Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Sudan and South Africa

For one person, living is cheaper in Sudan: $590 a month against $1,197 in South Africa, rent and utilities included – about $7,300 less a year. Other living expenses account for most of the difference.

Sudan
South Africa
🇸🇩 Sudan
$590
/mo nomad
🇿🇦 South Africa
$1,197
/mo nomad
Monthly Cost of Living

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

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Sudan and in South Africa actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

A single person spends $590 per month in Sudan vs $1,197 in South Africa, rent included.

  • Sudan $590
  • South Africa $1,197

A couple spends around $955 per month in Sudan vs $1,879 in South Africa, rent included.

  • Sudan $955
  • South Africa $1,879

A family of three spends $1,320 per month in Sudan vs $2,562 in South Africa, rent included.

  • Sudan $1,320
  • South Africa $2,562

The regional cost range is wider in South Africa ($622–$1,527) than in Sudan ($462–$661), so city choice matters more there.

The cost of living in Sudan is roughly 51% lower than in South Africa on average.

Both Sudan and South Africa are more affordable than the global median – Sudan 56% lower, South Africa 11% lower.

Currency
🍽 Eating Out
Sudan
South Africa
Difference
Meal at Budget Restaurant
$2.98 SDG 1,781
$10.89 R 182
-72.64%
Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range
$14.17 SDG 8,482
$42.93 R 715
-66.99%
Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)
$2.61 SDG 1,560
$5.62 R 93.7
-53.56%
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter draught)
$1.84 SDG 1,103
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$2.09 SDG 1,249
-
-
Cappuccino
$1.77 SDG 1,059
$2.34 R 39.06
-24.36%
Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.65 SDG 387
$1.10 R 18.36
-40.91%
Water (0.33 liter bottle)
$0.59 SDG 351
$0.84 R 13.93
-29.76%
Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)
-
$2.43 R 40.49
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$2.96 R 49.24
-
🛒 Groceries & Markets
Sudan
South Africa
Difference
Milk (1 liter)
$1.17 SDG 701
$1.19 R 19.77
-1.68%
White Bread (500g)
$1.08 SDG 648
$1.12 R 18.70
-3.57%
Rice (white) (1kg)
$1.05 SDG 628
$1.83 R 30.54
-42.62%
Eggs
$2.79 SDG 1,671
$2.51 R 41.78
11.16%
Local Cheese (1kg)
$6.59 SDG 3,942
$8.25 R 137
-20.12%
Chicken Fillets (1kg)
$8.49 SDG 5,079
$5.32 R 88.6
59.59%
Beef Round Steak (1kg)
$14.45 SDG 8,650
$7.64 R 127
89.14%
Apples (1kg)
$4.25 SDG 2,546
$1.81 R 30.10
134.81%
Banana (1kg)
$1.54 SDG 921
$1.68 R 28.08
-8.33%
Oranges (1kg)
$1.56 SDG 933
$1.78 R 29.73
-12.36%
Tomato (1kg)
$3.27 SDG 1,959
$1.76 R 29.38
85.80%
Potato (1kg)
$1.83 SDG 1,097
$1.50 R 24.93
22.00%
Onion (1kg)
$1.08 SDG 649
$1.46 R 24.30
-26.03%
Lettuce (1 head)
$0.65 SDG 387
$1.29 R 21.54
-49.61%
Water (1.5 liter bottle)
$0.58 SDG 345
$1.13 R 18.89
-48.67%
Bottle of Non-Alcoholic Wine (Mid-Range)
$3.96 SDG 2,369
-
-
Local Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
$0.76 SDG 456
-
-
Imported Non-Alcoholic Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
$1.68 SDG 1,006
-
-
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)
$1.78 SDG 1,066
$3.38 R 56.3
-47.34%
Wine (Bottle)
-
$5.08 R 84.7
-
Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)
-
$1.48 R 24.70
-
Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)
-
$1.96 R 32.64
-
🚌 Getting Around
Sudan
South Africa
Difference
One-way Ticket (Public Transport)
$0.54 SDG 321
$1.53 R 25.48
-64.71%
Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)
-
$60.2 R 1,004
-
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)
$3.68 SDG 2,200
$0.94 R 15.71
291.49%
Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)
-
$0.92 R 15.34
-
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)
$5.01 SDG 2,999
$7.73 R 129
-35.19%
Gasoline (1 liter)
$1.11 SDG 663
$1.44 R 23.97
-22.92%
Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)
$4,938 SDG 3.0M
$35.6K R 592.9K
-86.12%
Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)
$9,865 SDG 5.9M
$32.4K R 540.5K
-69.59%
🧾 Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sudan
South Africa
Difference
Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)
$46.38 SDG 27.8K
$134 R 2,236
-65.43%
SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)
$9.35 SDG 5,594
$34.27 R 571
-72.72%
Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)
$31.87 SDG 19.1K
$40.66 R 678
-21.62%
🎉 Sport & Entertainment
Sudan
South Africa
Difference
Gym Membership (Monthly)
$7.88 SDG 4,715
$32.99 R 550
-76.11%
Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)
-
$11.61 R 194
-
Cinema Ticket
$4.06 SDG 2,433
$7.24 R 121
-43.92%
🧸 Childcare & Education
Sudan
South Africa
Difference
Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)
$85.1 SDG 50.9K
$223 R 3,724
-61.94%
International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)
$1,969 SDG 1.2M
$7,429 R 123.8K
-73.49%
👕👟 Clothing & Footwear
Sudan
South Africa
Difference
Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)
-
$54.0 R 900
-
Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)
$8.71 SDG 5,216
$32.83 R 547
-73.47%
Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)
-
$101 R 1,691
-
Men's Leather Business Shoes
-
$87.2 R 1,454
-
🏠 Accommodation & Living
Sudan
South Africa
Difference
1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$528 SDG 315.8K
$485 R 8,089
8.71%
1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$206 SDG 123.0K
$389 R 6,478
-47.12%
3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)
$1,175 SDG 703.3K
$941 R 15.7K
24.91%
3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)
$452 SDG 270.6K
$795 R 13.3K
-43.15%
Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)
$1,541 SDG 922.2K
$1,071 R 17.8K
43.93%
Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)
$1,112 SDG 665.8K
$768 R 12.8K
44.77%
💵 Salaries & Financials
Sudan
South Africa
Difference
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)
$230 SDG 137.6K
$1,475 R 24.6K
-84.41%
20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)
30
11.23
167.14%

