Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Liberia

Name: Liberia
Address: LR

For one person, living costs are similar in South Africa and in Liberia: $1,203 and $1,263 a month, rent and utilities included.

58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index
61

Cost of Living Index in Liberia
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Liberia Living Index

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🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

🇱🇷 Liberia

$1,263

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,203 per month in South Africa vs $1,263 in Liberia, rent included.

South Africa $1,203
Liberia $1,263

A couple spends around $1,893 per month in South Africa vs $1,869 in Liberia, rent included.

South Africa $1,893
Liberia $1,869

A family of three spends $2,583 per month in South Africa vs $2,474 in Liberia, rent included.

South Africa $2,583
Liberia $2,474

The regional cost range is wider in South Africa ($618–$1,556) than in Liberia ($1,286–$1,286), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in South Africa is roughly 5% lower than in Liberia on average.

Both South Africa and Liberia are more affordable than the global median – South Africa 12% lower, Liberia 7% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 R 177

$7.42 LRD 1,256

43.80%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.66 R 693

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 R 96.5

$9.82 LRD 1,664

-40.94%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.23

$3.05 LRD 516

-22.62%

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

$1.12 R 18.56

$1.96 LRD 332

-42.86%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 15.00

$2.03 LRD 343

-55.67%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 40.20

$2.06 LRD 348

17.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R 50.9

$2.98 LRD 505

2.68%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.58

$2.13 LRD 361

-44.60%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.83

$1.83 LRD 309

-38.25%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

$5.17 LRD 876

-66.34%

Eggs

$2.57 R 42.80

$3.70 LRD 626

-30.54%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 R 140

$7.55 LRD 1,279

11.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 R 85.1

$11.86 LRD 2,009

-56.83%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.59 R 126

$13.74 LRD 2,327

-44.76%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.52

$1.62 LRD 273

9.26%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

$8.37 LRD 1,417

-79.21%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.43

$10.49 LRD 1,776

-83.13%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.26

$10.93 LRD 1,851

-83.90%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.81

$2.14 LRD 363

-30.37%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.38

$10.56 LRD 1,788

-86.08%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.52

$4.63 LRD 784

-73.43%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 R 18.25

$1.98 LRD 336

-44.44%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 54.0

$5.10 LRD 863

-36.47%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.00 R 83.2

$6.84 LRD 1,159

-26.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.90

$2.52 LRD 426

-40.48%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 32.26

$3.45 LRD 584

-43.77%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.58

$2.92 LRD 495

-49.32%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 R 986

$12.38 LRD 2,097

378.84%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 R 18.21

$2.01 LRD 340

-45.77%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R 16.46

$1.84 LRD 311

-46.20%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 R 124

$24.51 LRD 4,151

-69.56%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.76

$1.27 LRD 214

12.60%

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

$35.3K R 587.4K

$19.7K LRD 3.3M

79.47%

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

$32.4K R 539.7K

$15.3K LRD 2.6M

112.07%

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

$133 R 2,208

$151 LRD 25.6K

-12.14%

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

$34.83 R 580

$22.79 LRD 3,858

52.83%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.76 R 662

$180 LRD 30.5K

-77.90%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.09 R 551

$63.6 LRD 10.8K

-47.93%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.65 R 194

$10.12 LRD 1,714

15.12%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 R 119

$4.96 LRD 840

44.76%

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

$224 R 3,728

$99.5 LRD 16.8K

125.25%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,462 R 90.9K

$990 LRD 167.7K

451.45%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 R 902

$25.49 LRD 4,317

112.63%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.13 R 568

$32.57 LRD 5,515

4.79%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 R 1,699

$54.0 LRD 9,151

88.92%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 R 1,472

$93.8 LRD 15.9K

-5.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 R 8,189

$247 LRD 41.8K

99.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,617

$94.1 LRD 15.9K

322.86%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 R 15.7K

$659 LRD 111.6K

43.60%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$827 R 13.8K

$266 LRD 45.0K

211.37%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,099 R 18.3K

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$769 R 12.8K

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,502 R 25.0K

$697 LRD 118.0K

115.48%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

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

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Liberia: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Africa

$398 33.1%

Liberia

$94 7.5% 76.4% $304

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Africa

$207 17.2%

Liberia

$354 28% 70.6% $146

Groceries & Markets

South Africa

$196 16.3%

Liberia

$456 36.1% 133% $260

Eating Out

South Africa

$157 13.1%

Liberia

$158 12.5% 0.2% $0.3

Clothing & Footwear

South Africa

$126 10.4%

Liberia

$93 7.3% 26.2% $33

Getting Around

South Africa

$71 5.9%

Liberia

$35 2.8% 50.5% $36

Sport & Entertainment

South Africa

$47 4%

Liberia

$73 5.8% 54.9% $26

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $422 in South Africa vs $250 in Liberia. For reference, capital cities sit at $450 in Pretoria and $250 in Monrovia.

Average salary: $1,488 in South Africa vs $691 in Liberia. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 69% higher in South Africa.

Public transport is 205% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are about 2.2 times higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇱🇷 Liberia

🕒 Local time

13:21 1:21 PM

11:21 11:21 AM

2 h behind South Africa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,027,503

5,214,030

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Liberian Dollar LRD $

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 LRD = 5.91 USD

1,000 LRD = 5.31 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

LRD, 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 = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Liberian Dollar exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 169 LRD (1,000 LRD = 5.91 USD). 1 EUR = 188 LRD (1,000 LRD = 5.31 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

South Africa Liberia 5,590 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

South Africa
Liberia

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 Liberia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

South Africa is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 5% lower on average.

Not necessarily. Overall, Liberia costs about 5% more, but the gap varies by category, and some expenses can be lower in Liberia. Compare the categories that matter most for your budget.

South Africa is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.