DR Congo vs South Africa - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

DR Congo South Africa
🚶 Cost of living one person
$1064
$1016
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2418
$2301
🏠 One person rent
$477
$520
🏘️ Family rent
$785
$843
🍽️ Food expenses
$347
$290
🚐 Transport expenses
$158
$120
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$147
$1121
💸 GDP per capita
$647
$6253
😃 Human freedom index
5.29
7.1
❤️ Life expectancy
61.9
66.1
👮 Corruption perceptions index
20
41
🌐 English speaking %
1%
31%
🎓 Higher education
44
82
😀 Quality of life
8
40
🏙️ Population
109M
64M

The average cost of living in the DR Congo ($1064) is 5% more expensive than in South Africa ($1016). the DR Congo ranked 85th vs 94th for South Africa in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.

The average after-tax salary is enough to cover living expenses for 0.1 months in the DR Congo compared to 1.1 months in South Africa. Ranked 191st and 128th best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in DR Congo vs South Africa infographic

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Prices in the DR Congo vs South Africa

We calculate prices for the DR Congo and South Africa as a population-weighted mean of 25 and 36 cities, respectively. Since large cities tend to have a higher cost of living, it's better to visit specific city pages below for more relevant information.

DR Congo South Africa
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$7.75
$9.29
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$72.1
$37.7
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$6.08
$4.92
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$2.02
$2.37
 Cappuccino
$4.01
$2.1
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$1.21
$1.09
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$951
$518
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$204
$376
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1686
$933
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$908
$746
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$95.4
$75.4
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$148
$117
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$29
$40.2
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
12.73%
11.51%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1293
$1209
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$595
$891
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.59
$2.01
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$76.8
$46.6
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$10.1
$10.7
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$1.21
$1.27
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$1.15
$1.18
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.68
$1.01
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.73
$1.56
🥚 Eggs, x12
$2.44
$2.45
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$6.92
$8.66
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.66
$5.01
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$9
$7.26
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.71
$1.67
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.63
$1.6
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.63
$1.62
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.67
$1.65
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.37
$1.35
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.14
$1.41
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.76
$0.68
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$1.5
$1.44
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$11.2
$5.62
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$1.83
$1.42
🚬 Cigarette pack
$4.29
$3.01
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$2.11
$5.02
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$3.07
$3.6
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$1.32
$1.86
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$0.87
$1.35
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$42.1
$32.7
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$12.8
$6.96
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$42.1
$29.6
💇 Haircut, simple
$5.14
$6.48
👖 Brand Jeans
$22.8
$52.4
👟 Brand Sneakers
$46.8
$96.9
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$120
$201
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$3963
$4714

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in the DR Congo vs South Africa

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In the DR Congo

City Cost of living Population
Kinshasa
$1148
14.6M
Kolwezi
$1045
573K
Likasi
$1032
423K
Mbuji-Mayi
$1059
2.89M
Kananga
$1029
1.97M
Lubumbashi
$1124
1.79M
Kisangani
$957
1.37M
Tshikapa
$993
1.01M
Uvira
$842
726K
Bukavu
$803
707K
Kalemie
$792
147K
Mbandaka
$836
470K
Kikwit
$928
398K
Bunia
$833
328K
Matadi
$893
306K
Beni
$820
232K
Mwene-Ditu
$897
196K
Isiro
$879
183K
Kindu
$793
172K
Boma
$871
163K
Butembo
$804
155K
Gandajika
$885
146K
Gemena
$808
139K
Bumba
$858
103K
Mbanza-Ngungu
$864
100K

In South Africa

City Cost of living Population
Johannesburg
$1082
4.43M
Soweto
$984
1.27M
Cape Town
$1231
3.78M
Pretoria
$975
742K
Pietermaritzburg
$705
839K
Rustenburg
$940
550K
Durban
$892
595K
Centurion
$892
237K
Sandton
$984
222K
Randburg
$890
337K
East London
$784
267K
Kimberley
$861
225K
Benoni
$826
159K
George
$857
157K
Klerksdorp
$762
187K
Springs
$740
122K
Kroonstad
$808
169K
Paarl
$1243
112K
Potchefstroom
$731
149K
Vereeniging
$706
99K
Middelburg
$830
87.3K
Makhanda
$814
67.3K
Uitenhage
$946
104K
Worcester
$666
97.1K
Vanderbijlpark
$799
95.8K
Port Elizabeth
$1005
312K
Upington
$746
121K
Mthatha
$901
96.1K
Bloemfontein
$698
256K
Komani
$988
68.9K