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

😐 Solo nomad: South Africa is 28.6% more expensive than Nigeria without rent, and 0.6% cheaper with rent.
😐 Family of 3: South Africa is 27.5% more expensive than Nigeria without rent, and 4.4% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
South Africa
Nigeria
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.70 R 146
$1.99 ₦2,757
337.19%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.91 R 651
$32.76 ₦45.4K
18.77%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.17 R 86.6
$5.42 ₦7,515
-4.61%
Cappuccino
$2.05 R 34.35
$2.05 ₦2,848
-
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.02 R 17.13
$0.39 ₦548
161.54%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 R 12.70
$0.25 ₦348
204.00%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.26 R 37.79
$0.85 ₦1,181
165.88%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.53 R 42.43
$1.25 ₦1,728
102.40%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
South Africa
Nigeria
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.10 R 18.49
$2.65 ₦3,682
-58.49%
White Bread (500g)
$0.94 R 15.76
$1.26 ₦1,746
-25.40%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.62 R 27.18
$2.32 ₦3,215
-30.17%
Eggs
$2.22 R 37.19
$1.87 ₦2,595
18.72%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.52 R 126
$5.11 ₦7,088
47.16%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.48 R 75.0
$4.45 ₦6,174
0.67%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.61 R 111
$4.32 ₦5,993
53.01%
Apples (1kg)
$1.50 R 25.13
$3.40 ₦4,716
-55.88%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 R 23.78
$2.05 ₦2,850
-30.73%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.46 R 24.46
$1.68 ₦2,329
-13.10%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.51 R 25.30
$1.89 ₦2,623
-20.11%
Potato (1kg)
$1.26 R 21.02
$2.01 ₦2,786
-37.31%
Onion (1kg)
$1.29 R 21.68
$1.81 ₦2,511
-28.73%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.03 R 17.22
$0.81 ₦1,130
27.16%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.97 R 16.18
$0.50 ₦689
94.00%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.87 R 48.04
$1.32 ₦1,833
117.42%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.90 R 82.0
$4.08 ₦5,667
20.10%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.31 R 21.99
$0.93 ₦1,292
40.86%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 R 29.04
$1.08 ₦1,495
60.19%
🚌 Getting Around
South Africa
Nigeria
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.65 R 27.60
$0.57 ₦791
189.47%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.20 R 740
$33.59 ₦46.6K
31.59%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.14 R 19.08
$0.93 ₦1,289
22.58%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.09 R 18.26
$1.71 ₦2,374
-36.26%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.70 R 78.8
$4.25 ₦5,899
10.59%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 R 21.69
$0.71 ₦980
83.10%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.8K R 348.1K
$16.5K ₦22.9M
25.75%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K R 393.6K
$22.1K ₦30.7M
6.16%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Africa
Nigeria
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$111 R 1,864
$29.47 ₦40.9K
277.81%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.36 R 542
$9.81 ₦13.6K
229.87%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.49 R 678
$31.43 ₦43.6K
28.83%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
South Africa
Nigeria
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.96 R 535
$31.27 ₦43.4K
2.21%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.72 R 163
$8.51 ₦11.8K
14.22%
Cinema Ticket
$6.80 R 114
$6.41 ₦8,893
6.08%
🧸 Childcare & Education
South Africa
Nigeria
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$189 R 3,156
$74.3 ₦103.1K
153.74%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,400 R 73.7K
$1,617 ₦2.2M
172.10%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
South Africa
Nigeria
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.2 R 840
$18.17 ₦25.2K
176.00%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.53 R 511
$27.03 ₦37.5K
12.95%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.5 R 1,582
$55.2 ₦76.6K
71.16%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$81.3 R 1,361
$57.3 ₦79.5K
41.87%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
South Africa
Nigeria
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$453 R 7,578
$884 ₦1.2M
-48.79%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$372 R 6,229
$583 ₦809.1K
-36.20%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$906 R 15.2K
$2,227 ₦3.1M
-59.33%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$703 R 11.8K
$1,219 ₦1.7M
-42.34%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,150 R 19.2K
$2,636 ₦3.7M
-56.38%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$836 R 14.0K
$1,448 ₦2.0M
-42.26%
💵 Salaries & Financials
South Africa
Nigeria
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,471 R 24.6K
$112 ₦155.9K
1209.34%
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: March 2, 2026

Last update for Nigeria: March 2, 2026

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated January 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.
Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

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