Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Randburg and Manta

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.

51

Cost of Living Index in Randburg
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Randburg Living Index
32

Cost of Living Index in Manta
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Manta Living Index

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Randburg

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,061

/mo nomad

Manta

🇪🇨 Ecuador

$670

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Randburg and in Manta

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

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

Randburg $1,061
Manta $670

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

Randburg $1,716
Manta $1,152

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

Randburg $2,370
Manta $1,634

Living in Randburg is roughly 58% more expensive than in Manta, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

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

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.36 R 173

$3.04 $3.04

240.79%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$44.80 R 749

$51.9 $51.9

-13.66%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.29 R 88.3

$5.18 $5.18

2.12%

Cappuccino

$2.49 R 41.53

$2.81 $2.81

-11.39%

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

$1.27 R 21.29

$0.48 $0.48

164.58%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.91 R 15.24

$0.42 $0.42

116.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.57 R 43.02

$2.92 $2.92

-11.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.29 R 54.9

$3.86 $3.86

-14.77%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.27 R 21.27

$0.98 $0.98

29.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.14 R 19.06

$2.00 $2.00

-43.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.70 R 28.43

$0.98 $0.98

73.47%

Eggs

$2.74 R 45.85

$2.11 $2.11

29.86%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.57 R 143

$3.08 $3.08

178.25%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.62 R 93.8

$3.07 $3.07

83.06%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.17 R 120

$6.88 $6.88

4.22%

Apples (1kg)

$1.98 R 33.13

$0.97 $0.97

104.12%

Banana (1kg)

$1.60 R 26.68

$0.72 $0.72

122.22%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.81 R 30.22

$0.73 $0.73

147.95%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.61 R 26.92

$0.77 $0.77

109.09%

Potato (1kg)

$1.69 R 28.27

$0.49 $0.49

244.90%

Onion (1kg)

$1.66 R 27.81

$0.49 $0.49

238.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.15 R 19.29

$0.65 $0.65

76.92%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.29 R 21.56

$1.02 $1.02

26.47%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.42 R 57.1

$4.02 $4.02

-14.93%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.96 R 82.8

$6.81 $6.81

-27.17%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.51 R 25.28

$1.01 $1.01

49.50%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.16 R 36.01

$2.22 $2.22

-2.70%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.50 $0.50

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.29 R 4.83

$1.79 $1.79

-83.80%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R 15.37

$1.77 $1.77

-48.02%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.52 R 243

$9.28 $9.28

56.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.48 R 24.66

$0.74 $0.74

100.00%

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

$35.6K R 594.2K

$22.7K $22.7K

56.64%

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

$34.7K R 579.2K

$30.5K $30.5K

13.70%

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

$152 R 2,535

$93.6 $93.6

62.19%

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

$38.96 R 651

$11.20 $11.20

247.86%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$37.21 R 622

$26.03 $26.03

42.95%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$20.38 R 341

$19.90 $19.90

2.41%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$4.46 R 74.6

$35.50 $35.50

-87.44%

Cinema Ticket

$7.35 R 123

$5.10 $5.10

44.12%

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

$262 R 4,377

$370 $370

-29.17%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,433 R 90.8K

$5,708 $5,708

-4.81%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.8 R 899

$55.4 $55.4

-2.91%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$45.23 R 756

$39.90 $39.90

13.36%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$113 R 1,882

$99.3 $99.3

13.48%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$82.7 R 1,381

$62.1 $62.1

33.19%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$313 R 5,235

$306 $306

2.50%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$302 R 5,042

$137 $137

119.56%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$616 R 10.3K

$916 $916

-32.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$713 R 11.9K

$337 $337

111.36%

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)

$1,885 R 31.5K

$478 $478

293.93%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.34

10.05

12.84%

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

Last update for Randburg: October 26, 2026

Last update for Manta: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Randburg

$302 28.4%

Manta

$137 20.5% 54.5% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Randburg

$228 21.5%

Manta

$131 19.5% 42.6% $97

Groceries & Markets

Randburg

$202 19.1%

Manta

$144 21.5% 28.9% $59

Eating Out

Randburg

$157 14.8%

Manta

$100 14.9% 36.5% $57

Clothing & Footwear

Randburg

$132 12.5%

Manta

$116 17.3% 12.8% $17

Sport & Entertainment

Randburg

$35 3.3%

Manta

$30 4.5% 14.2% $5

Getting Around

Randburg

$4.9 * 0.5%

Manta

$13 * 1.9% 158% $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 $313 in Randburg and $306 in Manta. 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: $45 in Randburg vs $52 in Manta. Groceries flip the comparison at $202 vs $144, with Manta cheaper for home cooking.

Good to know

🇿🇦 Randburg

🇪🇨 Manta

🕒 Local time

01:13 1:13 AM

18:13 6:13 PM

7 h behind Randburg

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

335,000

217,553

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 EUR

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

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

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

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Randburg Manta 11,820 km ≈ 15 h nonstop flight

From you

Randburg
Manta

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

Randburg vs Manta: 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.

Average pay in Randburg is about 3.9 times higher, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

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

Childcare runs $262 in Randburg versus $370 in Manta. 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.