Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Senegal and South Africa

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

For one person, living is cheaper in South Africa: $1,203 a month against $1,370 in Senegal, rent and utilities included – about $2,000 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

66

Cost of Living Index in Senegal
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Senegal Living Index
58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index

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🇸🇳 Senegal

$1,370

/mo nomad

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,370 in Senegal versus $1,203 in South Africa.

Senegal $1,370
South Africa $1,203

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,137 in Senegal versus $1,893 in South Africa.

Senegal $2,137
South Africa $1,893

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,904 in Senegal versus $2,583 in South Africa.

Senegal $2,904
South Africa $2,583

Internal cost variation is higher in Senegal: monthly costs span $153 to $1,392, compared to $618–$1,556 in South Africa. City choice carries more weight in Senegal.

Living in Senegal is roughly 14% more expensive than in South Africa on average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$4.81 F CFA 2,823

$10.67 R 178

-54.92%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$54.5 F CFA 32.0K

$41.66 R 696

30.82%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$10.85 F CFA 6,373

$5.80 R 96.9

87.07%

Cappuccino

$3.43 F CFA 2,017

$2.36 R 39.39

45.34%

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

$1.37 F CFA 805

$1.12 R 18.64

22.32%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 F CFA 437

$0.90 R 15.06

-17.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.55 F CFA 1,496

$2.42 R 40.36

5.37%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.38 F CFA 2,572

$3.06 R 51.1

43.14%

Milk (1 liter)

$2.60 F CFA 1,526

$1.18 R 19.67

120.34%

White Bread (500g)

$0.70 F CFA 411

$1.13 R 18.91

-38.05%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.64 F CFA 964

$1.74 R 29.02

-5.75%

Eggs

$2.49 F CFA 1,465

$2.57 R 42.98

-3.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.60 F CFA 10.3K

$8.43 R 141

108.78%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$9.07 F CFA 5,328

$5.12 R 85.5

77.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$11.27 F CFA 6,621

$7.59 R 127

48.48%

Apples (1kg)

$3.25 F CFA 1,909

$1.77 R 29.64

83.62%

Banana (1kg)

$2.03 F CFA 1,193

$1.74 R 29.02

16.67%

Oranges (1kg)

$3.08 F CFA 1,808

$1.77 R 29.55

74.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.69 F CFA 991

$1.76 R 29.38

-3.98%

Potato (1kg)

$1.47 F CFA 863

$1.49 R 24.91

-1.34%

Onion (1kg)

$1.00 F CFA 590

$1.47 R 24.48

-31.97%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.13 F CFA 661

$1.23 R 20.61

-8.13%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.65 F CFA 384

$1.10 R 18.33

-40.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.09 F CFA 1,229

$3.24 R 54.2

-35.49%

Wine (Bottle)

$17.35 F CFA 10.2K

$5.00 R 83.5

247.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 F CFA 848

$1.50 R 25.01

-4.00%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.27 F CFA 1,918

$1.94 R 32.40

68.56%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.54 F CFA 315

$1.48 R 24.69

-63.51%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$52.1 F CFA 30.6K

$59.3 R 990

-12.06%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.73 F CFA 1,017

$1.09 R 18.29

58.72%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.08 F CFA 1,222

$0.99 R 16.53

110.10%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$16.98 F CFA 9,974

$7.46 R 125

127.61%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.63 F CFA 960

$1.43 R 23.86

13.99%

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

$49.5K F CFA 29.1M

$35.3K R 589.8K

40.18%

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

$47.5K F CFA 27.9M

$32.4K R 541.9K

46.54%

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

$203 F CFA 119.5K

$133 R 2,218

53.23%

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

$11.71 F CFA 6,876

$34.83 R 582

-66.38%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$45.66 F CFA 26.8K

$39.76 R 664

14.84%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.92 F CFA 18.7K

$33.09 R 553

-3.54%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$23.30 F CFA 13.7K

$11.65 R 195

100.00%

Cinema Ticket

$8.45 F CFA 4,962

$7.18 R 120

17.69%

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

$327 F CFA 192.0K

$224 R 3,744

45.89%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,827 F CFA 5.2M

$5,462 R 91.3K

61.62%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$58.8 F CFA 34.5K

$54.2 R 906

8.47%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$44.69 F CFA 26.2K

$34.13 R 570

30.94%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$83.8 F CFA 49.2K

$102 R 1,706

-17.89%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$97.7 F CFA 57.4K

$88.5 R 1,478

10.43%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$751 F CFA 441.0K

$492 R 8,223

52.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$426 F CFA 250.3K

$398 R 6,645

7.15%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,744 F CFA 1.0M

$946 R 15.8K

84.31%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$862 F CFA 506.4K

$827 R 13.8K

4.24%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$4,909 F CFA 2.9M

$1,099 R 18.4K

346.58%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$1,497 F CFA 879.0K

$769 R 12.8K

94.69%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$340 F CFA 200.0K

$1,502 R 25.1K

-77.33%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

8.75

11.23

-22.08%

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

Last update for Senegal: October 26, 2026

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Senegal

$426 31.1%

South Africa

$398 33.1% 6.7% $28

Groceries & Markets

Senegal

$298 21.7%

South Africa

$196 16.3% 34.2% $102

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Senegal

$261 19%

South Africa

$207 17.2% 20.5% $53

Eating Out

Senegal

$142 10.4%

South Africa

$157 13.1% 10.6% $15

Clothing & Footwear

Senegal

$128 9.4%

South Africa

$126 10.4% 2.2% $2.8

Getting Around

Senegal

$66 4.9%

South Africa

$71 5.9% 7.3% $4.8

Sport & Entertainment

Senegal

$49 3.6%

South Africa

$47 4% 2.8% $1.4

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $551 in Senegal, $422 in South Africa. Capital cities: $801 in Dakar vs $450 in Pretoria.

National salary averages: $340 in Senegal, $1,488 in South Africa. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 31% higher in Senegal.

Dining out costs 38% more in Senegal.

Public transport is 17% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are about 4.4 times higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇸🇳 Senegal

🇿🇦 South Africa

🕒 Local time

03:18 3:18 AM

05:18 5:18 AM

2 h ahead of Senegal

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

16,876,720

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 = 5.99 USD

100 ZAR = 5.36 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 November 1, 2026: 1 USD = 587 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR).

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).

USD to XOF in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Senegal South Africa 6,760 km ≈ 9 h nonstop flight

From you

Senegal
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

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

At $1,370 per month in Senegal and $1,203 in South Africa, South Africa comes out about 12% cheaper. 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 $551 in Senegal 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, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.