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

😐 Solo nomad: South Africa is 30.6% more expensive than Nigeria without rent, and 2.1% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: South Africa is 28.1% more expensive than Nigeria without rent, and 3.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
South Africa
Nigeria
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.05 R 161
$1.97 ₦3,030
359.39%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.84 R 691
$32.54 ₦50K
19.36%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.9 R 87.1
$5.47 ₦8,408
-10.42%
Cappuccino
$1.98 R 35.28
$2.04 ₦3,141
-2.94%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.96 R 17.06
$0.4 ₦607
140.00%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.75 R 13.31
$0.25 ₦385
200.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.18 R 38.72
$0.85 ₦1,300
156.47%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 R 45.1
$1.27 ₦1,948
100.00%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
South Africa
Nigeria
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.1 R 19.58
$2.68 ₦4,112
-58.96%
White Bread (500g)
$1.03 R 18.32
$1.26 ₦1,942
-18.25%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.56 R 27.71
$2.37 ₦3,640
-34.18%
Eggs
$2.25 R 39.93
$1.81 ₦2,780
24.31%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.67 R 136
$4.95 ₦7,608
54.95%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.62 R 82.2
$4.47 ₦6,878
3.36%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.86 R 122
$4.34 ₦6,667
58.06%
Apples (1kg)
$1.58 R 28.02
$3.4 ₦5,232
-53.53%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 R 25.3
$1.98 ₦3,040
-28.28%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.44 R 25.58
$1.71 ₦2,621
-15.79%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.49 R 26.5
$1.85 ₦2,845
-19.46%
Potato (1kg)
$1.25 R 22.16
$2.08 ₦3,193
-39.90%
Onion (1kg)
$1.34 R 23.81
$1.78 ₦2,734
-24.72%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.09 R 19.31
$0.88 ₦1,349
23.86%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.96 R 17.15
$0.5 ₦771
92.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.9 R 51.6
$1.26 ₦1,937
130.16%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.07 R 90.3
$3.96 ₦6,082
28.03%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.38 R 24.49
$0.93 ₦1,429
48.39%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 R 29.79
$1.1 ₦1,688
52.73%
🚌 Getting Around
South Africa
Nigeria
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.71 R 30.47
$0.53 ₦822
222.64%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$45.01 R 801
$33.88 ₦52.1K
32.85%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.1 R 19.61
$0.88 ₦1,347
25.00%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.09 R 19.41
$1.72 ₦2,645
-36.63%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.8 R 85.3
$4.43 ₦6,801
8.35%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 R 23.23
$0.71 ₦1,099
84.51%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21K R 374.2K
$16.3K ₦25M
29.20%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.7K R 421.3K
$22.2K ₦34.1M
6.67%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Africa
Nigeria
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$113 R 2,009
$29.92 ₦46K
277.51%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.11 R 589
$9.95 ₦15.3K
232.76%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$41.49 R 738
$30.87 ₦47.4K
34.40%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
South Africa
Nigeria
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.69 R 564
$31.66 ₦48.7K
0.09%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.45 R 168
$8.41 ₦12.9K
12.37%
Cinema Ticket
$6.7 R 119
$6.6 ₦10.1K
1.52%
🧸 Childcare & Education
South Africa
Nigeria
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$186 R 3,303
$76 ₦116.9K
144.27%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,336 R 77.1K
$1,639 ₦2.5M
164.55%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
South Africa
Nigeria
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.56 R 864
$18.18 ₦27.9K
167.11%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.74 R 547
$27.3 ₦42K
12.60%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92 R 1,636
$54.5 ₦83.8K
68.75%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.6 R 1,415
$56.3 ₦86.6K
41.28%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
South Africa
Nigeria
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$442 R 7,860
$915 ₦1.4M
-51.68%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$370 R 6,579
$590 ₦906.2K
-37.26%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$880 R 15.7K
$2,194 ₦3.4M
-59.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$724 R 12.9K
$1,210 ₦1.9M
-40.17%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,021 R 18.2K
$1,520 ₦2.3M
-32.84%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$803 R 14.3K
$1,314 ₦2M
-38.87%
💵 Salaries & Financials
South Africa
Nigeria
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,406 R 25K
$116 ₦177.7K
1116.48%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.55
16.33
-29.27%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 29, 2025

Last update for Nigeria: October 28, 2025

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