Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Eritrea

Name: Eritrea
Address: ER

For one person, living is cheaper in South Africa: $1,203 a month against $1,378 in Eritrea, rent and utilities included – about $2,100 less a year. The total is higher in Eritrea despite lower rent and utilities.

58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index
66

Cost of Living Index in Eritrea
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Eritrea Living Index

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🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

🇪🇷 Eritrea

$1,378

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,203 per month in South Africa vs $1,378 in Eritrea, rent included.

South Africa $1,203
Eritrea $1,378

A couple spends around $1,893 per month in South Africa vs $2,160 in Eritrea, rent included.

South Africa $1,893
Eritrea $2,160

A family of three spends $2,583 per month in South Africa vs $2,943 in Eritrea, rent included.

South Africa $2,583
Eritrea $2,943

The regional cost range is wider in South Africa ($618–$1,556) than in Eritrea ($1,387–$1,387), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in South Africa is roughly 13% lower than in Eritrea on average.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 R 177

$21.02 ERN 316

-49.24%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.66 R 693

$34.23 ERN 515

21.71%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 R 96.5

$5.56 ERN 83.8

4.32%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.23

$0.73 ERN 10.98

223.29%

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

$1.12 R 18.56

$1.03 ERN 15.50

8.74%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 15.00

$1.03 ERN 15.46

-12.62%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 40.20

$0.95 ERN 14.37

154.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R 50.9

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.58

$1.56 ERN 23.45

-24.36%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.83

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

$2.31 ERN 34.81

-24.68%

Eggs

$2.57 R 42.80

$4.34 ERN 65.4

-40.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 R 140

$2.93 ERN 44.15

187.71%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 R 85.1

$26.61 ERN 400

-80.76%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.59 R 126

$9.89 ERN 149

-23.26%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.52

$12.39 ERN 187

-85.71%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

$1.25 ERN 18.86

39.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.43

$1.98 ERN 29.83

-10.61%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.26

$1.16 ERN 17.41

51.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.81

$1.85 ERN 27.86

-19.46%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.38

$0.96 ERN 14.45

53.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.52

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 R 18.25

$2.28 ERN 34.37

-51.75%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 54.0

Wine (Bottle)

$5.00 R 83.2

$11.87 ERN 179

-57.88%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.90

$1.02 ERN 15.31

47.06%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 32.26

$1.02 ERN 15.30

90.20%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.58

$0.11 ERN 1.72

1245.45%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 R 986

$7.97 ERN 120

643.79%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 R 18.21

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R 16.46

$0.62 ERN 9.38

59.68%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 R 124

$9.95 ERN 150

-25.03%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.76

$2.48 ERN 37.28

-42.34%

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

$35.3K R 587.4K

$66.4K ERN 999.6K

-46.85%

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

$32.4K R 539.7K

$70.5K ERN 1.1M

-54.00%

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

$133 R 2,208

$25.16 ERN 379

427.58%

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

$34.83 R 580

$68.1 ERN 1,024

-48.82%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.76 R 662

$201 ERN 3,031

-80.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.09 R 551

$26.52 ERN 399

24.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.65 R 194

$5.12 ERN 77.0

127.54%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 R 119

$1.19 ERN 17.89

503.36%

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

$224 R 3,728

$25.46 ERN 383

780.13%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,462 R 90.9K

$2,622 ERN 39.5K

108.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 R 902

$135 ERN 2,027

-59.75%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.13 R 568

$121 ERN 1,818

-71.74%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 R 1,699

$198 ERN 2,981

-48.46%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 R 1,472

$149 ERN 2,242

-40.61%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 R 8,189

$249 ERN 3,748

97.65%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,617

$202 ERN 3,043

96.70%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 R 15.7K

$446 ERN 6,716

112.04%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$827 R 13.8K

$420 ERN 6,322

96.92%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,099 R 18.3K

$1,276 ERN 19.2K

-13.88%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$769 R 12.8K

$2,295 ERN 34.5K

-66.50%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,502 R 25.0K

$505 ERN 7,606

197.14%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

18.5

-39.30%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Eritrea: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Africa

$398 33.1%

Eritrea

$202 14.7% 49.2% $196

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Africa

$207 17.2%

Eritrea

$295 21.4% 42.1% $87

Groceries & Markets

South Africa

$196 16.3%

Eritrea

$363 * 26.3% 85% $167

Eating Out

South Africa

$157 13.1%

Eritrea

$207 * 15% 31.4% $49

Clothing & Footwear

South Africa

$126 10.4%

Eritrea

$271 19.7% 116% $146

Getting Around

South Africa

$71 5.9%

Eritrea

$12 * 0.8% 83.8% $60

Sport & Entertainment

South Africa

$47 4%

Eritrea

$29 2.1% 39.1% $19

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 $252 in Eritrea. For reference, capital cities sit at $450 in Pretoria and $252 in Asmara.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 67% higher in South Africa.

Dining out costs 15% more in South Africa.

Public transport is 663% more expensive in South Africa.

Good to know

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇪🇷 Eritrea

🕒 Local time

13:20 1:20 PM

14:20 2:20 PM

1 h ahead of South Africa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,027,503

3,497,000

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Eritrean Nakfa ERN ናቕፋ

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

100 ERN = 6.64 USD

100 ERN = 5.97 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ERN, 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).

Eritrean Nakfa exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 15.05 ERN (100 ERN = 6.64 USD). 1 EUR = 16.75 ERN (100 ERN = 5.97 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

South Africa Eritrea 5,130 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

South Africa
Eritrea

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 Eritrea: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

South Africa is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 13% lower on average.

Not necessarily. Overall, Eritrea costs about 15% more, but the gap varies by category, and some expenses can be lower in Eritrea. Compare the categories that matter most for your budget.

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.