Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between the Seychelles and South Africa

Name: South Africa
Address: ZA

For one person, living is cheaper in South Africa: $1,209 a month against $2,091 in the Seychelles, rent and utilities included – about $10,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

102

Cost of Living Index in the Seychelles
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Seychelles Living Index
59

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index

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🇸🇨 Seychelles

$2,091

/mo nomad

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,209

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,091 in the Seychelles versus $1,209 in South Africa.

Seychelles $2,091
South Africa $1,209

Estimated couple costs with rent: $3,301 in the Seychelles versus $1,900 in South Africa.

Seychelles $3,301
South Africa $1,900

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $4,511 in the Seychelles versus $2,590 in South Africa.

Seychelles $4,511
South Africa $2,590

Internal cost variation is higher in South Africa: monthly costs span $625 to $1,586, compared to $1,792–$2,246 in the Seychelles. City choice carries more weight in South Africa.

Living in the Seychelles is roughly 73% more expensive than in South Africa on average.

The Seychelles (55% above) and South Africa (10% below) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$18.82 SCR 273

$10.95 R 180

71.87%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$91.6 SCR 1,330

$42.96 R 708

113.13%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.52 SCR 182

$5.76 R 94.9

117.36%

Cappuccino

$4.45 SCR 64.6

$2.38 R 39.20

86.97%

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

$2.35 SCR 34.16

$1.16 R 19.15

102.59%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.19 SCR 31.76

$0.87 R 14.33

151.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.91 SCR 115

$2.44 R 40.21

224.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.89 SCR 56.5

$2.98 R 49.14

30.54%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.89 SCR 27.40

$1.18 R 19.38

60.17%

White Bread (500g)

$1.66 SCR 24.12

$1.11 R 18.30

49.55%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$2.53 SCR 36.82

$1.74 R 28.71

45.40%

Eggs

$3.95 SCR 57.3

$2.49 R 40.95

58.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$17.87 SCR 260

$8.50 R 140

110.24%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$7.71 SCR 112

$5.16 R 85.0

49.42%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$12.74 SCR 185

$7.50 R 124

69.87%

Apples (1kg)

$2.18 SCR 31.62

$1.88 R 31.00

15.96%

Banana (1kg)

$3.04 SCR 44.18

$1.68 R 27.71

80.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$2.05 SCR 29.70

$1.78 R 29.39

15.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$7.40 SCR 107

$1.83 R 30.21

304.37%

Potato (1kg)

$1.54 SCR 22.42

$1.49 R 24.51

3.36%

Onion (1kg)

$1.63 SCR 23.73

$1.50 R 24.77

8.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.49 SCR 21.65

$1.27 R 20.99

17.32%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.22 SCR 17.77

$1.10 R 18.09

10.91%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$24.35 SCR 354

$3.27 R 53.9

644.65%

Wine (Bottle)

$10.88 SCR 158

$5.03 R 82.9

116.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$3.39 SCR 49.17

$1.52 R 25.10

123.03%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$4.06 SCR 59.0

$1.95 R 32.16

108.21%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$0.75 SCR 10.82

$1.58 R 26.08

-52.53%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$36.08 SCR 524

$61.4 R 1,011

-41.20%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$28.65 SCR 416

$1.11 R 18.34

2481.08%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 R 15.64

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$14.64 SCR 213

$7.46 R 123

96.25%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.56 SCR 22.69

$1.46 R 23.98

6.85%

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

$26.5K SCR 385.6K

$35.4K R 583.7K

-25.07%

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

$32.9K SCR 477.5K

$30.9K R 509.0K

6.41%

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

$131 SCR 1,902

$134 R 2,201

-1.95%

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

$41.86 SCR 608

$34.44 R 567

21.54%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$126 SCR 1,824

$40.37 R 665

211.07%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$89.1 SCR 1,294

$34.11 R 562

161.24%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$8.01 SCR 116

$11.59 R 191

-30.89%

Cinema Ticket

$7.77 SCR 113

$7.17 R 118

8.37%

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

$146 SCR 2,124

$227 R 3,746

-35.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$8,625 SCR 125.3K

$5,487 R 90.4K

57.19%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$36.99 SCR 537

$53.7 R 885

-31.16%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$24.43 SCR 355

$33.60 R 554

-27.29%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$77.1 SCR 1,119

$99.9 R 1,645

-22.82%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$111 SCR 1,606

$87.4 R 1,440

26.55%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$963 SCR 14.0K

$482 R 7,943

99.83%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$859 SCR 12.5K

$399 R 6,568

115.59%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,157 SCR 31.3K

$935 R 15.4K

130.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,713 SCR 24.9K

$818 R 13.5K

109.43%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$702 SCR 10.2K

$1,096 R 18.1K

-36.00%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$867 SCR 12.6K

$785 R 12.9K

10.49%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$816 SCR 11.8K

$1,515 R 25.0K

-46.16%

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 the Seychelles: October 11, 2026

Last update for South Africa: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

Seychelles

$859 41.1%

South Africa

$399 33% 53.6% $461

Groceries & Markets

Seychelles

$341 16.3%

South Africa

$197 16.3% 42.4% $145

Eating Out

Seychelles

$307 14.7%

South Africa

$160 13.2% 48% $147

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seychelles

$298 14.3%

South Africa

$208 17.2% 30.2% $90

Clothing & Footwear

Seychelles

$112 5.4%

South Africa

$124 10.2% 10.2% $11

Sport & Entertainment

Seychelles

$105 5%

South Africa

$48 4% 53.7% $56

Getting Around

Seychelles

$68 * 3.2%

South Africa

$74 6.1% 8.6% $5.8

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

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $966 in the Seychelles, $421 in South Africa. Capital cities: $937 in Victoria vs $1,021 in Cape Town.

National salary averages: $903 in the Seychelles, $1,487 in South Africa. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 129% higher in the Seychelles.

Dining out costs 87% more in the Seychelles.

Public transport is 65% more expensive in the Seychelles.

Salaries are 65% higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇸🇨 Seychelles

🇿🇦 South Africa

🕒 Local time

12:50 12:50 PM

10:50 10:50 AM

2 h behind the Seychelles

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

119,773

62,027,503

💱 Currency

Seychellois Rupee SCR ₨

South African Rand ZAR R

📈 Exchange rate

100 SCR = 6.88 USD

100 SCR = 6.12 EUR

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to SCR – Seychellois Rupee Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇸🇨 Seychellois Rupee (₨)

Seychellois Rupee exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 14.52 SCR (100 SCR = 6.88 USD). 1 EUR = 16.33 SCR (100 SCR = 6.12 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 19, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

USD to SCR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

Seychelles South Africa 4,110 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

Seychelles
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

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

At $2,091 per month in the Seychelles and $1,209 in South Africa, there's a 73% 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 cheaper in South Africa: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $966 in the Seychelles and $421 in South Africa. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In South Africa, $1,500 covers most cities easily; in the 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; the Seychelles may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.