Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Niger

Name: Niger
Address: NE

For one person, living is cheaper in South Africa: $1,203 a month against $1,338 in Niger, rent and utilities included – about $1,600 less a year. Higher rent and utilities in Niger outweigh lower spending on other living expenses.

58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index
64

Cost of Living Index in Niger
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Niger Living Index

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🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

🇳🇪 Niger

$1,338

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,203 in South Africa versus $1,338 in Niger.

South Africa $1,203
Niger $1,338

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,893 in South Africa versus $1,716 in Niger.

South Africa $1,893
Niger $1,716

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,583 in South Africa versus $2,094 in Niger.

South Africa $2,583
Niger $2,094

Internal cost variation is higher in South Africa: monthly costs span $618 to $1,556, compared to $1,328–$1,328 in Niger. City choice carries more weight in South Africa.

Living in South Africa costs about 10% less than in Niger on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: South Africa 12% lower, Niger 2% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 R 177

$6.42 F CFA 3,781

66.20%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.66 R 693

$38.85 F CFA 22.9K

7.23%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 R 96.5

$9.29 F CFA 5,469

-37.57%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.23

$3.20 F CFA 1,883

-26.25%

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

$1.12 R 18.56

$1.41 F CFA 828

-20.57%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 15.00

$0.98 F CFA 579

-8.16%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 40.20

$1.30 F CFA 768

86.15%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R 50.9

$2.91 F CFA 1,713

5.15%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.58

$2.42 F CFA 1,426

-51.24%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.83

$0.56 F CFA 328

101.79%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

$1.73 F CFA 1,017

0.58%

Eggs

$2.57 R 42.80

$2.18 F CFA 1,285

17.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 R 140

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 R 85.1

$6.11 F CFA 3,601

-16.20%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.59 R 126

$7.84 F CFA 4,620

-3.19%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.52

$3.46 F CFA 2,039

-48.84%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

$1.57 F CFA 922

10.83%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.43

$2.81 F CFA 1,653

-37.01%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.26

$1.66 F CFA 980

6.02%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.81

$1.41 F CFA 830

5.67%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.38

$0.67 F CFA 392

119.40%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.52

$0.88 F CFA 517

39.77%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 R 18.25

$0.99 F CFA 586

11.11%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 54.0

$2.62 F CFA 1,544

23.66%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.00 R 83.2

$13.52 F CFA 7,966

-63.02%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.90

$1.34 F CFA 791

11.94%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 32.26

$3.33 F CFA 1,961

-41.74%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.58

$0.35 F CFA 206

322.86%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 R 986

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 R 18.21

$0.42 F CFA 247

159.52%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R 16.46

$0.33 F CFA 193

200.00%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 R 124

$8.49 F CFA 5,002

-12.13%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.76

$0.92 F CFA 541

55.43%

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

$35.3K R 587.4K

$20.5K F CFA 12.1M

72.03%

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

$32.4K R 539.7K

$23.7K F CFA 14.0M

36.61%

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

$133 R 2,208

$169 F CFA 99.5K

-21.44%

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

$34.83 R 580

$17.09 F CFA 10.1K

103.80%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.76 R 662

$85.6 F CFA 50.4K

-53.53%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.09 R 551

$72.9 F CFA 42.9K

-54.62%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.65 R 194

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 R 119

$5.09 F CFA 3,001

41.06%

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

$224 R 3,728

$1,015 F CFA 598.1K

-77.93%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,462 R 90.9K

$4,286 F CFA 2.5M

27.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 R 902

$68.0 F CFA 40.1K

-20.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.13 R 568

$84.3 F CFA 49.6K

-59.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 R 1,699

$51.5 F CFA 30.3K

98.16%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 R 1,472

$67.9 F CFA 40.0K

30.42%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 R 8,189

$954 F CFA 561.8K

-48.39%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,617

$511 F CFA 300.8K

-22.13%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 R 15.7K

$803 F CFA 473.2K

17.77%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$827 R 13.8K

$421 F CFA 248.1K

96.41%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,099 R 18.3K

$1,669 F CFA 983.3K

-34.16%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$769 R 12.8K

$945 F CFA 556.5K

-18.63%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,502 R 25.0K

$384 F CFA 226.0K

291.44%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

24.78%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Niger: October 24, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Africa

$398 33.1%

Niger

$511 38.2% 28.4% $113

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Africa

$207 17.2%

Niger

$272 20.3% 31% $64

Groceries & Markets

South Africa

$196 16.3%

Niger

$207 * 15.5% 5.7% $11

Eating Out

South Africa

$157 13.1%

Niger

$139 10.4% 11.3% $18

Clothing & Footwear

South Africa

$126 10.4%

Niger

$122 9.1% 2.6% $3.3

Getting Around

South Africa

$71 5.9%

Niger

$3.5 * 0.3% 95.1% $68

Sport & Entertainment

South Africa

$47 4%

Niger

$83 6.2% 75.2% $36

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $422 in South Africa, $938 in Niger. Capital cities: $450 in Pretoria vs $938 in Niamey.

National salary averages: $1,488 in South Africa, $385 in Niger. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 122% higher in Niger.

Salaries are about 3.9 times higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇳🇪 Niger

🕒 Local time

12:22 12:22 PM

11:22 11:22 AM

1 h behind South Africa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,027,503

21,477,348

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

West African CFA Franc XOF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD

1,000 XOF = 1.53 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 October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 16.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.01 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

West African CFA Franc exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 589 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.7 USD). 1 EUR = 656 XOF (1,000 XOF = 1.53 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Highest

Between locations

South Africa Niger 5,400 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight

From you

South Africa
Niger

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 Niger: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,338 per month in Niger and $1,203 in South Africa, there’s a 11% gap. 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 $938 in Niger and $422 in South Africa. Rents vary a lot between cities, so the gap depends on where you settle.

It depends on what you’re after: South Africa wins on affordability; Niger may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.