Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Ghana

Name: Ghana
Address: GH

For one person, living is cheaper in Ghana: $991 a month against $1,203 in South Africa, rent and utilities included – about $2,500 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

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

Cost of Living Index in Ghana
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Ghana Living Index

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🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

🇬🇭 Ghana

$991

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,203 in South Africa versus $991 in Ghana.

South Africa $1,203
Ghana $991

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,893 in South Africa versus $1,570 in Ghana.

South Africa $1,893
Ghana $1,570

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,583 in South Africa versus $2,148 in Ghana.

South Africa $2,583
Ghana $2,148

Internal cost variation is higher in Ghana: monthly costs span $3 to $1,260, compared to $618–$1,556 in South Africa. City choice carries more weight in Ghana.

Living in South Africa is roughly 21% more expensive than in Ghana on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: South Africa 12% lower, Ghana 27% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 R 178

$6.87 GHS 79.5

55.31%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.66 R 694

$49.92 GHS 578

-16.55%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 R 96.6

$10.34 GHS 120

-43.91%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.29

$3.97 GHS 45.98

-40.55%

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

$1.12 R 18.59

$1.09 GHS 12.61

2.75%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 15.02

$0.48 GHS 5.59

87.50%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 40.26

$1.67 GHS 19.40

44.91%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R 51.0

$2.60 GHS 30.15

17.69%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.61

$3.37 GHS 39.05

-64.99%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.86

$1.55 GHS 17.98

-27.10%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.95

$2.96 GHS 34.33

-41.22%

Eggs

$2.57 R 42.87

$2.65 GHS 30.74

-3.02%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 R 140

$10.98 GHS 127

-23.22%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 R 85.3

$5.86 GHS 67.9

-12.63%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.59 R 127

$7.50 GHS 86.8

1.20%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.57

$3.09 GHS 35.78

-42.72%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.94

$1.38 GHS 15.96

26.09%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.48

$1.66 GHS 19.26

6.63%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.31

$3.18 GHS 36.79

-44.65%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.85

$2.82 GHS 32.65

-47.16%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.41

$2.22 GHS 25.69

-33.78%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.55

$0.91 GHS 10.52

35.16%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 R 18.28

$0.63 GHS 7.31

74.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 54.1

$2.18 GHS 25.21

48.62%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.00 R 83.3

$7.25 GHS 84.0

-31.03%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.94

$1.40 GHS 16.17

7.14%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 32.31

$2.56 GHS 29.61

-24.22%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.62

$1.26 GHS 14.61

17.46%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 R 988

$39.42 GHS 456

50.38%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 R 18.24

$1.65 GHS 19.09

-33.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R 16.49

$1.26 GHS 14.56

-21.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 R 124

$3.62 GHS 41.96

106.08%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.80

$1.27 GHS 14.71

12.60%

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

$35.3K R 588.3K

$7,959 GHS 92.2K

343.55%

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

$32.4K R 540.5K

$20.4K GHS 236.7K

58.66%

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

$133 R 2,212

$77.7 GHS 900

70.84%

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

$34.83 R 580

$18.87 GHS 218

84.58%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.76 R 663

$46.54 GHS 539

-14.57%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.09 R 551

$60.1 GHS 696

-44.98%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.65 R 194

$17.97 GHS 208

-35.17%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 R 120

$12.33 GHS 143

-41.77%

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

$224 R 3,734

$409 GHS 4,731

-45.15%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,462 R 91.0K

$15.6K GHS 180.6K

-64.99%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 R 903

$14.00 GHS 162

287.14%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.13 R 569

$18.28 GHS 212

86.71%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 R 1,701

$38.76 GHS 449

163.39%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 R 1,475

$49.88 GHS 578

77.41%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 R 8,202

$554 GHS 6,414

-11.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,628

$250 GHS 2,889

59.41%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 R 15.8K

$1,055 GHS 12.2K

-10.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$827 R 13.8K

$426 GHS 4,935

94.09%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,099 R 18.3K

$3,225 GHS 37.3K

-65.91%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$769 R 12.8K

$1,719 GHS 19.9K

-55.29%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,502 R 25.0K

$247 GHS 2,855

508.97%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

28.8

-61.01%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ghana: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Africa

$398 33.1%

Ghana

$250 25.2% 37.3% $148

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Africa

$207 17.2%

Ghana

$143 14.4% 31% $64

Groceries & Markets

South Africa

$196 16.3%

Ghana

$253 25.6% 29.3% $57

Eating Out

South Africa

$157 13.1%

Ghana

$153 15.5% 2.4% $3.8

Clothing & Footwear

South Africa

$126 10.4%

Ghana

$54 5.5% 56.6% $71

Getting Around

South Africa

$71 5.9%

Ghana

$52 5.3% 26.4% $19

Sport & Entertainment

South Africa

$47 4%

Ghana

$85 8.6% 78.8% $37

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $422 in South Africa, $444 in Ghana. Capital cities: $450 in Pretoria vs $686 in Accra.

National salary averages: $1,488 in South Africa, $340 in Ghana. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 5% higher in Ghana.

Dining out costs 21% more in Ghana.

Public transport is 79% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are about 4.4 times higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇬🇭 Ghana

🕒 Local time

23:47 11:47 PM

21:47 9:47 PM

2 h behind South Africa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,027,503

32,833,031

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Ghanaian Cedi GHS ₵

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6 USD

100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR

100 GHS = 8.64 USD

100 GHS = 7.76 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

GHS, 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 = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.55 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.39 EUR).

Ghanaian Cedi exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 11.58 GHS (100 GHS = 8.64 USD). 1 EUR = 12.89 GHS (100 GHS = 7.76 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

South Africa Ghana 4,780 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

South Africa
Ghana

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 Ghana: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $991 per month in Ghana and $1,203 in South Africa, Ghana comes out about 18% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Overall, Ghana is the cheaper option, but not in every category: rent, groceries, transport, and eating out each follow their own pattern. Check the categories you spend the most on before deciding.

It depends on what you’re after: Ghana wins on affordability, while salaries, visas, language, and lifestyle can tip the balance either way.