Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Manta and Randburg

For one person, living is cheaper in Manta: $670 a month against $1,061 in Randburg, rent and utilities included – about $4,700 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

32

Cost of Living Index in Manta
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Manta Living Index
51

Cost of Living Index in Randburg
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Randburg Living Index

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Manta

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$670

/mo nomad

Randburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,061

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Manta and in Randburg

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Manta and in Randburg actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $670 in Manta versus $1,061 in Randburg.

Manta $670
Randburg $1,061

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,152 in Manta versus $1,716 in Randburg.

Manta $1,152
Randburg $1,716

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $1,634 in Manta versus $2,370 in Randburg.

Manta $1,634
Randburg $2,370

Living in Manta costs roughly 37% less than in Randburg, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities sit below the global median: Manta 51% lower, Randburg 22% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$3.04 $3.04

$10.36 R 173

-70.66%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$51.9 $51.9

$44.80 R 749

15.83%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.18 $5.18

$5.29 R 88.3

-2.08%

Cappuccino

$2.81 $2.81

$2.49 R 41.53

12.85%

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

$0.48 $0.48

$1.27 R 21.29

-62.20%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.42 $0.42

$0.91 R 15.24

-53.85%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.92 $2.92

$2.57 R 43.02

13.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.86 $3.86

$3.29 R 54.9

17.33%

Milk (1 liter)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.27 R 21.27

-22.83%

White Bread (500g)

$2.00 $2.00

$1.14 R 19.06

75.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$0.98 $0.98

$1.70 R 28.43

-42.35%

Eggs

$2.11 $2.11

$2.74 R 45.85

-22.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$3.08 $3.08

$8.57 R 143

-64.06%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$3.07 $3.07

$5.62 R 93.8

-45.37%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.88 $6.88

$7.17 R 120

-4.04%

Apples (1kg)

$0.97 $0.97

$1.98 R 33.13

-51.01%

Banana (1kg)

$0.72 $0.72

$1.60 R 26.68

-55.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$0.73 $0.73

$1.81 R 30.22

-59.67%

Tomato (1kg)

$0.77 $0.77

$1.61 R 26.92

-52.17%

Potato (1kg)

$0.49 $0.49

$1.69 R 28.27

-71.01%

Onion (1kg)

$0.49 $0.49

$1.66 R 27.81

-70.48%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.65 $0.65

$1.15 R 19.29

-43.48%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.02 $1.02

$1.29 R 21.56

-20.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$4.02 $4.02

$3.42 R 57.1

17.54%

Wine (Bottle)

$6.81 $6.81

$4.96 R 82.8

37.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.01 $1.01

$1.51 R 25.28

-33.11%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$2.16 R 36.01

2.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 $0.50

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.79 $1.79

$0.29 R 4.83

517.24%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.77 $1.77

$0.92 R 15.37

92.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$9.28 $9.28

$14.52 R 243

-36.09%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.74 $0.74

$1.48 R 24.66

-50.00%

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

$22.7K $22.7K

$35.6K R 594.2K

-36.16%

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

$30.5K $30.5K

$34.7K R 579.2K

-12.05%

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

$93.6 $93.6

$152 R 2,535

-38.34%

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

$11.20 $11.20

$38.96 R 651

-71.25%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$26.03 $26.03

$37.21 R 622

-30.05%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$19.90 $19.90

$20.38 R 341

-2.36%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.50 $35.50

$4.46 R 74.6

695.96%

Cinema Ticket

$5.10 $5.10

$7.35 R 123

-30.61%

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

$370 $370

$262 R 4,377

41.18%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,708 $5,708

$5,433 R 90.8K

5.05%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$55.4 $55.4

$53.8 R 899

2.99%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$39.90 $39.90

$45.23 R 756

-11.78%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.3 $99.3

$113 R 1,882

-11.88%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$62.1 $62.1

$82.7 R 1,381

-24.92%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$306 $306

$313 R 5,235

-2.44%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$137 $137

$302 R 5,042

-54.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$916 $916

$616 R 10.3K

48.69%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$337 $337

$713 R 11.9K

-52.69%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$608 R 10.2K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$764 R 12.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$478 $478

$1,885 R 31.5K

-74.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

10.05

11.34

-11.38%

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

Last update for Manta: October 27, 2026

Last update for Randburg: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Groceries & Markets

Manta

$144 21.5%

Randburg

$202 19.1% 40.7% $59

Accommodation & Living

Manta

$137 20.5%

Randburg

$302 28.4% 120% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Manta

$131 19.5%

Randburg

$228 21.5% 74.2% $97

Clothing & Footwear

Manta

$116 17.3%

Randburg

$132 12.5% 14.7% $17

Eating Out

Manta

$100 14.9%

Randburg

$157 14.8% 57.4% $57

Sport & Entertainment

Manta

$30 4.5%

Randburg

$35 3.3% 16.6% $5

Getting Around

Manta

$13 * 1.9%

Randburg

$4.9 * 0.5% 61.2% $7.7

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

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $306 in Manta and $313 in Randburg. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Randburg pays about 3.9 times more on average. How far that income stretches comes down to housing choices and lifestyle.

Dining out: $52 in Manta vs $45 in Randburg. Groceries flip the comparison at $144 vs $202, with Manta cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇪🇨 Manta

🇿🇦 Randburg

🕒 Local time

19:55 7:55 PM

02:55 2:55 AM

7 h ahead of Manta

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

217,553

335,000

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 2, 2026: 1 USD = 16.71 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.99 USD). 1 EUR = 18.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR).

ZAR to USD in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Manta Randburg 11,820 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Manta
Randburg

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

Manta vs Randburg: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Manta is about 37% cheaper overall, especially in groceries, eating out, and utilities. That difference adds up to real monthly savings that compound significantly over time.

On paper, salaries run 75% lower in Manta. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $306 in Manta versus $313 in Randburg. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $370 in Manta versus $262 in Randburg. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Randburg – a meal for two runs $45 versus $52 in Manta. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $670 in Manta versus $1,061 in Randburg, a $1,000 budget is realistic in Manta but tight or insufficient in Randburg. The gap between the two cities makes Manta the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

It comes down to priorities – Manta wins on affordability, Randburg on earning potential. Factor in climate, language, visa rules, and proximity to places that matter to you before deciding.