Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Burkina Faso

Name: Burkina Faso
Address: BF

For one person, living costs are similar in South Africa and in Burkina Faso: $1,203 and $1,158 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index
56

Cost of Living Index in Burkina Faso
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Burkina Faso Living Index

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🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

🇧🇫 Burkina Faso

$1,158

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in South Africa and in Burkina Faso

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in South Africa and in Burkina Faso actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,203 per month in South Africa vs $1,158 in Burkina Faso, rent included.

South Africa $1,203
Burkina Faso $1,158

A couple spends around $1,893 per month in South Africa vs $1,909 in Burkina Faso, rent included.

South Africa $1,893
Burkina Faso $1,909

A family of three spends $2,583 per month in South Africa vs $2,659 in Burkina Faso, rent included.

South Africa $2,583
Burkina Faso $2,659

The regional cost range is wider in South Africa ($618–$1,556) than in Burkina Faso ($1,158–$1,158), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in South Africa is about 4% higher than in Burkina Faso on average.

Both South Africa and Burkina Faso are more affordable than the global median – South Africa 12% lower, Burkina Faso 15% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 R 177

$7.03 F CFA 4,144

51.78%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.66 R 693

$25.85 F CFA 15.2K

61.16%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 R 96.5

$7.33 F CFA 4,317

-20.87%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.23

$1.95 F CFA 1,148

21.03%

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

$1.12 R 18.56

$1.07 F CFA 628

4.67%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 15.00

$1.10 F CFA 650

-18.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 40.20

$1.17 F CFA 688

106.84%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R 50.9

$2.52 F CFA 1,487

21.43%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.58

$2.03 F CFA 1,197

-41.87%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.83

$1.13 F CFA 667

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

$0.84 F CFA 493

107.14%

Eggs

$2.57 R 42.80

$2.57 F CFA 1,514

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 R 140

$16.90 F CFA 9,952

-50.12%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 R 85.1

$20.04 F CFA 11.8K

-74.45%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.59 R 126

$14.67 F CFA 8,639

-48.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.52

$4.62 F CFA 2,724

-61.69%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.43

$3.36 F CFA 1,979

-47.32%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.26

$3.84 F CFA 2,265

-54.17%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.81

$1.53 F CFA 903

-2.61%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.38

$1.75 F CFA 1,030

-16.00%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.52

$1.25 F CFA 735

-1.60%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 R 18.25

$1.27 F CFA 749

-13.39%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 54.0

$1.28 F CFA 756

153.13%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.00 R 83.2

$5.92 F CFA 3,487

-15.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.90

$1.39 F CFA 816

7.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 32.26

$2.61 F CFA 1,535

-25.67%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.58

$0.17 F CFA 101

770.59%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 R 986

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 R 18.21

$0.53 F CFA 311

105.66%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R 16.46

$0.84 F CFA 492

17.86%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 R 124

$8.35 F CFA 4,918

-10.66%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.76

$1.44 F CFA 846

-0.69%

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

$35.3K R 587.4K

$28.5K F CFA 16.8M

24.08%

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

$32.4K R 539.7K

$30.9K F CFA 18.2M

5.03%

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

$133 R 2,208

$176 F CFA 103.7K

-24.64%

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

$34.83 R 580

$25.41 F CFA 15.0K

37.07%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.76 R 662

$53.0 F CFA 31.2K

-24.92%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.09 R 551

$58.6 F CFA 34.5K

-43.57%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.65 R 194

$8.28 F CFA 4,878

40.70%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 R 119

$6.76 F CFA 3,984

6.21%

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

$224 R 3,728

$33.67 F CFA 19.8K

565.52%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,462 R 90.9K

$6,023 F CFA 3.5M

-9.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 R 902

$33.77 F CFA 19.9K

60.50%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.13 R 568

$51.1 F CFA 30.1K

-33.18%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 R 1,699

$85.3 F CFA 50.3K

19.66%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 R 1,472

$103 F CFA 60.7K

-14.15%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 R 8,189

$339 F CFA 199.6K

45.26%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,617

$234 F CFA 137.7K

70.10%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 R 15.7K

$1,327 F CFA 781.9K

-28.72%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$827 R 13.8K

$745 F CFA 439.1K

10.96%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,099 R 18.3K

$866 F CFA 510.3K

26.87%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$769 R 12.8K

$252 F CFA 148.5K

204.99%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,502 R 25.0K

$578 F CFA 340.7K

159.59%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

-6.42%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Burkina Faso: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Africa

$398 33.1%

Burkina Faso

$234 20.2% 41.2% $164

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Africa

$207 17.2%

Burkina Faso

$255 22% 22.8% $47

Groceries & Markets

South Africa

$196 16.3%

Burkina Faso

$348 * 30.1% 77.7% $152

Eating Out

South Africa

$157 13.1%

Burkina Faso

$121 10.5% 22.9% $36

Clothing & Footwear

South Africa

$126 10.4%

Burkina Faso

$123 10.6% 2% $2.6

Getting Around

South Africa

$71 5.9%

Burkina Faso

$5.4 * 0.5% 92.4% $66

Sport & Entertainment

South Africa

$47 4%

Burkina Faso

$72 6.2% 52.1% $25

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

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $422 in South Africa vs $337 in Burkina Faso. For reference, capital cities sit at $450 in Pretoria and $337 in Ouagadougou.

Average salary: $1,488 in South Africa vs $607 in Burkina Faso. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 25% higher in South Africa.

Dining out costs 56% more in South Africa.

Salaries are about 2.5 times higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇧🇫 Burkina Faso

🕒 Local time

12:25 12:25 PM

10:25 10:25 AM

2 h behind South Africa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,027,503

23,025,776

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 589 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

South Africa Burkina Faso 5,490 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

South Africa
Burkina Faso

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

South Africa vs Burkina Faso: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Burkina Faso is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 4% lower on average.

Housing costs more in South Africa: a central one-bedroom averages $422 versus $337 in Burkina Faso.

Burkina Faso is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.