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

😐 Solo nomad: South Africa is 9.1% more expensive than Lesotho without rent, and 25.3% more expensive with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: South Africa is 5.9% cheaper than Lesotho without rent, and 32% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
South Africa
Lesotho
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.71 R 142
$9.58 LSL 156
-9.08%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$39.43 R 643
$27.79 LSL 453
41.89%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.16 R 84.1
$8.19 LSL 134
-37.00%
Cappuccino
$2.03 R 33.09
$1.74 LSL 28.34
16.67%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.03 R 16.83
$1.28 LSL 20.80
-19.53%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.79 R 12.83
$0.75 LSL 12.23
5.33%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.30 R 37.53
$1.78 LSL 29.05
29.21%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.55 R 41.59
$2.21 LSL 36.10
15.38%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
South Africa
Lesotho
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.11 R 18.16
$1.04 LSL 17.02
6.73%
White Bread (500g)
$1.04 R 16.92
$0.74 LSL 12.14
40.54%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.54 R 25.17
$1.97 LSL 32.16
-21.83%
Eggs
$2.24 R 36.56
$1.32 LSL 21.58
69.70%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.86 R 128
$5.92 LSL 96.6
32.77%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.73 R 77.2
$5.89 LSL 96.0
-19.69%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.65 R 108
$5.09 LSL 83.0
30.65%
Apples (1kg)
$1.51 R 24.66
$1.60 LSL 26.05
-5.63%
Banana (1kg)
$1.41 R 22.93
$1.72 LSL 28.02
-18.02%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.49 R 24.31
$2.26 LSL 36.80
-34.07%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.56 R 25.47
$2.20 LSL 35.94
-29.09%
Potato (1kg)
$1.19 R 19.47
$1.41 LSL 23.01
-15.60%
Onion (1kg)
$1.30 R 21.13
$1.17 LSL 19.06
11.11%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.04 R 16.99
$1.41 LSL 23.06
-26.24%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.96 R 15.69
$0.78 LSL 12.71
23.08%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.92 R 47.67
$4.79 LSL 78.1
-39.04%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.80 R 78.3
$4.82 LSL 78.6
-0.41%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.33 R 21.75
$1.29 LSL 21.01
3.10%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.72 R 28.08
$1.56 LSL 25.37
10.26%
🚌 Getting Around
South Africa
Lesotho
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.70 R 27.72
$0.76 LSL 12.35
123.68%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$45.20 R 737
$28.27 LSL 461
59.89%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.09 R 17.81
$0.75 LSL 12.23
45.33%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.05 R 17.13
$0.62 LSL 10.14
69.35%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.73 R 77.1
$10.09 LSL 165
-53.12%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.29 R 21.10
$1.27 LSL 20.71
1.57%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21.1K R 343.2K
$19.3K LSL 314.2K
9.30%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.6K R 384.2K
$15.2K LSL 247.7K
55.22%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Africa
Lesotho
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$112 R 1,818
$199 LSL 3,247
-43.96%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$31.97 R 521
$19.34 LSL 316
65.31%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.41 R 659
$32.47 LSL 530
24.45%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
South Africa
Lesotho
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.85 R 519
$29.57 LSL 482
7.71%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.68 R 158
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.64 R 108
-
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
South Africa
Lesotho
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$190 R 3,100
$64.6 LSL 1,053
194.61%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,317 R 70.4K
$1,362 LSL 22.2K
216.96%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
South Africa
Lesotho
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.50 R 791
$53.4 LSL 871
-9.19%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.47 R 497
$39.81 LSL 649
-23.46%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.3 R 1,536
$112 LSL 1,819
-15.50%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$81.4 R 1,327
$132 LSL 2,151
-38.28%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
South Africa
Lesotho
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$453 R 7,380
$149 LSL 2,430
203.87%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$371 R 6,047
$78.0 LSL 1,273
375.35%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$881 R 14.4K
$394 LSL 6,430
123.57%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$705 R 11.5K
$160 LSL 2,605
341.46%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,147 R 18.7K
$390 LSL 6,366
193.80%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$818 R 13.3K
$517 LSL 8,436
58.11%
💵 Salaries & Financials
South Africa
Lesotho
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,476 R 24.1K
$776 LSL 12.7K
90.34%
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: April 12, 2026

Last update for Lesotho: April 12, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
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