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

Last update for Sudan: October 31, 2026

Last update for South Africa: November 2, 2026

Monthly budget structure
Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.
Groceries & Markets
Sudan
$214
South Africa
$197 7.6% $16
Accommodation & Living
Sudan
$206
South Africa
$389 89.1% $183
Monthly Utilities & Internet
Sudan
$88
South Africa
$209 139% $122
Eating Out
Sudan
$58
South Africa
$158 173% $100
Sport & Entertainment
Sudan
$16
South Africa
$47 197% $31
Getting Around
Sudan
$5.8 *
South Africa
$72 1136% $66
Clothing & Footwear
Sudan
$3.9 *
South Africa
$124 3064% $120

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

Cost Breakdown

Average rent: $640 in Sudan vs $421 in South Africa. For reference, capital cities sit at $531 in Khartoum and $1,047 in Cape Town.

Average salary: $228 in Sudan vs $1,505 in South Africa. The income gap affects purchasing power and how far your budget stretches in each country.

Cost Highlights

Rent is 52% higher in Sudan.

Dining out costs 171% more in South Africa.

Salaries are about 6.6 times higher in South Africa, and purchasing power comes out stronger in South Africa.

Good to know
🇸🇩 Sudan
🇿🇦 South Africa
🕒 Local time
22:08 10:08 PM
22:08 10:08 PM
Same time as Sudan
🌤 Weather
👥 Population
40,533,330
62,027,503
💱 Currency
Exchange rates and currency converter

ZAR, USD, EUR to SDG – Sudanese Pound Converter

Sudanese Pound exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 599 SDG (1,000 SDG = 1.67 USD). 1 EUR = 669 SDG (1,000 SDG = 1.49 EUR).

South African Rand exchange rates as of November 3, 2026: 1 USD = 16.66 ZAR (100 ZAR = 6 USD). 1 EUR = 18.64 ZAR (100 ZAR = 5.37 EUR).

On the map
Between locations
  • Sudan South Africa 5,010 km ≈ 7 h nonstop flight
From you
  • Sudan
  • South Africa

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
Sudan vs South Africa: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions
Is South Africa more expensive than Sudan?
Sudan is the cheaper option – living costs run roughly 51% lower on average.
Is everything cheaper in Sudan?
Not necessarily. Overall, South Africa costs about 103% more, but the gap varies by category, and some expenses can be lower in South Africa. Compare the categories that matter most for your budget.
Is $1,200 a realistic budget in South Africa or in Sudan?
$1,200 buys a comfortable lifestyle in Sudan, but in South Africa it only works with careful planning outside the capital. Same money, very different lives.
Should I move to South Africa or to Sudan?
Sudan is the budget-friendly choice for expats. But cost isn’t everything: visa policies, language, healthcare quality, and job markets all weigh in too.

Sudan vs other spots: cost of living compared

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