mali

–

South Africa

$398 33.1%

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Mali

–

South Africa

$207 17.2%

Groceries & Markets

Mali

–

South Africa

$196 16.3%

Eating Out

Mali

–

South Africa

$157 13.1%

Clothing & Footwear

Mali

–

South Africa

$126 10.4%

Getting Around

Mali

–

South Africa

$71 5.9%

Sport & Entertainment

Mali

–

South Africa

$47 4%

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $176 in Mali, $422 in South Africa. Capital cities: $176 in Bamako vs $450 in Pretoria.

National salary averages: $264 in Mali, $1,488 in South Africa. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 140% higher in South Africa.

Salaries are about 5.6 times higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇲🇱 Mali

🇿🇦 South Africa

🕒 Local time

23:26 11:26 PM

01:26 1:26 AM

2 h ahead of Mali

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

20,250,833

62,027,503

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 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 November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.65 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

USD to XOF in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Mali South Africa 5,920 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

Mali
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

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

At $904 per month in Mali and $1,203 in South Africa, Mali comes out about 25% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $422 in South Africa and $176 in Mali. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Mali, $1,200 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: Mali wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.