Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Saint Helena Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Saint Helena

🙂 Solo nomad: South Africa is 22% cheaper than Saint Helena without rent, and 20.7% cheaper with rent.
🙂 Family of 3: South Africa is 17.4% cheaper than Saint Helena without rent, and 4.7% cheaper with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
South Africa
Saint Helena
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$8.70 R 146
$16.43 SHP 12.34
-47.05%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.91 R 651
$53.8 SHP 40.41
-27.69%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$5.17 R 86.6
$12.27 SHP 9.21
-57.86%
Cappuccino
$2.05 R 34.35
$3.04 SHP 2.28
-32.57%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.02 R 17.13
$1.18 SHP 0.89
-13.56%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.76 R 12.70
$1.12 SHP 0.84
-32.14%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.26 R 37.79
$4.62 SHP 3.47
-51.08%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.53 R 42.43
$2.71 SHP 2.03
-6.64%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
South Africa
Saint Helena
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.10 R 18.49
$1.91 SHP 1.43
-42.41%
White Bread (500g)
$0.94 R 15.76
$1.74 SHP 1.31
-45.98%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.62 R 27.18
$1.40 SHP 1.05
15.71%
Eggs
$2.22 R 37.19
$4.39 SHP 3.30
-49.43%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.52 R 126
$8.39 SHP 6.30
-10.37%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.48 R 75.0
$11.08 SHP 8.32
-59.57%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.61 R 111
$11.12 SHP 8.35
-40.56%
Apples (1kg)
$1.50 R 25.13
-
-
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 R 23.78
-
-
Oranges (1kg)
$1.46 R 24.46
-
-
Tomato (1kg)
$1.51 R 25.30
-
-
Potato (1kg)
$1.26 R 21.02
-
-
Onion (1kg)
$1.29 R 21.68
-
-
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.03 R 17.22
$2.70 SHP 2.03
-61.85%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.97 R 16.18
$2.27 SHP 1.71
-57.27%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.87 R 48.04
$11.63 SHP 8.74
-75.32%
Wine (Bottle)
$4.90 R 82.0
$15.81 SHP 11.87
-69.01%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.31 R 21.99
-
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.73 R 29.04
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
South Africa
Saint Helena
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.65 R 27.60
-
-
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$44.20 R 740
$41.28 SHP 31.00
7.07%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.14 R 19.08
$2.65 SHP 1.99
-56.98%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.09 R 18.26
-
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.70 R 78.8
-
-
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.30 R 21.69
$2.60 SHP 1.95
-50.00%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$20.8K R 348.1K
-
-
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.5K R 393.6K
-
-
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Africa
Saint Helena
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$111 R 1,864
-
-
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$32.36 R 542
-
-
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$40.49 R 678
$167 SHP 125
-75.69%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
South Africa
Saint Helena
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.96 R 535
$13.57 SHP 10.19
135.52%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.72 R 163
-
-
Cinema Ticket
$6.80 R 114
-
-
🧸 Childcare & Education
South Africa
Saint Helena
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$189 R 3,156
-
-
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,400 R 73.7K
-
-
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
South Africa
Saint Helena
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$50.2 R 840
$40.74 SHP 30.59
23.10%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.53 R 511
$20.15 SHP 15.14
51.51%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$94.5 R 1,582
$47.83 SHP 35.92
97.64%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$81.3 R 1,361
-
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
South Africa
Saint Helena
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$453 R 7,578
$696 SHP 523
-34.98%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$372 R 6,229
$608 SHP 456
-38.78%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$906 R 15.2K
$725 SHP 545
24.88%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$703 R 11.8K
$657 SHP 494
6.92%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,150 R 19.2K
-
-
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$836 R 14.0K
-
-
💵 Salaries & Financials
South Africa
Saint Helena
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,471 R 24.6K
$785 SHP 589
87.49%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.55
6.2
86.29%

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

Last update for South Africa: March 2, 2026

Last update for Saint Helena: March 3, 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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