Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Somalia

Name: Somalia
Address: SO

For one person, living is cheaper in Somalia: $620 a month against $1,203 in South Africa, rent and utilities included – about $7,000 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
30

Cost of Living Index in Somalia
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Somalia Living Index

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🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,203

/mo nomad

🇸🇴 Somalia

$620

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,203 per month in South Africa vs $620 in Somalia, rent included.

South Africa $1,203
Somalia $620

A couple spends around $1,893 per month in South Africa vs $924 in Somalia, rent included.

South Africa $1,893
Somalia $924

A family of three spends $2,583 per month in South Africa vs $1,229 in Somalia, rent included.

South Africa $2,583
Somalia $1,229

The regional cost range is wider in South Africa ($618–$1,556) than in Somalia ($70–$616), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in South Africa is about 94% higher than in Somalia on average.

Both South Africa and Somalia are more affordable than the global median – South Africa 12% lower, Somalia 54% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.67 R 177

$3.06 SOS 1,740

248.69%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$41.66 R 693

$15.28 SOS 8,677

172.64%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.80 R 96.5

$5.14 SOS 2,918

12.84%

Cappuccino

$2.36 R 39.23

$1.53 SOS 870

54.25%

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

$1.12 R 18.56

$1.01 SOS 571

10.89%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.90 R 15.00

$0.44 SOS 252

104.55%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.42 R 40.20

$11.14 SOS 6,329

-78.28%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.06 R 50.9

$14.81 SOS 8,410

-79.34%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.58

$1.33 SOS 755

-11.28%

White Bread (500g)

$1.13 R 18.83

$1.12 SOS 635

0.89%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

$0.88 SOS 502

97.73%

Eggs

$2.57 R 42.80

$2.16 SOS 1,226

18.98%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.43 R 140

$4.81 SOS 2,733

75.26%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.12 R 85.1

$4.55 SOS 2,585

12.53%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.59 R 126

$4.60 SOS 2,610

65.00%

Apples (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.52

$2.12 SOS 1,203

-16.51%

Banana (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.90

$1.25 SOS 707

39.20%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.77 R 29.43

$1.82 SOS 1,032

-2.75%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.76 R 29.26

$1.16 SOS 662

51.72%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.81

$1.27 SOS 719

17.32%

Onion (1kg)

$1.47 R 24.38

$1.60 SOS 910

-8.13%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.23 R 20.52

$0.98 SOS 556

25.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 R 18.25

$0.71 SOS 405

54.93%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.24 R 54.0

$0.98 SOS 557

230.61%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.00 R 83.2

$2.06 SOS 1,168

142.72%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.50 R 24.90

$2.06 SOS 1,169

-27.18%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.94 R 32.26

$1.99 SOS 1,128

-2.51%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.48 R 24.58

$0.29 SOS 163

410.34%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$59.3 R 986

$12.00 SOS 6,815

394.00%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.09 R 18.21

$1.48 SOS 840

-26.35%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.99 R 16.46

$0.58 SOS 327

70.69%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 R 124

$3.47 SOS 1,971

114.99%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.43 R 23.76

$0.93 SOS 528

53.76%

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

$35.3K R 587.4K

$10.1K SOS 5.8M

248.21%

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

$32.4K R 539.7K

$9,146 SOS 5.2M

254.66%

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

$133 R 2,208

$111 SOS 63.0K

19.69%

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

$34.83 R 580

$6.82 SOS 3,872

410.70%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$39.76 R 662

$39.60 SOS 22.5K

0.40%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$33.09 R 551

$27.71 SOS 15.7K

19.42%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.65 R 194

$1.97 SOS 1,116

491.37%

Cinema Ticket

$7.18 R 119

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

$224 R 3,728

$39.61 SOS 22.5K

465.72%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,462 R 90.9K

$290 SOS 164.9K

1781.28%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$54.2 R 902

$12.84 SOS 7,290

322.12%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$34.13 R 568

$17.14 SOS 9,736

99.12%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$102 R 1,699

$17.10 SOS 9,711

497.02%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$88.5 R 1,472

$26.01 SOS 14.8K

240.22%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$492 R 8,189

$124 SOS 70.6K

296.20%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$398 R 6,617

$78.4 SOS 44.5K

407.19%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$946 R 15.7K

$373 SOS 212.1K

153.45%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$827 R 13.8K

$184 SOS 104.4K

350.15%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,099 R 18.3K

$4,674 SOS 2.7M

-76.48%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$769 R 12.8K

$3,699 SOS 2.1M

-79.22%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,502 R 25.0K

$274 SOS 155.4K

448.80%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

-25.13%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 26, 2026

Last update for Somalia: October 26, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Africa

$398 33.1%

Somalia

$78 12.7% 80.3% $319

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Africa

$207 17.2%

Somalia

$157 25.4% 24.1% $50

Groceries & Markets

South Africa

$196 16.3%

Somalia

$157 25.3% 20.1% $39

Eating Out

South Africa

$157 13.1%

Somalia

$149 24.1% 5% $7.9

Clothing & Footwear

South Africa

$126 10.4%

Somalia

$33 5.3% 73.8% $93

Getting Around

South Africa

$71 5.9%

Somalia

$18 2.8% 75.4% $54

Sport & Entertainment

South Africa

$47 4%

Somalia

$28 * 4.5% 41.6% $20

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $422 in South Africa vs $115 in Somalia. For reference, capital cities sit at $450 in Pretoria and $192 in Mogadishu.

Average salary: $1,488 in South Africa vs $297 in Somalia. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 267% higher in South Africa.

Dining out costs 86% more in South Africa.

Public transport is 408% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are about 5 times higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇸🇴 Somalia

🕒 Local time

11:44 11:44 AM

12:44 12:44 PM

1 h ahead of South Africa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,027,503

11,031,386

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Somali Shilling SOS Sh

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.01 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD

1,000 SOS = 1.58 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

SOS, 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).

Somali Shilling exchange rates as of October 28, 2026: 1 USD = 568 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.76 USD). 1 EUR = 632 SOS (1,000 SOS = 1.58 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

South Africa Somalia 4,020 km ≈ 6 h nonstop flight

From you

South Africa
Somalia

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 Somalia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Somalia is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 48% lower on average.

Housing costs more in South Africa: a central one-bedroom averages $422 versus $115 in Somalia.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Somalia, adding to the overall 94% price gap.

$800 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Somalia, but in South Africa it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Somalia is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.