Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Helena and South Africa Cost of Living Comparison Between Saint Helena and South Africa

😐 Solo nomad: Saint Helena is 28.2% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 26.2% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: Saint Helena is 21.1% more expensive than South Africa without rent, and 4.9% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Saint Helena
South Africa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$16.43 SHP 12.29
$8.70 R 145
88.85%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$53.8 SHP 40.25
$38.91 R 646
38.29%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$12.27 SHP 9.18
$5.17 R 85.9
137.33%
Cappuccino
$3.04 SHP 2.28
$2.05 R 34.08
48.29%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.18 SHP 0.88
$1.02 R 17.00
15.69%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.12 SHP 0.84
$0.76 R 12.60
47.37%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$4.62 SHP 3.45
$2.26 R 37.49
104.42%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.71 SHP 2.03
$2.53 R 42.10
7.11%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Saint Helena
South Africa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.91 SHP 1.43
$1.10 R 18.35
73.64%
White Bread (500g)
$1.74 SHP 1.30
$0.94 R 15.63
85.11%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.40 SHP 1.05
$1.62 R 26.97
-13.58%
Eggs
$4.39 SHP 3.28
$2.22 R 36.90
97.75%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$8.39 SHP 6.28
$7.52 R 125
11.57%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$11.08 SHP 8.29
$4.48 R 74.4
147.32%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$11.12 SHP 8.32
$6.61 R 110
68.23%
Apples (1kg)
-
$1.50 R 24.94
-
Banana (1kg)
-
$1.42 R 23.60
-
Oranges (1kg)
-
$1.46 R 24.27
-
Tomato (1kg)
-
$1.51 R 25.10
-
Potato (1kg)
-
$1.26 R 20.86
-
Onion (1kg)
-
$1.29 R 21.51
-
Lettuce (1 head)
$2.70 SHP 2.02
$1.03 R 17.08
162.14%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$2.27 SHP 1.70
$0.97 R 16.05
134.02%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$11.63 SHP 8.70
$2.87 R 47.67
305.23%
Wine (Bottle)
$15.81 SHP 11.82
$4.90 R 81.4
222.65%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.31 R 21.82
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.73 R 28.82
-
🚌 Getting Around
Saint Helena
South Africa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
-
$1.65 R 27.38
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$41.28 SHP 30.87
$44.20 R 734
-6.61%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$2.65 SHP 1.98
$1.14 R 18.93
132.46%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$1.09 R 18.12
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
-
$4.70 R 78.2
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$2.60 SHP 1.94
$1.30 R 21.52
100.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
-
$20.8K R 345.4K
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
-
$23.5K R 390.5K
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Saint Helena
South Africa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
-
$111 R 1,849
-
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
-
$32.36 R 537
-
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$167 SHP 125
$40.49 R 673
311.41%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Saint Helena
South Africa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$13.57 SHP 10.15
$31.96 R 531
-57.54%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$9.72 R 161
-
Cinema Ticket
-
$6.80 R 113
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
Saint Helena
South Africa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
-
$189 R 3,131
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
-
$4,400 R 73.1K
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Saint Helena
South Africa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$40.74 SHP 30.47
$50.2 R 833
-18.76%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$20.15 SHP 15.08
$30.53 R 507
-34.00%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$47.83 SHP 35.78
$94.5 R 1,570
-49.40%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
-
$81.3 R 1,350
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Saint Helena
South Africa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$696 SHP 521
$453 R 7,520
53.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$608 SHP 455
$372 R 6,181
63.34%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$725 SHP 542
$906 R 15.0K
-19.93%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$657 SHP 492
$703 R 11.7K
-6.47%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
-
$1,150 R 19.1K
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
-
$836 R 13.9K
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
Saint Helena
South Africa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$785 SHP 587
$1,471 R 24.4K
-46.66%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
6.2
11.55
-46.32%

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

Last update for Saint Helena: March 3, 2026

Last update for South Africa: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Similar countries