Cost of Living Comparison Between Seychelles and South Africa Cost of Living Comparison Between Seychelles and South Africa

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,710 in Seychelles versus $1,020 in South Africa.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $2,571 in Seychelles versus $1,587 in South Africa.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $3,431 in Seychelles versus $2,154 in South Africa.

Living in Seychelles is roughly 68% more expensive than in South Africa on average.

Seychelles (28% above) and South Africa (24% below) straddle the global median.

Seychelles ($1,315–$1,984) and South Africa ($803–$1,362) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$17.59 SCR 253

$9.14 R 151

92.45%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$68.8 SCR 990

$39.14 R 648

75.68%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$7.03 SCR 101

$5.19 R 85.9

35.45%

Cappuccino

$4.81 SCR 69.2

$1.98 R 32.73

142.93%

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

$2.24 SCR 32.21

$1.00 R 16.57

124.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.14 SCR 30.77

$0.79 R 13.01

170.89%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.16 SCR 117

$2.21 R 36.61

269.23%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.74 SCR 53.8

$2.57 R 42.58

45.53%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.80 SCR 25.88

$1.12 R 18.56

60.71%

White Bread (500g)

$1.55 SCR 22.38

$0.97 R 16.01

59.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.86 SCR 26.86

$1.54 R 25.55

20.78%

Eggs

$3.49 SCR 50.3

$2.25 R 37.22

55.11%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$20.66 SCR 298

$7.86 R 130

162.85%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$6.28 SCR 90.5

$4.58 R 75.8

37.12%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$9.72 SCR 140

$6.68 R 111

45.51%

Apples (1kg)

$2.13 SCR 30.63

$1.57 R 26.06

35.67%

Banana (1kg)

$2.49 SCR 35.89

$1.47 R 24.35

69.39%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.41 SCR 34.76

$1.52 R 25.18

58.55%

Tomato (1kg)

$5.96 SCR 85.9

$1.51 R 24.98

294.70%

Potato (1kg)

$1.42 SCR 20.46

$1.26 R 20.85

12.70%

Onion (1kg)

$1.35 SCR 19.50

$1.27 R 21.11

6.30%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.35 SCR 19.39

$1.09 R 17.99

23.85%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.44 SCR 20.73

$0.97 R 16.04

48.45%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$22.14 SCR 319

$2.84 R 46.95

679.58%

Wine (Bottle)

$11.25 SCR 162

$5.20 R 86.1

116.35%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.23 SCR 46.45

$1.38 R 22.91

134.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.93 SCR 85.3

$1.72 R 28.44

244.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.85 SCR 12.30

$1.72 R 28.50

-50.58%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$30.22 SCR 435

$44.22 R 732

-31.66%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$8.42 SCR 121

$1.15 R 19.06

632.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$2.64 SCR 38.02

$1.07 R 17.64

146.73%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$13.79 SCR 199

$4.74 R 78.4

190.93%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.45 SCR 20.90

$1.28 R 21.24

13.28%

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

$26.7K SCR 384.1K

$20.4K R 337.1K

30.96%

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

$34.1K SCR 491.4K

$24.0K R 397.0K

42.26%

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

$115 SCR 1,658

$113 R 1,869

1.92%

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

$41.28 SCR 594

$32.35 R 536

27.60%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$142 SCR 2,048

$41.46 R 686

242.93%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$67.9 SCR 978

$31.04 R 514

118.85%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$15.36 SCR 221

$9.72 R 161

58.02%

Cinema Ticket

$5.62 SCR 81.0

$6.67 R 110

-15.74%

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

$158 SCR 2,276

$186 R 3,072

-14.86%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,468 SCR 121.9K

$4,399 R 72.8K

92.48%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$56.4 SCR 813

$50.2 R 830

12.52%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.51 SCR 367

$30.37 R 503

-16.00%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$68.8 SCR 991

$93.4 R 1,546

-26.31%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$67.1 SCR 966

$80.4 R 1,332

-16.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$947 SCR 13.6K

$439 R 7,261

115.91%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$802 SCR 11.6K

$372 R 6,155

115.78%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,942 SCR 28.0K

$903 R 14.9K

115.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,620 SCR 23.3K

$705 R 11.7K

129.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$706 SCR 10.2K

$1,116 R 18.5K

-36.77%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$861 SCR 12.4K

$793 R 13.1K

8.56%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$867 SCR 12.5K

$1,506 R 24.9K

-42.41%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

16.5

11.55

42.86%

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

Last update for Seychelles: July 13, 2026

Last update for South Africa: July 13, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $1,008 in Seychelles, $368 in South Africa. Capital cities: $954 in Victoria vs $292 in Bloemfontein.

National salary averages: $937 in Seychelles, $1,513 in South Africa. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 174% higher in Seychelles.

Dining out costs 77% more in Seychelles.

Salaries are 61% higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

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

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

At $1,650 per month in Seychelles and $1,083 in South Africa, there's a 52% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is simply cheaper in South Africa: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in Seychelles is consistently higher than in South Africa across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In South Africa, $1,500 covers most cities easily; in Seychelles it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

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