Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Reunion and South Africa

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

For one person, living is cheaper in South Africa: $1,214 a month against $1,867 in Reunion, rent and utilities included – about $7,800 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

90

Cost of Living Index in Reunion
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Reunion Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index

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🇷🇪 Reunion

$1,867

/mo nomad

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,214

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

A single person spends $1,867 per month in Reunion vs $1,214 in South Africa, rent included.

Reunion $1,867
South Africa $1,214

A couple spends around $2,942 per month in Reunion vs $1,908 in South Africa, rent included.

Reunion $2,942
South Africa $1,908

A family of three spends $4,016 per month in Reunion vs $2,602 in South Africa, rent included.

Reunion $4,016
South Africa $2,602

The cost of living in Reunion is about 54% higher than in South Africa on average.

Reunion sits 38% above the global median, while South Africa is 10% below – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.92 €7.93

$11.17 R 184

-20.14%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$96.2 €85.6

$42.79 R 705

124.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$13.39 €11.91

$5.75 R 94.8

132.87%

Cappuccino

$3.31 €2.95

$2.35 R 38.68

40.85%

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

$2.88 €2.56

$1.14 R 18.73

152.63%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.29 €2.04

$0.86 R 14.23

166.28%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$4.57 €4.07

$2.38 R 39.19

92.02%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.74 €5.10

$3.07 R 50.6

86.97%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.43 €1.27

$1.22 R 20.13

17.21%

White Bread (500g)

$3.00 €2.67

$1.10 R 18.10

172.73%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.16 €2.81

$1.74 R 28.66

81.61%

Eggs

$4.63 €4.12

$2.61 R 42.98

77.39%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$21.32 €18.97

$8.46 R 139

152.01%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$15.10 €13.43

$5.17 R 85.1

192.07%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$24.67 €21.94

$7.81 R 129

215.88%

Apples (1kg)

$2.93 €2.61

$1.79 R 29.52

63.69%

Banana (1kg)

$2.05 €1.82

$1.75 R 28.87

17.14%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.86 €2.54

$1.73 R 28.50

65.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.59 €5.86

$1.79 R 29.47

268.16%

Potato (1kg)

$2.47 €2.20

$1.44 R 23.75

71.53%

Onion (1kg)

$3.69 €3.28

$1.52 R 24.97

142.76%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.54 €1.37

$1.25 R 20.59

23.20%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.74 €2.44

$1.10 R 18.18

149.09%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.84 €11.42

$3.43 R 56.5

274.34%

Wine (Bottle)

$8.95 €7.96

$4.90 R 80.7

82.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.24 €2.88

$1.53 R 25.21

111.76%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.49 €2.21

$2.00 R 32.96

24.50%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$2.85 €2.53

$1.57 R 25.85

81.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$42.52 €37.82

$59.7 R 983

-28.77%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.07 R 17.58

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.04 R 17.17

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.74 R 128

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.92 €1.71

$1.50 R 24.75

28.00%

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

$36.4K R 600.2K

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

$33.1K R 545.0K

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

$122 €108

$132 R 2,172

-7.53%

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

$16.08 €14.30

$35.19 R 580

-54.31%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$43.86 €39.01

$39.82 R 656

10.15%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$35.74 €31.79

$33.82 R 557

5.68%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$13.40 €11.92

$11.61 R 191

15.42%

Cinema Ticket

$11.25 €10.01

$7.15 R 118

57.34%

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

$227 R 3,740

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,604 R 92.3K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$143 €127

$53.1 R 874

169.36%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.46 R 568

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$126 €112

$102 R 1,680

23.30%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$113 €101

$90.0 R 1,482

26.08%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$948 €844

$488 R 8,036

94.46%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$742 €660

$403 R 6,634

84.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,659 €1,476

$960 R 15.8K

72.75%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,258 €1,119

$824 R 13.6K

52.68%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,115 R 18.4K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$803 R 13.2K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$2,056 €1,829

$1,482 R 24.4K

38.73%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

-64.38%

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

Last update for Reunion: October 19, 2026

Last update for South Africa: October 20, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Reunion

$742 39.7%

South Africa

$403 33.2% 45.7% $339

Groceries & Markets

Reunion

$453 24.3%

South Africa

$198 16.3% 56.4% $256

Eating Out

Reunion

$206 11%

South Africa

$161 13.3% 22% $45

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Reunion

$182 9.7%

South Africa

$207 17% 13.7% $25

Clothing & Footwear

Reunion

$172 * 9.2%

South Africa

$126 10.4% 26.9% $46

Sport & Entertainment

Reunion

$58 3.1%

South Africa

$48 4% 17.4% $10

Getting Around

Reunion

$54 * 2.9%

South Africa

$72 6% 34% $18

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

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $446 in Reunion vs $429 in South Africa. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,074 in Saint-Pierre and $455 in Pretoria.

Average salary: $2,047 in Reunion vs $1,501 in South Africa. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Dining out costs 26% more in South Africa.

Public transport is 31% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are 36% higher in Reunion, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇷🇪 Reunion

🇿🇦 South Africa

🕒 Local time

07:07 7:07 AM

05:07 5:07 AM

2 h behind Reunion

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

881,348

62,027,503

💱 Currency

Euro EUR €

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

1 EUR = 1.12 USD

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD to EUR – Euro Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇪🇺 Euro (€)

Euro exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 0.889 EUR (1 EUR = 1.12 USD).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 22, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to EUR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

Reunion South Africa 3,060 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

Reunion
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

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

South Africa is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 54% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Reunion: a central one-bedroom averages $446 versus $429 in South Africa.

$1,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in South Africa, but in Reunion it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

South Africa is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.