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

😐 Solo nomad: South Africa is 2.6% more expensive than Lesotho without rent, and 23.4% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: South Africa is 0.8% cheaper than Lesotho without rent, and 33.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
South Africa
Lesotho
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.05 R 161
$10.02 LSL 177
-9.68%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.84 R 691
$28.51 LSL 504
36.23%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.9 R 87.1
$8.18 LSL 145
-40.10%
Cappuccino
$1.98 R 35.28
$1.8 LSL 31.8
10.00%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.96 R 17.06
$1.31 LSL 23.11
-26.72%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.75 R 13.31
$0.75 LSL 13.34
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.18 R 38.72
$1.77 LSL 31.37
23.16%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 R 45.1
$2.19 LSL 38.78
15.98%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
South Africa
Lesotho
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.1 R 19.58
$1.05 LSL 18.54
4.76%
White Bread (500g)
$1.03 R 18.32
$0.77 LSL 13.54
33.77%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.56 R 27.71
$1.99 LSL 35.13
-21.61%
Eggs
$2.25 R 39.93
$1.32 LSL 23.29
70.45%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.67 R 136
$6.1 LSL 108
25.74%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.62 R 82.2
$5.81 LSL 103
-20.48%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.86 R 122
$5.08 LSL 89.9
35.04%
Apples (1kg)
$1.58 R 28.02
$1.64 LSL 29
-3.66%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 R 25.3
$1.69 LSL 29.96
-15.98%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.44 R 25.58
$2.25 LSL 39.83
-36.00%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.49 R 26.5
$2.28 LSL 40.31
-34.65%
Potato (1kg)
$1.25 R 22.16
$1.47 LSL 25.93
-14.97%
Onion (1kg)
$1.34 R 23.81
$1.16 LSL 20.56
15.52%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.09 R 19.31
$1.46 LSL 25.83
-25.34%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.96 R 17.15
$0.85 LSL 15
12.94%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.9 R 51.6
$4.82 LSL 85.3
-39.83%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.07 R 90.3
$4.63 LSL 81.9
9.50%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.38 R 24.49
$1.36 LSL 24.02
1.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 R 29.79
$1.57 LSL 27.81
7.01%
🚌 Getting Around
South Africa
Lesotho
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.71 R 30.47
$0.76 LSL 13.51
125.00%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$45.01 R 801
$27.84 LSL 493
61.67%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.1 R 19.61
$0.71 LSL 12.59
54.93%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.09 R 19.41
$0.62 LSL 10.94
75.81%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.8 R 85.3
$9.97 LSL 176
-51.86%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 R 23.23
$1.25 LSL 22.19
4.80%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21K R 374.2K
$19.3K LSL 342.1K
8.80%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.7K R 421.3K
$14.9K LSL 263K
59.35%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Africa
Lesotho
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$113 R 2,009
$193 LSL 3,416
-41.51%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.11 R 589
$18.88 LSL 334
75.37%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$41.49 R 738
$32.11 LSL 568
29.21%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
South Africa
Lesotho
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.69 R 564
$30.25 LSL 535
4.76%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.45 R 168
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.7 R 119
-
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
South Africa
Lesotho
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$186 R 3,303
$63.2 LSL 1,118
193.80%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,336 R 77.1K
$1,341 LSL 23.7K
223.27%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
South Africa
Lesotho
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.56 R 864
$52.6 LSL 931
-7.70%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.74 R 547
$38.92 LSL 689
-21.02%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92 R 1,636
$113 LSL 1,992
-18.30%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.6 R 1,415
$133 LSL 2,357
-40.28%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
South Africa
Lesotho
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$442 R 7,860
$147 LSL 2,609
199.68%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$370 R 6,579
$78.8 LSL 1,395
369.24%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$880 R 15.7K
$400 LSL 7,071
120.28%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$724 R 12.9K
$161 LSL 2,845
350.06%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,021 R 18.2K
$363 LSL 6,423
181.20%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$803 R 14.3K
$500 LSL 8,838
60.79%
💵 Salaries & Financials
South Africa
Lesotho
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,406 R 25K
$747 LSL 13.2K
88.30%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.55
8.5
35.88%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 29, 2025

Last update for Lesotho: October 28, 2025

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