Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and the Republic of the Congo

Name: Republic of the Congo
Address: CG

For one person, living is cheaper in South Africa: $1,203 a month against $1,657 in the Republic of the Congo, rent and utilities included – about $5,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

58

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index
80

Cost of Living Index in the Republic of the Congo
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Republic of the Congo Living Index

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🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo

$1,657

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in South Africa and in the Republic of the Congo

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 the Republic of the Congo actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $1,203 in South Africa versus $1,657 in the Republic of the Congo.

South Africa $1,203
Republic of the Congo $1,657

Estimated couple costs with rent: $1,893 in South Africa versus $2,576 in the Republic of the Congo.

South Africa $1,893
Republic of the Congo $2,576

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $2,583 in South Africa versus $3,496 in the Republic of the Congo.

South Africa $2,583
Republic of the Congo $3,496

Internal cost variation is higher in South Africa: monthly costs span $618 to $1,556, compared to $1,944–$1,944 in the Republic of the Congo. City choice carries more weight in South Africa.

Living in South Africa costs about 27% less than in the Republic of the Congo on average.

South Africa (12% below) and the Republic of the Congo (22% above) straddle the global median.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 R 177

$8.32 FCFA 4,900

28.25%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.66 R 693

$37.70 FCFA 22.2K

10.50%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 R 96.5

$5.07 FCFA 2,986

14.40%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.23

$4.09 FCFA 2,408

-42.30%

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

$1.12 R 18.56

$1.60 FCFA 943

-30.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 15.00

$1.31 FCFA 769

-31.30%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 40.20

$5.76 FCFA 3,395

-57.99%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R 50.9

$2.49 FCFA 1,465

22.89%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.58

$2.59 FCFA 1,527

-54.44%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.83

$4.64 FCFA 2,733

-75.65%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

$3.14 FCFA 1,852

-44.59%

Eggs

$2.57 R 42.80

$2.45 FCFA 1,442

4.90%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 R 140

$16.13 FCFA 9,499

-47.74%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 R 85.1

$7.01 FCFA 4,131

-26.96%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.59 R 126

$12.13 FCFA 7,147

-37.43%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.52

$2.95 FCFA 1,735

-40.00%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

$1.66 FCFA 975

4.82%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.43

$3.46 FCFA 2,038

-48.84%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.26

$4.08 FCFA 2,402

-56.86%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.81

$3.10 FCFA 1,828

-51.94%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.38

$2.38 FCFA 1,404

-38.24%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.52

$1.29 FCFA 758

-4.65%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 R 18.25

$0.89 FCFA 523

23.60%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 54.0

$3.85 FCFA 2,268

-15.84%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.00 R 83.2

$8.02 FCFA 4,724

-37.66%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.90

$1.05 FCFA 616

42.86%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 32.26

$1.72 FCFA 1,015

12.79%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.58

$0.27 FCFA 160

448.15%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 R 986

$23.87 FCFA 14.1K

148.35%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 R 18.21

$1.65 FCFA 972

-33.94%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R 16.46

$1.68 FCFA 988

-41.07%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 R 124

$7.00 FCFA 4,124

6.57%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.76

$1.34 FCFA 792

6.72%

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

$35.3K R 587.4K

$29.0K FCFA 17.1M

21.91%

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

$32.4K R 539.7K

$21.2K FCFA 12.5M

52.78%

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

$133 R 2,208

$603 FCFA 355.2K

-77.99%

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

$34.83 R 580

$29.07 FCFA 17.1K

19.81%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.76 R 662

$42.24 FCFA 24.9K

-5.87%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.09 R 551

$33.60 FCFA 19.8K

-1.52%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.65 R 194

$17.05 FCFA 10.0K

-31.67%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 R 119

$6.17 FCFA 3,632

16.37%

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

$224 R 3,728

$53.4 FCFA 31.5K

319.63%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,462 R 90.9K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 R 902

$46.07 FCFA 27.1K

17.65%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.13 R 568

$47.10 FCFA 27.7K

-27.54%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 R 1,699

$116 FCFA 68.2K

-11.87%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 R 1,472

$113 FCFA 66.8K

-22.00%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 R 8,189

$802 FCFA 472.3K

-38.62%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,617

$252 FCFA 148.4K

57.91%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 R 15.7K

$2,675 FCFA 1.6M

-64.63%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$827 R 13.8K

$990 FCFA 583.3K

-16.47%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,099 R 18.3K

$3,459 FCFA 2.0M

-68.23%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$769 R 12.8K

$2,944 FCFA 1.7M

-73.89%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,502 R 25.0K

$374 FCFA 220.6K

301.04%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

9.51

18.09%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Last update for the Republic of the Congo: October 25, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Africa

$398 33.1%

Republic of the Congo

$252 15.2% 36.7% $146

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Africa

$207 17.2%

Republic of the Congo

$674 40.7% 225% $467

Groceries & Markets

South Africa

$196 16.3%

Republic of the Congo

$328 19.8% 67.4% $132

Eating Out

South Africa

$157 13.1%

Republic of the Congo

$176 10.6% 12.1% $19

Clothing & Footwear

South Africa

$126 10.4%

Republic of the Congo

$145 8.8% 15.6% $20

Getting Around

South Africa

$71 5.9%

Republic of the Congo

$35 2.1% 50.9% $36

Sport & Entertainment

South Africa

$47 4%

Republic of the Congo

$46 2.8% 3.2% $1.5

Cost Breakdown

National rent averages: $422 in South Africa, $1,149 in the Republic of the Congo. Capital cities: $450 in Pretoria vs $1,149 in Brazzaville.

National salary averages: $1,488 in South Africa, $453 in the Republic of the Congo. Higher pay doesn’t always mean more spending money – weigh income against local costs.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 172% higher in the Republic of the Congo.

Dining out costs 28% more in the Republic of the Congo.

Public transport is 154% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are about 3.3 times higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇨🇬 Republic of the Congo

🕒 Local time

09:06 9:06 AM

08:06 8:06 AM

1 h behind South Africa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,027,503

6,142,180

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Central African CFA Franc XAF Fr

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 XAF = 1.7 USD

1,000 XAF = 1.53 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

XAF, 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).

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

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

South Africa Republic of the Congo 2,990 km ≈ 4 h 15 min nonstop flight

From you

South Africa
Republic of the Congo

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 Republic of the Congo: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

At $1,657 per month in the Republic of the Congo and $1,203 in South Africa, there’s a 38% 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 $1,149 in the Republic of the Congo 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; the Republic of the Congo may offer higher salaries, better infrastructure, and different cultural perks. Both attract large expat communities for different reasons.