Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Gabon

Name: Gabon
Address: GA

For one person, living is cheaper in South Africa: $1,203 a month against $1,489 in Gabon, rent and utilities included – about $3,400 less a year. The total is higher in Gabon despite lower rent and utilities.

58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index
72

Cost of Living Index in Gabon
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Gabon Living Index

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🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

🇬🇦 Gabon

$1,489

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,203 in South Africa versus $1,489 in Gabon.

South Africa $1,203
Gabon $1,489

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,893 in South Africa versus $2,449 in Gabon.

South Africa $1,893
Gabon $2,449

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,583 in South Africa versus $3,409 in Gabon.

South Africa $2,583
Gabon $3,409

Internal cost variation is higher in South Africa: monthly costs span $618 to $1,556, compared to $1,500–$1,500 in Gabon. City choice carries more weight in South Africa.

Living in South Africa costs about 19% less than in Gabon on average.

South Africa (12% below) and Gabon (9% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 R 177

$16.70 FCFA 9,839

-36.11%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.66 R 693

$69.3 FCFA 40.8K

-39.84%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 R 96.5

$15.52 FCFA 9,139

-62.63%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.23

$6.01 FCFA 3,541

-60.73%

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

$1.12 R 18.56

$1.71 FCFA 1,010

-34.50%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 15.00

$1.38 FCFA 812

-34.78%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 40.20

$1.04 FCFA 610

132.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R 50.9

$1.89 FCFA 1,112

61.90%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.58

$3.44 FCFA 2,027

-65.70%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.83

$1.20 FCFA 708

-5.83%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

$2.82 FCFA 1,664

-38.30%

Eggs

$2.57 R 42.80

$4.37 FCFA 2,576

-41.19%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 R 140

$10.17 FCFA 5,991

-17.11%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 R 85.1

$8.66 FCFA 5,102

-40.88%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.59 R 126

$25.74 FCFA 15.2K

-70.51%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.52

$3.06 FCFA 1,801

-42.16%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

$3.79 FCFA 2,233

-54.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.43

$3.72 FCFA 2,188

-52.42%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.26

$3.46 FCFA 2,037

-49.13%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.81

$2.99 FCFA 1,763

-50.17%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.38

$4.30 FCFA 2,532

-65.81%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.52

$2.18 FCFA 1,286

-43.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 R 18.25

$1.66 FCFA 980

-33.73%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 54.0

$2.50 FCFA 1,472

29.60%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.00 R 83.2

$11.61 FCFA 6,837

-56.93%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.90

$0.96 FCFA 565

56.25%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 32.26

$1.27 FCFA 747

52.76%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.58

$0.36 FCFA 210

311.11%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 R 986

$34.41 FCFA 20.3K

72.28%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 R 18.21

$1.27 FCFA 748

-14.17%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R 16.46

$0.73 FCFA 429

35.62%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 R 124

$17.18 FCFA 10.1K

-56.58%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.76

$1.04 FCFA 613

37.50%

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

$35.3K R 587.4K

$29.2K FCFA 17.2M

20.82%

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

$32.4K R 539.7K

$22.2K FCFA 13.1M

46.28%

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

$133 R 2,208

$85.7 FCFA 50.5K

54.85%

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

$34.83 R 580

$33.87 FCFA 19.9K

2.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.76 R 662

$64.6 FCFA 38.1K

-38.48%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.09 R 551

$63.4 FCFA 37.3K

-47.77%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.65 R 194

$25.97 FCFA 15.3K

-55.14%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 R 119

$4.59 FCFA 2,702

56.43%

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

$224 R 3,728

$171 FCFA 101.0K

30.71%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,462 R 90.9K

$5,599 FCFA 3.3M

-2.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 R 902

$84.8 FCFA 50.0K

-36.10%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.13 R 568

$42.50 FCFA 25.0K

-19.69%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 R 1,699

$51.5 FCFA 30.4K

98.12%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 R 1,472

$102 FCFA 59.9K

-13.01%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 R 8,189

$1,007 FCFA 593.1K

-51.12%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,617

$418 FCFA 246.2K

-4.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 R 15.7K

$2,105 FCFA 1.2M

-55.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$827 R 13.8K

$861 FCFA 506.9K

-3.88%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,099 R 18.3K

$3,621 FCFA 2.1M

-69.64%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$769 R 12.8K

$2,758 FCFA 1.6M

-72.13%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,502 R 25.0K

$431 FCFA 253.7K

248.61%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

11.5

-2.35%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Gabon: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Africa

$398 33.1%

Gabon

$418 28.1% 5.1% $20

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Africa

$207 17.2%

Gabon

$184 12.4% 11.2% $23

Groceries & Markets

South Africa

$196 16.3%

Gabon

$373 25.1% 90.4% $177

Eating Out

South Africa

$157 13.1%

Gabon

$274 18.4% 74% $116

Clothing & Footwear

South Africa

$126 10.4%

Gabon

$126 8.5% 0.6% $0.8

Getting Around

South Africa

$71 5.9%

Gabon

$41 2.7% 42.8% $30

Sport & Entertainment

South Africa

$47 4%

Gabon

$73 4.9% 52.9% $25

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $422 in South Africa, $1,028 in Gabon. Capital cities: $450 in Pretoria vs $1,028 in Libreville.

National salary averages: $1,488 in South Africa, $417 in Gabon. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 144% higher in Gabon.

Dining out costs 74% more in Gabon.

Public transport is 79% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are about 3.6 times higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇬🇦 Gabon

🕒 Local time

12:23 12:23 PM

11:23 11:23 AM

1 h behind South Africa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,027,503

2,025,137

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.7 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Central African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 589 XAF (1,000 XAF = 1.7 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 Gabon 3,740 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

South Africa
Gabon

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 Gabon: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,489 per month in Gabon and $1,203 in South Africa, there’s a 24% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $1,028 in Gabon and $422 in South Africa. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: South Africa wins on affordability; Gabon may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.