Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between South Africa and Tunisia

Name: Tunisia
Address: TN

For one person, living is cheaper in Tunisia: $677 a month against $1,209 in South Africa, rent and utilities included – about $6,400 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

59

Cost of Living Index in South Africa
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South Africa Living Index
33

Cost of Living Index in Tunisia
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Tunisia Living Index

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🇿🇦 South Africa

$1,209

/mo nomad

🇹🇳 Tunisia

$677

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

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

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

A single person spends $1,209 per month in South Africa vs $677 in Tunisia, rent included.

South Africa $1,209
Tunisia $677

A couple spends around $1,900 per month in South Africa vs $1,070 in Tunisia, rent included.

South Africa $1,900
Tunisia $1,070

A family of three spends $2,590 per month in South Africa vs $1,463 in Tunisia, rent included.

South Africa $2,590
Tunisia $1,463

The regional cost range is wider in South Africa ($625–$1,586) than in Tunisia ($448–$847), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in South Africa is about 79% higher than in Tunisia on average.

Both South Africa and Tunisia are more affordable than the global median – South Africa 10% lower, Tunisia 50% lower.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$10.95 R 180

$4.06 TND 12.15

169.70%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$42.96 R 708

$19.97 TND 59.8

115.12%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$5.76 R 94.9

$5.16 TND 15.45

11.63%

Cappuccino

$2.38 R 39.20

$0.94 TND 2.82

153.19%

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

$1.16 R 19.15

$0.70 TND 2.09

65.71%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$0.87 R 14.33

$0.30 TND 0.89

190.00%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$2.44 R 40.21

$1.71 TND 5.13

42.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.98 R 49.14

$2.05 TND 6.13

45.37%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.18 R 19.38

$0.50 TND 1.50

136.00%

White Bread (500g)

$1.11 R 18.30

$0.20 TND 0.60

455.00%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$1.74 R 28.71

$1.49 TND 4.46

16.78%

Eggs

$2.49 R 40.95

$1.60 TND 4.78

55.63%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$8.50 R 140

$10.99 TND 32.91

-22.66%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$5.16 R 85.0

$5.94 TND 17.78

-13.13%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$7.50 R 124

$14.57 TND 43.64

-48.52%

Apples (1kg)

$1.88 R 31.00

$1.93 TND 5.78

-2.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.68 R 27.71

$3.40 TND 10.17

-50.59%

Oranges (1kg)

$1.78 R 29.39

$1.11 TND 3.32

60.36%

Tomato (1kg)

$1.83 R 30.21

$0.78 TND 2.35

134.62%

Potato (1kg)

$1.49 R 24.51

$0.71 TND 2.12

109.86%

Onion (1kg)

$1.50 R 24.77

$0.61 TND 1.84

145.90%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.27 R 20.99

$0.48 TND 1.43

164.58%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$1.10 R 18.09

$0.29 TND 0.88

279.31%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$3.27 R 53.9

$3.74 TND 11.21

-12.57%

Wine (Bottle)

$5.03 R 82.9

$6.61 TND 19.80

-23.90%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$1.52 R 25.10

$1.26 TND 3.78

20.63%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$1.95 R 32.16

$1.30 TND 3.90

50.00%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.58 R 26.08

$0.34 TND 1.03

364.71%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$61.4 R 1,011

$10.20 TND 30.56

501.57%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$1.11 R 18.34

$0.31 TND 0.94

258.06%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$0.95 R 15.64

$0.35 TND 1.03

171.43%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$7.46 R 123

$4.03 TND 12.08

85.11%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.46 R 23.98

$0.85 TND 2.55

71.76%

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

$35.4K R 583.7K

$38.6K TND 115.7K

-8.30%

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

$30.9K R 509.0K

$35.5K TND 106.3K

-12.92%

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

$134 R 2,201

$54.5 TND 163

145.04%

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

$34.44 R 567

$10.09 TND 30.23

241.33%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$40.37 R 665

$19.48 TND 58.3

107.24%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$34.11 R 562

$26.65 TND 79.8

27.99%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$11.59 R 191

$11.63 TND 34.84

-0.34%

Cinema Ticket

$7.17 R 118

$5.29 TND 15.83

35.54%

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

$227 R 3,746

$81.9 TND 245

177.56%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$5,487 R 90.4K

$2,782 TND 8,332

97.23%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$53.7 R 885

$40.91 TND 123

31.34%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$33.60 R 554

$52.7 TND 158

-36.21%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$99.9 R 1,645

$97.9 TND 293

2.01%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$87.4 R 1,440

$75.5 TND 226

15.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$482 R 7,943

$225 TND 674

114.38%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$399 R 6,568

$151 TND 451

164.68%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$935 R 15.4K

$391 TND 1,170

139.30%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$818 R 13.5K

$276 TND 825

196.73%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$1,096 R 18.1K

$1,033 TND 3,094

6.11%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$785 R 12.9K

$626 TND 1,875

25.36%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$1,515 R 25.0K

$320 TND 960

372.67%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

11.23

2.09%

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

Last update for South Africa: October 11, 2026

Last update for Tunisia: October 13, 2026

Monthly budget structure

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

Accommodation & Living

South Africa

$399 33%

Tunisia

$151 22.3% 62.2% $248

Monthly Utilities & Internet

South Africa

$208 17.2%

Tunisia

$84 12.4% 59.7% $124

Groceries & Markets

South Africa

$197 16.3%

Tunisia

$195 28.8% 0.8% $1.6

Eating Out

South Africa

$160 13.2%

Tunisia

$76 11.2% 52.5% $84

Clothing & Footwear

South Africa

$124 10.2%

Tunisia

$120 17.8% 2.8% $3.4

Getting Around

South Africa

$74 6.1%

Tunisia

$14 2% 81.5% $60

Sport & Entertainment

South Africa

$48 4%

Tunisia

$37 5.5% 23.2% $11

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $421 in South Africa vs $203 in Tunisia. For reference, capital cities sit at $1,021 in Cape Town and $390 in Tunis.

Average salary: $1,487 in South Africa vs $307 in Tunisia. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 107% higher in South Africa.

Dining out costs 111% more in South Africa.

Public transport is 89% more expensive in South Africa.

Salaries are 384% higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know

🇿🇦 South Africa

🇹🇳 Tunisia

🕒 Local time

04:30 4:30 AM

03:30 3:30 AM

1 h behind South Africa

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

62,027,503

11,565,204

💱 Currency

South African Rand ZAR R

Tunisian Dinar TND د.ت

📈 Exchange rate

100 ZAR = 6.07 USD

100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR

1 TND = 0.334 USD

1 TND = 0.297 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

TND, USD, EUR to ZAR – South African Rand Converter

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

🇿🇦 South African Rand (R)

South African Rand exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 16.48 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6.07 USD). 1 EUR = 18.52 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.4 EUR).

Tunisian Dinar exchange rates as of October 20, 2026: 1 USD = 2.99 TND (1 TND = 0.334 USD). 1 EUR = 3.37 TND (1 TND = 0.297 EUR).

USD to ZAR in detail →

On the map

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Between locations

South Africa Tunisia 7,520 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

South Africa
Tunisia

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 Tunisia: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Tunisia is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 79% lower on average.

Housing costs more in South Africa: a central one-bedroom averages $421 versus $203 in Tunisia.

Groceries, public transport, and eating out all cost less in Tunisia, adding to the overall 79% price gap.

$1,000 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Tunisia, but in South Africa it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.

Tunisia is the budget-friendly choice for expats – lower housing and daily costs. But cost isn't everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.