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

😐 Solo nomad: South Africa is 54.1% more expensive than Somalia without rent, and 69.5% more expensive with rent.
😐 Family of 3: South Africa is 63.6% more expensive than Somalia without rent, and 78.1% more expensive with rent.
Currency
🍽 Eating Out
South Africa
Somalia
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$9.05 R 161
$3.04 SOS 1,724
197.70%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$38.84 R 691
$14.76 SOS 8,382
163.14%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$4.9 R 87.1
$4.89 SOS 2,776
0.20%
Cappuccino
$1.98 R 35.28
$1.37 SOS 776
44.53%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.96 R 17.06
$0.76 SOS 432
26.32%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.75 R 13.31
$0.32 SOS 184
134.38%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$2.18 R 38.72
$10.47 SOS 5,947
-79.18%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.54 R 45.1
$14.86 SOS 8,443
-82.91%
🛒 Groceries & Markets
South Africa
Somalia
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.1 R 19.58
$1.4 SOS 797
-21.43%
White Bread (500g)
$1.03 R 18.32
$0.94 SOS 535
9.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.56 R 27.71
$1.06 SOS 601
47.17%
Eggs
$2.25 R 39.93
$2.26 SOS 1,286
-0.44%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$7.67 R 136
$5.11 SOS 2,900
50.10%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$4.62 R 82.2
$4.58 SOS 2,600
0.87%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$6.86 R 122
$5.41 SOS 3,075
26.80%
Apples (1kg)
$1.58 R 28.02
$2.98 SOS 1,695
-46.98%
Banana (1kg)
$1.42 R 25.3
$1.68 SOS 957
-15.48%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.44 R 25.58
$2.85 SOS 1,619
-49.47%
Tomato (1kg)
$1.49 R 26.5
$1.27 SOS 722
17.32%
Potato (1kg)
$1.25 R 22.16
$1.13 SOS 640
10.62%
Onion (1kg)
$1.34 R 23.81
$1.29 SOS 734
3.88%
Lettuce (1 head)
$1.09 R 19.31
$0.85 SOS 485
28.24%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.96 R 17.15
$0.73 SOS 412
31.51%
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$2.9 R 51.6
$1.08 SOS 613
168.52%
Wine (Bottle)
$5.07 R 90.3
$3.06 SOS 1,736
65.69%
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$1.38 R 24.49
$2.06 SOS 1,169
-33.01%
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 R 29.79
-
-
🚌 Getting Around
South Africa
Somalia
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$1.71 R 30.47
$0.31 SOS 177
451.61%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
$45.01 R 801
$24.9 SOS 14.1K
80.76%
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$1.1 R 19.61
$1.54 SOS 877
-28.57%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
$1.09 R 19.41
$0.57 SOS 325
91.23%
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$4.8 R 85.3
$4.55 SOS 2,587
5.49%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.31 R 23.23
$1.06 SOS 601
23.58%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$21K R 374.2K
$5,810 SOS 3.3M
262.15%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$23.7K R 421.3K
$8,444 SOS 4.8M
180.55%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
South Africa
Somalia
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$113 R 2,009
$99.8 SOS 56.7K
13.21%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$33.11 R 589
$6.83 SOS 3,880
384.77%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$41.49 R 738
$32.72 SOS 18.6K
26.80%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
South Africa
Somalia
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$31.69 R 564
$28.31 SOS 16.1K
11.94%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
$9.45 R 168
$9 SOS 5,114
5.00%
Cinema Ticket
$6.7 R 119
$4.99 SOS 2,833
34.27%
🧸 Childcare & Education
South Africa
Somalia
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$186 R 3,303
$33.83 SOS 19.2K
449.04%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$4,336 R 77.1K
$573 SOS 325.7K
656.18%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
South Africa
Somalia
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
$48.56 R 864
$14.49 SOS 8,231
235.13%
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$30.74 R 547
$19.77 SOS 11.2K
55.49%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
$92 R 1,636
$20.58 SOS 11.7K
347.04%
Men's Leather Business Shoes
$79.6 R 1,415
$28.19 SOS 16K
182.26%
🏠 Accommodation & Living
South Africa
Somalia
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$442 R 7,860
$126 SOS 71.8K
249.72%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$370 R 6,579
$70.6 SOS 40.1K
424.01%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$880 R 15.7K
$359 SOS 203.9K
145.22%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$724 R 12.9K
$183 SOS 104.2K
294.52%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,021 R 18.2K
$5,930 SOS 3.4M
-82.78%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$803 R 14.3K
$16K SOS 9.1M
-94.99%
💵 Salaries & Financials
South Africa
Somalia
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$1,406 R 25K
$315 SOS 178.7K
346.94%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
11.55
9.43
22.48%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 29, 2025

Last update for Somalia: October 28, 2025

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