Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Mali

Name: Mali
Address: ML

For one person, living is cheaper in Mali: $904 a month against $1,203 in South Africa, rent and utilities included – about $3,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in South Africa outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
Learn more

South Africa Living Index

Jump to prices

🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

🇲🇱 Mali

$904

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,203 in South Africa versus $904 in Mali.

South Africa $1,203
Mali $904

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,893 in South Africa versus $1,481 in Mali.

South Africa $1,893
Mali $1,481

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,583 in South Africa versus $2,058 in Mali.

South Africa $2,583
Mali $2,058

South Africa ($618–$1,556) and Mali ($86–$894) have similar cost spreads. Where you settle within each country has roughly equal impact on the budget.

Living in South Africa is roughly 33% more expensive than in Mali on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: South Africa 12% lower, Mali 34% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 R 177

$8.47 F CFA 4,958

25.97%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.66 R 692

$36.49 F CFA 21.4K

14.17%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 R 96.3

$8.25 F CFA 4,831

-29.70%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.15

$1.71 F CFA 1,003

38.01%

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

$1.12 R 18.53

$0.89 F CFA 520

25.84%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 14.97

$0.71 F CFA 416

26.76%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 40.12

$2.34 F CFA 1,370

3.42%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R 50.8

$21.20 F CFA 12.4K

-85.57%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.55

$1.94 F CFA 1,139

-39.18%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.79

$3.80 F CFA 2,226

-70.26%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.85

Eggs

$2.57 R 42.72

$6.05 F CFA 3,544

-57.52%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 R 140

$17.84 F CFA 10.4K

-52.75%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 R 85.0

$17.36 F CFA 10.2K

-70.51%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.59 R 126

$13.30 F CFA 7,787

-42.93%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.46

$3.11 F CFA 1,822

-43.09%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.84

$1.46 F CFA 854

19.18%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.37

$2.90 F CFA 1,699

-38.97%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.21

$2.32 F CFA 1,357

-24.14%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.76

$1.67 F CFA 976

-10.78%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.33

$1.58 F CFA 924

-6.96%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.48

$0.11 F CFA 62.7

1018.18%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 R 18.22

$2.90 F CFA 1,698

-62.07%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 53.9

$1.01 F CFA 593

220.79%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.00 R 83.0

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.85

$1.46 F CFA 854

2.74%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 32.20

$1.30 F CFA 763

49.23%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.54

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 R 984

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 R 18.18

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R 16.43

$1.22 F CFA 715

-18.85%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 R 124

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.72

$1.09 F CFA 636

31.19%

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

$35.3K R 586.2K

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

$32.4K R 538.6K

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

$133 R 2,204

$147 F CFA 86.3K

-9.97%

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

$34.83 R 578

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.76 R 660

$65.0 F CFA 38.1K

-38.86%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.09 R 549

$70.1 F CFA 41.0K

-52.78%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.65 R 193

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 R 119

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

$224 R 3,721

$76.9 F CFA 45.0K

191.47%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,462 R 90.7K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 R 900

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.13 R 567

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 R 1,695

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 R 1,469

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 R 8,173

$172 F CFA 100.4K

186.95%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,605

$79.5 F CFA 46.5K

400.36%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 R 15.7K

$506 F CFA 296.3K

87.01%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$827 R 13.7K

$297 F CFA 173.6K

178.95%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,099 R 18.3K

$10.1K F CFA 5.9M

-89.13%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$769 R 12.8K

$843 F CFA 493.8K

-8.84%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,502 R 24.9K

$257 F CFA 150.3K

485.04%

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 Mali: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Africa

$398 33.1%

Mali

–

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Africa

$207 17.2%

Mali

–

Groceries & Markets

South Africa

$196 16.3%

Mali

–

Eating Out

South Africa

$157 13.1%

Mali

–

Clothing & Footwear

South Africa

$126 10.4%

Mali

–

Getting Around

South Africa

$71 5.9%

Mali

–

Sport & Entertainment

South Africa

$47 4%

Mali

–

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $422 in South Africa, $176 in Mali. Capital cities: $450 in Pretoria vs $176 in Bamako.

National salary averages: $1,488 in South Africa, $264 in Mali. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 140% higher in South Africa.

Salaries are about 5.6 times higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇲🇱 Mali

🕒 Local time

02:42 2:42 AM

00:42 12:42 AM

2 h behind South Africa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,027,503

20,250,833

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.02 USD

100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XOF, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 16.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.02 USD). 1 EUR = 18.61 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 586 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.71 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.52 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

South Africa Mali 5,920 km ≈ 8 h nonstop flight

From you

South Africa
Mali

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 Mali: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $904 per month in Mali and $1,203 in South Africa, Mali comes out about 25% cheaper. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Rent for a central one-bedroom averages $422 in South Africa and $176 in Mali. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

In Mali, $1,200 covers most cities easily; in South Africa it stretches only to regional areas and falls short in the capital – you’ll need to make trade-offs on housing or lifestyle.

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