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: $2,040 in Seychelles versus $1,144 in South Africa.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,086 in Seychelles versus $1,780 in South Africa.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,131 in Seychelles versus $2,415 in South Africa.

Living in Seychelles is roughly 78% more expensive than in South Africa on average.

Seychelles (48% above) and South Africa (17% below) straddle the global median.

Internal cost variation is higher in South Africa: monthly costs span $636 to $1,831, compared to $1,792–$2,266 in Seychelles. City choice carries more weight in South Africa.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$19.44 SCR 280

$10.96 R 176

77.37%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$93.2 SCR 1,344

$43.98 R 707

111.87%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.73 SCR 184

$6.02 R 96.7

111.46%

Cappuccino

$4.69 SCR 67.7

$2.46 R 39.47

90.65%

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

$2.34 SCR 33.78

$1.15 R 18.40

103.48%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.23 SCR 32.17

$0.94 R 15.08

137.23%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.89 SCR 114

$2.51 R 40.31

214.34%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.04 SCR 58.2

$3.15 R 50.7

28.25%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.86 SCR 26.85

$1.26 R 20.17

47.62%

White Bread (500g)

$1.69 SCR 24.34

$1.15 R 18.53

46.96%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.50 SCR 36.08

$1.78 R 28.65

40.45%

Eggs

$4.00 SCR 57.7

$2.63 R 42.26

52.09%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.48 SCR 266

$8.31 R 133

122.38%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.70 SCR 111

$5.34 R 85.7

44.19%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$13.04 SCR 188

$7.81 R 125

66.97%

Apples (1kg)

$2.19 SCR 31.55

$1.90 R 30.48

15.26%

Banana (1kg)

$3.02 SCR 43.56

$1.70 R 27.28

77.65%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.04 SCR 29.35

$1.72 R 27.61

18.60%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.71 SCR 111

$1.87 R 30.01

312.30%

Potato (1kg)

$1.58 SCR 22.72

$1.52 R 24.47

3.95%

Onion (1kg)

$1.69 SCR 24.31

$1.50 R 24.10

12.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.45 SCR 20.89

$1.25 R 20.13

16.00%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.30 SCR 18.78

$1.16 R 18.70

12.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.98 SCR 360

$3.33 R 53.4

650.15%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.72 SCR 155

$5.18 R 83.2

106.95%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.35 SCR 48.27

$1.56 R 25.04

114.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.08 SCR 58.9

$2.02 R 32.49

101.98%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 SCR 10.76

$1.84 R 29.55

-59.24%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.56 SCR 527

$61.3 R 985

-40.39%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$28.66 SCR 413

$1.13 R 18.20

2436.28%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.90 R 14.39

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.25 SCR 205

$7.68 R 123

85.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.53 SCR 22.13

$1.44 R 23.19

6.25%

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

$27.3K SCR 394.4K

$36.5K R 587.1K

-25.17%

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

$32.9K SCR 474.8K

$32.1K R 515.2K

2.64%

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

$130 SCR 1,870

$132 R 2,118

-1.65%

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

$41.77 SCR 602

$35.05 R 563

19.17%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$126 SCR 1,819

$40.77 R 655

209.39%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$91.8 SCR 1,324

$34.05 R 547

169.69%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.44 SCR 122

$12.06 R 194

-30.02%

Cinema Ticket

$7.61 SCR 110

$7.44 R 119

2.28%

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

$142 SCR 2,055

$232 R 3,727

-38.59%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,703 SCR 125.5K

$5,509 R 88.5K

57.98%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$37.94 SCR 547

$54.0 R 867

-29.70%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$25.09 SCR 362

$35.03 R 563

-28.38%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.5 SCR 1,118

$104 R 1,674

-25.59%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$115 SCR 1,656

$89.0 R 1,430

29.04%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$957 SCR 13.8K

$498 R 8,003

92.03%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$850 SCR 12.3K

$418 R 6,718

103.27%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,201 SCR 31.7K

$991 R 15.9K

122.03%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,727 SCR 24.9K

$830 R 13.3K

108.06%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$722 SCR 10.4K

$1,136 R 18.3K

-36.47%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$910 SCR 13.1K

$815 R 13.1K

11.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$839 SCR 12.1K

$1,548 R 24.9K

-45.76%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

6.86%

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

Last update for Seychelles: August 30, 2026

Last update for South Africa: August 30, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $984 in Seychelles, $432 in South Africa. Capital cities: $955 in Victoria vs $333 in Bloemfontein.

National salary averages: $926 in Seychelles, $1,547 in South Africa. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 128% higher in Seychelles.

Dining out costs 78% more in Seychelles.

Public transport is 65% more expensive in Seychelles.

Salaries are 67% 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 $2,029 per month in Seychelles and $1,234 in South Africa, there's a 64% 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, $2,500 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.