Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Nigeria

Name: Nigeria
Address: NG

For one person, living is cheaper in Nigeria: $750 a month against $1,203 in South Africa, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index
36

Cost of Living Index in Nigeria
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Nigeria Living Index

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🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

🇳🇬 Nigeria

$750

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,203 in South Africa versus $750 in Nigeria.

South Africa $1,203
Nigeria $750

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,893 in South Africa versus $1,279 in Nigeria.

South Africa $1,893
Nigeria $1,279

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,583 in South Africa versus $1,807 in Nigeria.

South Africa $2,583
Nigeria $1,807

Internal cost variation is higher in Nigeria: monthly costs span $1 to $2,392, compared to $618–$1,556 in South Africa. City choice carries more weight in Nigeria.

Living in South Africa is roughly 60% more expensive than in Nigeria on average.

Both countries sit below the global median: South Africa 12% lower, Nigeria 45% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 R 177

$1.85 ₦2,484

476.76%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.66 R 693

$29.70 ₦39.8K

40.27%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 R 96.5

$4.37 ₦5,864

32.72%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.23

$2.41 ₦3,230

-2.07%

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

$1.12 R 18.56

$0.33 ₦447

239.39%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 15.00

$0.22 ₦295

309.09%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 40.20

$0.84 ₦1,127

188.10%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R 50.9

$1.28 ₦1,716

139.06%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.58

$2.92 ₦3,912

-59.59%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.83

$1.00 ₦1,343

13.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

$1.49 ₦1,996

16.78%

Eggs

$2.57 R 42.80

$1.67 ₦2,232

53.89%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 R 140

$6.02 ₦8,067

40.03%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 R 85.1

$4.44 ₦5,953

15.32%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.59 R 126

$3.98 ₦5,330

90.70%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.52

$2.38 ₦3,188

-25.63%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

$1.31 ₦1,755

32.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.43

$1.19 ₦1,593

48.74%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.26

$1.58 ₦2,117

11.39%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.81

$1.60 ₦2,146

-6.88%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.38

$1.35 ₦1,811

8.89%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.52

$0.67 ₦893

83.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 R 18.25

$0.37 ₦490

197.30%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 54.0

$0.72 ₦965

350.00%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.00 R 83.2

$3.92 ₦5,249

27.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.90

$0.68 ₦907

120.59%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 32.26

$0.87 ₦1,164

122.99%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.58

$0.38 ₦510

289.47%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 R 986

$14.71 ₦19.7K

302.99%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 R 18.21

$0.58 ₦773

87.93%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R 16.46

$1.06 ₦1,426

-6.60%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 R 124

$2.11 ₦2,831

253.55%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.76

$0.63 ₦841

126.98%

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

$35.3K R 587.4K

$11.0K ₦14.7M

221.45%

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

$32.4K R 539.7K

$29.2K ₦39.1M

11.26%

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

$133 R 2,208

$69.2 ₦92.8K

91.77%

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

$34.83 R 580

$5.08 ₦6,808

585.63%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.76 R 662

$22.18 ₦29.7K

79.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.09 R 551

$19.73 ₦26.4K

67.71%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.65 R 194

$6.91 ₦9,257

68.60%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 R 119

$4.51 ₦6,051

59.20%

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

$224 R 3,728

$63.7 ₦85.4K

251.61%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,462 R 90.9K

$4,124 ₦5.5M

32.43%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 R 902

$12.68 ₦17.0K

327.44%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.13 R 568

$19.21 ₦25.7K

77.67%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 R 1,699

$34.96 ₦46.9K

192.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 R 1,472

$36.74 ₦49.2K

140.85%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 R 8,189

$484 ₦649.0K

1.64%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,617

$327 ₦437.6K

21.81%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 R 15.7K

$1,462 ₦2.0M

-35.29%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$827 R 13.8K

$827 ₦1.1M

-0.02%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,099 R 18.3K

$2,624 ₦3.5M

-58.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$769 R 12.8K

$1,173 ₦1.6M

-34.46%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,502 R 25.0K

$90.1 ₦120.8K

1566.12%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

17.8

-36.91%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Nigeria: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Africa

$398 33.1%

Nigeria

$327 43.5% 17.9% $71

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Africa

$207 17.2%

Nigeria

$96 12.9% 53.5% $111

Groceries & Markets

South Africa

$196 16.3%

Nigeria

$164 21.9% 16.4% $32

Eating Out

South Africa

$157 13.1%

Nigeria

$66 8.8% 58.1% $91

Clothing & Footwear

South Africa

$126 10.4%

Nigeria

$47 6.2% 62.9% $79

Getting Around

South Africa

$71 5.9%

Nigeria

$22 3% 68.9% $49

Sport & Entertainment

South Africa

$47 4%

Nigeria

$29 3.8% 39.4% $19

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $422 in South Africa, $698 in Nigeria. Capital cities: $450 in Pretoria vs $589 in Abuja.

National salary averages: $1,488 in South Africa, $80 in Nigeria. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 65% higher in Nigeria.

Dining out costs 11% more in South Africa.

Public transport is 190% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are about 19 times higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇳🇬 Nigeria

🕒 Local time

12:24 12:24 PM

11:24 11:24 AM

1 h behind South Africa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,027,503

211,400,708

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Nigerian Naira NGN ₦

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

10,000 NGN = 7.46 USD

10,000 NGN = 6.7 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

NGN, 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).

Nigerian Naira exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 1,340 NGN (10,000 NGN = 7.46 USD). 1 EUR = 1,492 NGN (10,000 NGN = 6.7 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

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South Africa Nigeria 4,700 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

South Africa
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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 Nigeria: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $750 per month in Nigeria and $1,203 in South Africa, there’s a 60% gap. Keep in mind it varies by city – the difference can be bigger or smaller depending on where you settle within each country.

Day-to-day life is cheaper in Nigeria: lower grocery prices, cheaper commutes, and more affordable meals out. Over time, those daily savings make a real difference to your monthly budget and ability to put money away.

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