Nigeria vs South Africa - Cost of Living Comparison

Updated:

Livingcost

Nigeria South Africa
🚶 Cost of living one person
$865
$924
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Cost of living Family
$2279
$2166
🏠 One person rent
$475
$470
🏘️ Family rent
$1184
$833
🍽️ Food expenses
$235
$264
🚐 Transport expenses
$110
$111
💳 Monthly salary after tax
$139
$1385
💸 GDP per capita
$1597
$6023
😃 Human freedom index
5.61
7.1
❤️ Life expectancy
53.6
61.5
👮 Corruption perceptions index
26
41
🌐 English speaking %
60.6%
31%
🎓 Higher education
61
82
😀 Quality of life
10
36
🏙️ Population
211M
62M

The average cost of living in Nigeria ($865) is 6% less expensive than in South Africa ($924). Nigeria ranked 107th 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 0.2 months in Nigeria compared to 1.5 months in South Africa. Ranked 189th and 132nd best countries to live in the world.

Salary adjustment calculator
the estimated difference in money purchasing power

Cost of living in Nigeria vs South Africa infographic

Share this infographic!

Prices in Nigeria vs South Africa

We calculate prices for Nigeria and South Africa as a population-weighted mean of 33 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.

Nigeria South Africa
Eating Out
🍱 Lunch Menu
$2.58
$8.19
🥂 Dinner in a Restaurant, for 2
$31.6
$33.3
🥪 Fast food meal, equiv. McDonald's
$6.17
$4.58
🍻 Beer in a Pub, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$0.86
$2.27
 Cappuccino
$2.19
$1.94
🥤 Pepsi / Coke, 0.5 L or 16.9 fl oz
$0.38
$0.98
Rent & Utilities
🏙️ 1 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$594
$462
🏡 Cheap 1 bedroom apartment, 40 m2 or 430 ft2
$387
$339
🏙️ 3 bedroom apartment in Downtown, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$1646
$835
🏡 Cheap 3 bedroom apartment, 80 m2 or 860 ft2
$997
$654
🔌 Utility Bill one person, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$21.2
$67.6
🔌 Utility Bill for a Family, electricity, heating, water, etc.
$32.3
$104
🌐 Internet plan, 50 Mbps+ 1 month unlimited
$25.2
$38.4
🏦 Mortgage Interest Rate for 20 Years
17.28%
11.55%
🏙️ Apartment price to Buy in city Center, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1306
$1135
🏡 House price to Buy in Suburbs, 1 m2 or 10 ft2
$1105
$830
Transportation
🚌 Local transport ticket
$0.54
$1.62
🎟️ Monthly ticket local transport
$26.5
$47.6
🚕 Taxi Ride, 8 km or 5 mi
$13.6
$9.18
 Gas / Petrol, 1 L or 0.26 gal
$0.55
$1.22
Groceries
🥛 Milk, 1 L or 1 qt
$2.1
$1.09
🍞 Bread, 0.5 kg or 1.1 lb
$1.24
$0.95
🍚 Rice, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.81
$1.39
🥚 Eggs, x12
$1.95
$2.38
🧀 Cheese, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.45
$8.21
🐔 Chicken Breast, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.08
$4.78
🥩 Round Steak, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$4.82
$6.58
🍏 Apples, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$3.26
$1.51
🍌 Banana, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$2.39
$1.43
🍊 Oranges, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.6
$1.45
🍅 Tomato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.74
$1.52
🥔 Potato, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.62
$1.27
🧅 Onion, 1 kg or 2.2 lb
$1.88
$1.29
🌊 Water, 1 L or 1 qt
$0.42
$0.61
🍹 Coca-Cola / Pepsi, 2 L or 67.6 fl oz
$0.72
$1.32
🍾 Wine (mid-priced), 750 mL bottle
$4.31
$5.35
🍺 Beer, 0.5 L or 16 fl oz
$0.81
$1.32
🚬 Cigarette pack
$1.42
$2.85
💊 Cold medicince, 1 week
$1.85
$4.47
🧴 Hair Shampoo
$1.17
$3.31
🧻 Toilet paper, 4 rolls
$0.73
$1.75
👄 Toothpaste, 1 tube
$0.52
$1.24
Other
🏋️ Gym Membership, 1 month
$27.7
$29.3
🎫 Cinema Ticket, 1 person
$5.06
$6.24
👩‍⚕️ Doctor's visit
$9.05
$28
💇 Haircut, simple
$1.88
$5.66
👖 Brand Jeans
$18.9
$47.5
👟 Brand Sneakers
$57.7
$89.2
👶 Daycare or Preschool, 1 month
$84.3
$187
🏫 International Primary School, 1 year
$1810
$4572

Cost of living in other countries

Cost of living

Cities Comparison in Nigeria vs South Africa

More countries to compare

Cost of Living in Popular cities

In Nigeria

City Cost of living Population
Lagos
$1113
15.1M
Kano
$553
4.35M
Abuja
$1502
1.69M
Ibadan
$776
2.55M
Port Harcourt
$679
3.33M
Benin
$558
1.78M
Onitsha
$972
1.48M
Maiduguri
$609
1.2M
Akure
$634
848K
Kaduna
$371
760K
Enugu
$462
1.03M
Ilorin
$535
848K
Bauchi
$759
694K
Ife
$779
502K
Owerri
$1611
908K
Aba
$621
1.16M
Abeokuta
$1030
889K
Jos
$820
623K
Gusau
$587
383K
Zaria
$526
408K
Ado Ekiti
$666
447K
Minna
$743
322K
Katsina
$579
318K
Sokoto
$426
428K
Oyo
$677
387K
Calabar
$384
371K
Owo
$651
222K
Awka
$805
302K
Umuahia
$883
359K
Warri
$881
363K

In South Africa

City Cost of living Population
Johannesburg
$993
4.43M
Cape Town
$1071
3.78M
Soweto
$923
1.27M
Pretoria
$906
742K
Pietermaritzburg
$640
839K
Rustenburg
$889
550K
Durban
$809
595K
Randburg
$837
337K
Centurion
$807
237K
Sandton
$953
222K
East London
$766
267K
Port Elizabeth
$901
312K
Benoni
$785
159K
Kroonstad
$768
169K
Springs
$678
122K
Kimberley
$814
225K
Klerksdorp
$722
187K
Bloemfontein
$657
256K
Vanderbijlpark
$773
95.8K
Mthatha
$852
96.1K
Paarl
$1147
112K
Potchefstroom
$695
149K
Uitenhage
$840
104K
Komani
$915
68.9K
George
$743
157K
Vereeniging
$672
99K
Middelburg
$795
87.3K
Bethal
$784
60.8K
Upington
$699
121K
Brits
$820
53.5K