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

🙂 Solo nomad: Somalia is 35.1% cheaper than South Africa without rent, and 41% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: Somalia is 38.9% cheaper than South Africa without rent, and 43.9% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Somalia
South Africa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$3.04 SOS 1,724
$9.05 R 161
-66.41%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$14.76 SOS 8,382
$38.84 R 691
-62.00%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.89 SOS 2,776
$4.9 R 87.1
-0.20%
Cappuccino
$1.37 SOS 776
$1.98 R 35.28
-30.81%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 SOS 432
$0.96 R 17.06
-20.83%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.32 SOS 184
$0.75 R 13.31
-57.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$10.47 SOS 5,947
$2.18 R 38.72
380.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$14.86 SOS 8,443
$2.54 R 45.1
485.04%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Somalia
South Africa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.4 SOS 797
$1.1 R 19.58
27.27%
White Bread (500g)
$0.94 SOS 535
$1.03 R 18.32
-8.74%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.06 SOS 601
$1.56 R 27.71
-32.05%
Eggs
$2.26 SOS 1,286
$2.25 R 39.93
0.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$5.11 SOS 2,900
$7.67 R 136
-33.38%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.58 SOS 2,600
$4.62 R 82.2
-0.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$5.41 SOS 3,075
$6.86 R 122
-21.14%
Apples (1kg)
$2.98 SOS 1,695
$1.58 R 28.02
88.61%
Banana (1kg)
$1.68 SOS 957
$1.42 R 25.3
18.31%
Oranges (1kg)
$2.85 SOS 1,619
$1.44 R 25.58
97.92%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.27 SOS 722
$1.49 R 26.5
-14.77%
Potato (1kg)
$1.13 SOS 640
$1.25 R 22.16
-9.60%
Onion (1kg)
$1.29 SOS 734
$1.34 R 23.81
-3.73%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.85 SOS 485
$1.09 R 19.31
-22.02%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.73 SOS 412
$0.96 R 17.15
-23.96%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.08 SOS 613
$2.9 R 51.6
-62.76%
Wine (Bottle)
$3.06 SOS 1,736
$5.07 R 90.3
-39.64%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$2.06 SOS 1,169
$1.38 R 24.49
49.28%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.68 R 29.79
-
🚌 Getting Around
Somalia
South Africa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.31 SOS 177
$1.71 R 30.47
-81.87%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$24.9 SOS 14.1K
$45.01 R 801
-44.68%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.54 SOS 877
$1.1 R 19.61
40.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$0.57 SOS 325
$1.09 R 19.41
-47.71%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.55 SOS 2,587
$4.8 R 85.3
-5.21%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.06 SOS 601
$1.31 R 23.23
-19.08%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$5,810 SOS 3.3M
$21K R 374.2K
-72.39%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$8,444 SOS 4.8M
$23.7K R 421.3K
-64.36%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Somalia
South Africa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$99.8 SOS 56.7K
$113 R 2,009
-11.67%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$6.83 SOS 3,880
$33.11 R 589
-79.37%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$32.72 SOS 18.6K
$41.49 R 738
-21.14%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Somalia
South Africa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$28.31 SOS 16.1K
$31.69 R 564
-10.67%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9 SOS 5,114
$9.45 R 168
-4.76%
Cinema Ticket
$4.99 SOS 2,833
$6.7 R 119
-25.52%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Somalia
South Africa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$33.83 SOS 19.2K
$186 R 3,303
-81.79%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$573 SOS 325.7K
$4,336 R 77.1K
-86.78%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Somalia
South Africa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$14.49 SOS 8,231
$48.56 R 864
-70.16%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$19.77 SOS 11.2K
$30.74 R 547
-35.69%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$20.58 SOS 11.7K
$92 R 1,636
-77.63%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$28.19 SOS 16K
$79.6 R 1,415
-64.57%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Somalia
South Africa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$126 SOS 71.8K
$442 R 7,860
-71.41%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$70.6 SOS 40.1K
$370 R 6,579
-80.92%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$359 SOS 203.9K
$880 R 15.7K
-59.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$183 SOS 104.2K
$724 R 12.9K
-74.65%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$5,930 SOS 3.4M
$1,021 R 18.2K
480.81%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$16K SOS 9.1M
$803 R 14.3K
1896.81%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Somalia
South Africa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$315 SOS 178.7K
$1,406 R 25K
-77.63%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
9.43
11.55
-18.35%

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

Last update for Somalia: October 28, 2025

Last update for South Africa: October 29, 2025

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