Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Djibouti

Name: Djibouti
Address: DJ

For one person, living is cheaper in South Africa: $1,203 a month against $2,068 in Djibouti, rent and utilities included – about $10,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for about half of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index
100

Cost of Living Index in Djibouti
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Djibouti Living Index

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🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

🇩🇯 Djibouti

$2,068

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,203 per month in South Africa vs $2,068 in Djibouti, rent included.

South Africa $1,203
Djibouti $2,068

A couple spends around $1,893 per month in South Africa vs $3,229 in Djibouti, rent included.

South Africa $1,893
Djibouti $3,229

A family of three spends $2,583 per month in South Africa vs $4,389 in Djibouti, rent included.

South Africa $2,583
Djibouti $4,389

The regional cost range is wider in South Africa ($618–$1,556) than in Djibouti ($2,069–$2,069), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in South Africa is roughly 42% lower than in Djibouti on average.

South Africa sits 12% below the global median, while Djibouti is 52% above – they fall on opposite sides of the world average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 R 177

$9.60 DJF 1,711

11.15%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.66 R 693

$73.3 DJF 13.1K

-43.14%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 R 96.5

$15.52 DJF 2,765

-62.63%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.23

$3.45 DJF 615

-31.59%

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

$1.12 R 18.56

$1.86 DJF 331

-39.78%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 15.00

$1.68 DJF 299

-46.43%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 40.20

$6.84 DJF 1,219

-64.62%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R 50.9

$8.21 DJF 1,463

-62.73%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.58

$2.85 DJF 509

-58.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.83

$9.42 DJF 1,678

-88.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

$2.79 DJF 497

-37.63%

Eggs

$2.57 R 42.80

$5.84 DJF 1,041

-55.99%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 R 140

$9.73 DJF 1,733

-13.36%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 R 85.1

$18.01 DJF 3,209

-71.57%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.59 R 126

$12.30 DJF 2,192

-38.29%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.52

$3.71 DJF 661

-52.29%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

$1.20 DJF 214

45.00%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.43

$2.63 DJF 468

-32.70%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.26

$1.58 DJF 281

11.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.81

$1.56 DJF 279

-4.49%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.38

$1.69 DJF 301

-13.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.52

$5.71 DJF 1,017

-78.46%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 R 18.25

$0.54 DJF 96.0

103.70%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 54.0

$1.94 DJF 346

67.01%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.00 R 83.2

$20.72 DJF 3,692

-75.87%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.90

$2.39 DJF 426

-37.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 32.26

$3.45 DJF 615

-43.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.58

$0.43 DJF 77.0

244.19%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 R 986

$42.59 DJF 7,589

39.19%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 R 18.21

$2.84 DJF 506

-61.62%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R 16.46

$5.59 DJF 996

-82.29%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 R 124

$28.15 DJF 5,016

-73.50%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.76

$2.23 DJF 398

-35.87%

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

$35.3K R 587.4K

$34.0K DJF 6.1M

3.94%

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

$32.4K R 539.7K

$33.3K DJF 5.9M

-2.60%

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

$133 R 2,208

$526 DJF 93.6K

-74.74%

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

$34.83 R 580

$32.11 DJF 5,721

8.47%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.76 R 662

$59.9 DJF 10.7K

-33.63%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.09 R 551

$85.8 DJF 15.3K

-61.44%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.65 R 194

$28.63 DJF 5,101

-59.31%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 R 119

$12.46 DJF 2,219

-42.38%

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

$224 R 3,728

$338 DJF 60.3K

-33.75%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,462 R 90.9K

$8,942 DJF 1.6M

-38.92%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 R 902

$42.81 DJF 7,628

26.61%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.13 R 568

$19.91 DJF 3,547

71.42%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 R 1,699

$121 DJF 21.6K

-15.80%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 R 1,472

$55.1 DJF 9,819

60.57%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 R 8,189

$675 DJF 120.2K

-27.05%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,617

$472 DJF 84.2K

-15.80%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 R 15.7K

$999 DJF 178.0K

-5.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$827 R 13.8K

$1,263 DJF 225.0K

-34.49%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,099 R 18.3K

$12.6K DJF 2.2M

-91.27%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$769 R 12.8K

$6,183 DJF 1.1M

-87.57%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,502 R 25.0K

$2,790 DJF 497.1K

-46.17%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

13.07

-14.08%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Djibouti: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Africa

$398 33.1%

Djibouti

$472 22.8% 18.8% $75

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Africa

$207 17.2%

Djibouti

$618 29.9% 198% $410

Groceries & Markets

South Africa

$196 16.3%

Djibouti

$455 22% 132% $259

Eating Out

South Africa

$157 13.1%

Djibouti

$230 11.1% 45.9% $72

Clothing & Footwear

South Africa

$126 10.4%

Djibouti

$108 5.2% 14.3% $18

Getting Around

South Africa

$71 5.9%

Djibouti

$75 3.6% 5.4% $3.9

Sport & Entertainment

South Africa

$47 4%

Djibouti

$111 5.4% 133% $63

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $422 in South Africa vs $672 in Djibouti. For reference, capital cities sit at $450 in Pretoria and $672 in Djibouti.

Average salary: $1,488 in South Africa vs $2,785 in Djibouti. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 59% higher in Djibouti.

Dining out costs 85% more in Djibouti.

Public transport is 42% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are 87% higher in Djibouti, and purchasing power comes out stronger in Djibouti.

Good to know

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇩🇯 Djibouti

🕒 Local time

11:43 11:43 AM

12:43 12:43 PM

1 h ahead of South Africa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,027,503

1,152,944

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Djiboutian Franc DJF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 DJF = 5.61 USD

1,000 DJF = 5.04 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

DJF, 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).

Djiboutian Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 178 DJF (1,000 DJF = 5.61 USD). 1 EUR = 198 DJF (1,000 DJF = 5.04 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

South Africa Djibouti 4,880 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

South Africa
Djibouti

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 Djibouti: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

South Africa is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 42% lower on average.

Housing costs more in Djibouti: a central one-bedroom averages $672 versus $422 in South Africa.

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