Last update: Nov 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Cameroon

Name: Cameroon
Address: CM

For one person, living is cheaper in Cameroon: $1,000 a month against $1,197 in South Africa, rent and utilities included – about $2,400 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in South Africa outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

57

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index
48

Cost of Living Index in Cameroon
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Cameroon Living Index

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🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,197

/mo nomad

🇨🇲 Cameroon

$1,000

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in South Africa and in Cameroon

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 Cameroon actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $1,197 per month in South Africa vs $1,000 in Cameroon, rent included.

South Africa $1,197
Cameroon $1,000

A couple spends around $1,879 per month in South Africa vs $1,606 in Cameroon, rent included.

South Africa $1,879
Cameroon $1,606

A family of three spends $2,562 per month in South Africa vs $2,212 in Cameroon, rent included.

South Africa $2,562
Cameroon $2,212

Cost ranges are similar: South Africa spans $622–$1,527, Cameroon $349–$1,330. City choice affects budget similarly in either country.

The cost of living in South Africa is about 20% higher than in Cameroon on average.

Both South Africa and Cameroon are more affordable than the global median – South Africa 11% lower, Cameroon 26% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.89 R 181

$3.90 FCFA 2,280

179.23%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.93 R 712

$86.0 FCFA 50.3K

-50.08%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.62 R 93.3

$5.86 FCFA 3,428

-4.10%

Cappuccino

$2.34 R 38.88

$1.84 FCFA 1,075

27.17%

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

$1.10 R 18.28

$1.66 FCFA 972

-33.73%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.84 R 13.87

$0.64 FCFA 376

31.25%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.43 R 40.31

$1.17 FCFA 683

107.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.96 R 49.03

$1.73 FCFA 1,010

71.10%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.19 R 19.68

$2.83 FCFA 1,657

-57.95%

White Bread (500g)

$1.12 R 18.62

$0.74 FCFA 434

51.35%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.41

$1.72 FCFA 1,006

6.40%

Eggs

$2.51 R 41.60

$2.01 FCFA 1,174

24.88%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.25 R 137

$14.78 FCFA 8,645

-44.18%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.32 R 88.2

$5.18 FCFA 3,029

2.70%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.64 R 127

$5.83 FCFA 3,410

31.05%

Apples (1kg)

$1.81 R 29.97

$3.51 FCFA 2,050

-48.43%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.95

$1.30 FCFA 761

29.23%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.60

$1.58 FCFA 925

12.66%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.25

$1.44 FCFA 840

22.22%

Potato (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.82

$2.18 FCFA 1,273

-31.19%

Onion (1kg)

$1.46 R 24.19

$1.71 FCFA 1,000

-14.62%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.29 R 21.45

$0.78 FCFA 457

65.38%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.13 R 18.81

$0.66 FCFA 387

71.21%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.38 R 56.1

$1.68 FCFA 983

101.19%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.08 R 84.4

$8.69 FCFA 5,080

-41.54%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.48 R 24.59

$1.45 FCFA 849

2.07%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.96 R 32.49

$1.91 FCFA 1,120

2.62%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.53 R 25.36

$0.75 FCFA 441

104.00%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$60.2 R 1,000

$17.23 FCFA 10.1K

249.62%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$0.94 R 15.64

$0.62 FCFA 363

51.61%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.92 R 15.27

$0.53 FCFA 308

73.58%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.73 R 128

$5.81 FCFA 3,400

33.05%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.44 R 23.86

$1.45 FCFA 848

-0.69%

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

$35.6K R 590.3K

$30.2K FCFA 17.7M

17.75%

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

$32.4K R 538.2K

$17.6K FCFA 10.3M

84.58%

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

$134 R 2,226

$144 FCFA 84.1K

-6.73%

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

$34.27 R 569

$23.28 FCFA 13.6K

47.21%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.66 R 675

$129 FCFA 75.7K

-68.59%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$32.99 R 547

$26.85 FCFA 15.7K

22.87%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.61 R 193

$5.56 FCFA 3,254

108.81%

Cinema Ticket

$7.24 R 120

$8.57 FCFA 5,011

-15.52%

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

$223 R 3,708

$512 FCFA 299.3K

-56.34%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$7,429 R 123.3K

$8,275 FCFA 4.8M

-10.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.0 R 896

$63.4 FCFA 37.1K

-14.74%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$32.83 R 545

$60.8 FCFA 35.6K

-46.02%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$101 R 1,684

$135 FCFA 78.7K

-24.63%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.2 R 1,447

$122 FCFA 71.5K

-28.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$485 R 8,054

$311 FCFA 182.1K

55.90%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$389 R 6,450

$149 FCFA 86.9K

161.54%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$941 R 15.6K

$634 FCFA 370.9K

48.33%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$795 R 13.2K

$241 FCFA 140.9K

229.97%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,071 R 17.8K

$2,000 FCFA 1.2M

-46.46%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$768 R 12.7K

$968 FCFA 566.4K

-20.66%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,475 R 24.5K

$150 FCFA 88.0K

880.55%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

18.96

-40.77%

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

Last update for South Africa: November 2, 2026

Last update for Cameroon: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Africa

$389 32.5%

Cameroon

$149 14.9% 61.8% $240

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Africa

$209 17.5%

Cameroon

$297 29.7% 41.8% $87

Groceries & Markets

South Africa

$197 16.5%

Cameroon

$227 22.7% 14.8% $29

Eating Out

South Africa

$158 13.2%

Cameroon

$89 8.9% 43.4% $69

Clothing & Footwear

South Africa

$124 10.4%

Cameroon

$171 17.1% 38.3% $47

Getting Around

South Africa

$72 6%

Cameroon

$23 2.4% 67.3% $48

Sport & Entertainment

South Africa

$47 4%

Cameroon

$44 4.4% 7.4% $3.5

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $421 in South Africa vs $259 in Cameroon. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,047 in Cape Town and $140 in Yaounde.

Average salary: $1,505 in South Africa vs $147 in Cameroon. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 63% higher in South Africa.

Dining out costs 179% more in Cameroon.

Public transport is 276% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are about 10 times higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇨🇲 Cameroon

🕒 Local time

19:37 7:37 PM

18:37 6:37 PM

1 h behind South Africa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,027,503

28,372,687

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.03 USD

100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 16.59 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.03 USD). 1 EUR = 18.6 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.38 EUR).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 4, 2026: 1 USD = 585 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

South Africa Cameroon 3,990 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

South Africa
Cameroon

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 Cameroon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Cameroon is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 16% lower on average.

Housing costs more in South Africa: a central one-bedroom averages $421 versus $259 in Cameroon.

$1,500 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Cameroon, but in South Africa it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

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