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

Name: Lesotho
Address: LS

😐 Solo nomad: South Africa is 9.6% more expensive than Lesotho without rent, and 26.8% more expensive with rent.

🙂 Family of 3: South Africa is 4.4% cheaper than Lesotho without rent, and 32.5% more expensive with rent.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$8.84 R 145

$9.88 LSL 162

-10.53%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$38.50 R 631

$28.12 LSL 461

36.91%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.07 R 83.2

$8.58 LSL 141

-40.91%

Cappuccino

$2.04 R 33.40

$1.77 LSL 29.07

15.25%

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

$1.04 R 17.02

$1.32 LSL 21.59

-21.21%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.74 R 12.08

$0.76 LSL 12.40

-2.63%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.31 R 37.83

$1.78 LSL 29.18

29.78%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.47 R 40.57

$2.20 LSL 36.13

12.27%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.07 R 17.55

$1.04 LSL 17.10

2.88%

White Bread (500g)

$1.01 R 16.51

$0.81 LSL 13.32

24.69%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.57 R 25.79

$2.00 LSL 32.73

-21.50%

Eggs

$2.33 R 38.26

$1.35 LSL 22.15

72.59%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$7.68 R 126

$5.98 LSL 98.1

28.43%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$4.47 R 73.4

$5.71 LSL 93.7

-21.72%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$6.60 R 108

$5.01 LSL 82.2

31.74%

Apples (1kg)

$1.56 R 25.55

$1.65 LSL 27.05

-5.45%

Banana (1kg)

$1.45 R 23.80

$1.71 LSL 28.06

-15.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.51 R 24.79

$2.22 LSL 36.48

-31.98%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.39

$2.26 LSL 37.14

-34.07%

Potato (1kg)

$1.21 R 19.91

$1.48 LSL 24.29

-18.24%

Onion (1kg)

$1.33 R 21.80

$1.14 LSL 18.62

16.67%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.08 R 17.70

$1.46 LSL 23.97

-26.03%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$0.94 R 15.34

$0.79 LSL 12.88

18.99%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$2.85 R 46.74

$4.67 LSL 76.6

-38.97%

Wine (Bottle)

$4.89 R 80.3

$4.85 LSL 79.6

0.82%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.38 R 22.64

$1.29 LSL 21.15

6.98%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.69 R 27.65

$1.58 LSL 25.96

6.96%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.73 R 28.33

$0.72 LSL 11.74

140.28%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$45.33 R 743

$27.60 LSL 453

64.24%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.10 R 18.01

$0.70 LSL 11.50

57.14%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.10 R 18.03

$0.62 LSL 10.20

77.42%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$4.69 R 76.9

$10.25 LSL 168

-54.24%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.30 R 21.32

$1.22 LSL 20.02

6.56%

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

$20.6K R 337.3K

$19.5K LSL 319.2K

5.68%

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

$24.2K R 396.4K

$14.9K LSL 244.7K

62.03%

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

$110 R 1,811

$193 LSL 3,160

-42.68%

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

$32.07 R 526

$18.95 LSL 311

69.23%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.81 R 669

$32.16 LSL 527

26.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$31.33 R 514

$29.78 LSL 488

5.20%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$9.44 R 155

Cinema Ticket

$6.90 R 113

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

$187 R 3,074

$64.0 LSL 1,050

192.69%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$4,385 R 71.9K

$1,363 LSL 22.4K

221.76%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$49.70 R 815

$54.2 LSL 888

-8.22%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$31.23 R 512

$39.16 LSL 642

-20.25%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$93.0 R 1,526

$114 LSL 1,866

-18.23%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$79.7 R 1,307

$130 LSL 2,127

-38.56%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$443 R 7,265

$151 LSL 2,479

193.09%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$369 R 6,048

$77.9 LSL 1,277

373.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$890 R 14.6K

$403 LSL 6,601

121.00%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$724 R 11.9K

$161 LSL 2,643

349.51%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,125 R 18.5K

$387 LSL 6,341

191.02%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$823 R 13.5K

$534 LSL 8,760

54.14%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,486 R 24.4K

$760 LSL 12.5K

95.69%

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: January 12, 2026

Last update for Lesotho: January 13, 2026

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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

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