Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Ghana Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Ghana

Name: Ghana
Address: GH

Monthly Cost of Living

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,020 in South Africa versus $376 in Ghana.

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,587 in South Africa versus $632 in Ghana.

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,154 in South Africa versus $888 in Ghana.

Living in South Africa is roughly 171% more expensive than in Ghana on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: South Africa 24% lower, Ghana 72% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$9.14 R 151

$3.84 GHS 44.30

138.02%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$39.14 R 648

$44.81 GHS 518

-12.65%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.19 R 85.9

$7.83 GHS 90.5

-33.72%

Cappuccino

$1.98 R 32.73

$3.09 GHS 35.69

-35.92%

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

$1.00 R 16.57

$0.94 GHS 10.85

6.38%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.79 R 13.01

$0.36 GHS 4.20

119.44%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.21 R 36.61

$1.33 GHS 15.35

66.17%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.57 R 42.58

$2.28 GHS 26.38

12.72%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 R 18.56

$3.02 GHS 34.90

-62.91%

White Bread (500g)

$0.97 R 16.01

$1.39 GHS 16.01

-30.22%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.54 R 25.55

$2.14 GHS 24.74

-28.04%

Eggs

$2.25 R 37.22

$2.31 GHS 26.74

-2.60%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.86 R 130

$8.11 GHS 93.7

-3.08%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.58 R 75.8

$4.44 GHS 51.3

3.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.68 R 111

$5.27 GHS 60.9

26.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.57 R 26.06

$2.83 GHS 32.73

-44.52%

Banana (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.35

$1.39 GHS 16.09

5.76%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.52 R 25.18

$1.62 GHS 18.74

-6.17%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.51 R 24.98

$2.73 GHS 31.52

-44.69%

Potato (1kg)

$1.26 R 20.85

$2.81 GHS 32.41

-55.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.27 R 21.11

$2.06 GHS 23.82

-38.35%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.09 R 17.99

$0.80 GHS 9.28

36.25%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.97 R 16.04

$0.51 GHS 5.88

90.20%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.84 R 46.95

$1.61 GHS 18.62

76.40%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.20 R 86.1

$6.97 GHS 80.5

-25.39%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.91

$1.12 GHS 12.96

23.21%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.72 R 28.44

$1.81 GHS 20.95

-4.97%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.72 R 28.50

$1.08 GHS 12.43

59.26%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$44.22 R 732

$34.62 GHS 400

27.73%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.15 R 19.06

$1.47 GHS 17.03

-21.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.07 R 17.64

$1.21 GHS 14.01

-11.57%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.74 R 78.4

$4.43 GHS 51.2

7.00%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.28 R 21.24

$1.07 GHS 12.40

19.63%

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

$20.4K R 337.1K

$8,033 GHS 92.8K

153.54%

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

$24.0K R 397.0K

$10.1K GHS 116.9K

137.01%

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

$113 R 1,869

$47.57 GHS 549

137.40%

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

$32.35 R 536

$13.53 GHS 156

139.10%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$41.46 R 686

$42.42 GHS 490

-2.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.04 R 514

$32.03 GHS 370

-3.09%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.72 R 161

$15.84 GHS 183

-38.64%

Cinema Ticket

$6.67 R 110

$9.62 GHS 111

-30.67%

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

$186 R 3,072

$76.9 GHS 888

141.31%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,399 R 72.8K

$7,372 GHS 85.1K

-40.32%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$50.2 R 830

$16.71 GHS 193

200.18%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$30.37 R 503

$20.70 GHS 239

46.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.4 R 1,546

$31.52 GHS 364

196.22%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$80.4 R 1,332

$45.13 GHS 521

78.24%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$439 R 7,261

$515 GHS 5,951

-14.87%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$372 R 6,155

$158 GHS 1,819

136.05%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$903 R 14.9K

$1,056 GHS 12.2K

-14.49%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$705 R 11.7K

$403 GHS 4,651

75.12%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,116 R 18.5K

$3,228 GHS 37.3K

-65.42%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$793 R 13.1K

$1,697 GHS 19.6K

-53.27%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,506 R 24.9K

$252 GHS 2,914

496.81%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.55

26.83

-56.95%

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

Last update for South Africa: July 13, 2026

Last update for Ghana: July 12, 2026

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $368 in South Africa, $90.0 in Ghana. Capital cities: $292 in Bloemfontein vs $530 in Accra.

National salary averages: $1,513 in South Africa, $305 in Ghana. Higher pay doesn't always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 309% higher in South Africa.

Dining out costs 30% more in South Africa.

Public transport is 167% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are 396% higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

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 Ghana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $404 per month in Ghana and $1,083 in South Africa, there's a 168% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is simply cheaper in Ghana: lower food prices, cheaper commutes, smaller household bills. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

Rent in South Africa is consistently higher than in Ghana across the board, especially in major cities. Housing is usually the single biggest driver of the overall cost difference between the two countries.

In Ghana, $1,000 covers most cities easily; in South Africa it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you'll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

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