Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Niger and South Africa

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

For one person, living is cheaper in South Africa: $1,203 a month against $1,338 in Niger, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Niger outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

64

Cost of Living Index in Niger
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Niger Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index

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🇳🇪 Niger

$1,338

/mo nomad

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,338 in Niger versus $1,203 in South Africa.

Niger $1,338
South Africa $1,203

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,716 in Niger versus $1,893 in South Africa.

Niger $1,716
South Africa $1,893

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,094 in Niger versus $2,583 in South Africa.

Niger $2,094
South Africa $2,583

Internal cost variation is higher in South Africa: monthly costs span $618 to $1,556, compared to $1,328–$1,328 in Niger. City choice carries more weight in South Africa.

Living in Niger is roughly 11% more expensive than in South Africa on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: Niger 2% lower, South Africa 12% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$6.42 F CFA 3,781

$10.67 R 177

-39.83%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.85 F CFA 22.9K

$41.66 R 693

-6.75%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$9.29 F CFA 5,469

$5.80 R 96.5

60.17%

Cappuccino

$3.20 F CFA 1,883

$2.36 R 39.23

35.59%

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

$1.41 F CFA 828

$1.12 R 18.56

25.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.98 F CFA 579

$0.90 R 15.00

8.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$1.30 F CFA 768

$2.42 R 40.20

-46.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.91 F CFA 1,713

$3.06 R 50.9

-4.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.42 F CFA 1,426

$1.18 R 19.58

105.08%

White Bread (500g)

$0.56 F CFA 328

$1.13 R 18.83

-50.44%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.73 F CFA 1,017

$1.74 R 28.90

-0.57%

Eggs

$2.18 F CFA 1,285

$2.57 R 42.80

-15.18%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 R 140

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.11 F CFA 3,601

$5.12 R 85.1

19.34%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.84 F CFA 4,620

$7.59 R 126

3.29%

Apples (1kg)

$3.46 F CFA 2,039

$1.77 R 29.52

95.48%

Banana (1kg)

$1.57 F CFA 922

$1.74 R 28.90

-9.77%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.81 F CFA 1,653

$1.77 R 29.43

58.76%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.66 F CFA 980

$1.76 R 29.26

-5.68%

Potato (1kg)

$1.41 F CFA 830

$1.49 R 24.81

-5.37%

Onion (1kg)

$0.67 F CFA 392

$1.47 R 24.38

-54.42%

Lettuce (1 head)

$0.88 F CFA 517

$1.23 R 20.52

-28.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.99 F CFA 586

$1.10 R 18.25

-10.00%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.62 F CFA 1,544

$3.24 R 54.0

-19.14%

Wine (Bottle)

$13.52 F CFA 7,966

$5.00 R 83.2

170.40%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.34 F CFA 791

$1.50 R 24.90

-10.67%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.33 F CFA 1,961

$1.94 R 32.26

71.65%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.35 F CFA 206

$1.48 R 24.58

-76.35%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 R 986

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.42 F CFA 247

$1.09 R 18.21

-61.47%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.33 F CFA 193

$0.99 R 16.46

-66.67%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$8.49 F CFA 5,002

$7.46 R 124

13.81%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.92 F CFA 541

$1.43 R 23.76

-35.66%

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

$20.5K F CFA 12.1M

$35.3K R 587.4K

-41.87%

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

$23.7K F CFA 14.0M

$32.4K R 539.7K

-26.80%

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

$169 F CFA 99.5K

$133 R 2,208

27.29%

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

$17.09 F CFA 10.1K

$34.83 R 580

-50.93%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$85.6 F CFA 50.4K

$39.76 R 662

115.19%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$72.9 F CFA 42.9K

$33.09 R 551

120.34%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.65 R 194

Cinema Ticket

$5.09 F CFA 3,001

$7.18 R 119

-29.11%

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

$1,015 F CFA 598.1K

$224 R 3,728

353.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,286 F CFA 2.5M

$5,462 R 90.9K

-21.53%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$68.0 F CFA 40.1K

$54.2 R 902

25.54%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$84.3 F CFA 49.6K

$34.13 R 568

146.85%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$51.5 F CFA 30.3K

$102 R 1,699

-49.53%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.9 F CFA 40.0K

$88.5 R 1,472

-23.32%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$954 F CFA 561.8K

$492 R 8,189

93.78%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$511 F CFA 300.8K

$398 R 6,617

28.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$803 F CFA 473.2K

$946 R 15.7K

-15.09%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$421 F CFA 248.1K

$827 R 13.8K

-49.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,669 F CFA 983.3K

$1,099 R 18.3K

51.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$945 F CFA 556.5K

$769 R 12.8K

22.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$384 F CFA 226.0K

$1,502 R 25.0K

-74.45%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

-19.86%

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

Last update for Niger: October 24, 2026

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Niger

$511 38.2%

South Africa

$398 33.1% 22.1% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Niger

$272 20.3%

South Africa

$207 17.2% 23.7% $64

Groceries & Markets

Niger

$207 * 15.5%

South Africa

$196 16.3% 5.4% $11

Eating Out

Niger

$139 10.4%

South Africa

$157 13.1% 12.8% $18

Clothing & Footwear

Niger

$122 9.1%

South Africa

$126 10.4% 2.7% $3.3

Sport & Entertainment

Niger

$83 6.2%

South Africa

$47 4% 42.9% $36

Getting Around

Niger

$3.5 * 0.3%

South Africa

$71 5.9% 1959% $68

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

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $938 in Niger, $422 in South Africa. Capital cities: $938 in Niamey vs $450 in Pretoria.

National salary averages: $385 in Niger, $1,488 in South Africa. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 122% higher in Niger.

Salaries are about 3.9 times higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇳🇪 Niger

🇿🇦 South Africa

🕒 Local time

05:40 5:40 AM

06:40 6:40 AM

1 h ahead of Niger

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

21,477,348

62,027,503

💱 Currency

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 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 28, 2026: 1 USD = 589 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD). 1 EUR = 657 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

USD to XOF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Niger South Africa 5,400 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

Niger
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

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

At $1,338 per month in Niger and $1,203 in South Africa, there’s a 11% gap. 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 $938 in Niger and $422 in South Africa. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: South Africa wins on affordability; Niger may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.