Cost of living comparison

compared to

South Africa vs. Cayman Islands Cost of Living Summary

South Africa is 60.6% cheaper than Cayman Islands overall.

Restaurants: pay 66.3% less in South Africa
Groceries: pay 70.9% less in South Africa
Transportation: pay 14.9% less in South Africa
Housing: pay 75.5% less in South Africa
Childcare: pay 85.7% less in South Africa
Entertainment and Sports: pay 72.7% less in South Africa
Clothing: pay 38.1% less in South Africa

Expenses including childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, groceries, restaurants, and clothing are lower in South Africa.

South Africa vs. Cayman Islands Cost Breakdown

If you lived in South Africa instead of Cayman Islands, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 66.3% less for restaurants

	Cayman Islands	South Africa
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$25.98 KYD21.59	$9.33 ZAR159.73	-64.1%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$13.39 KYD11.13	$5.11 ZAR87.49	-61.8%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$3.43 KYD2.85	$1.03 ZAR17.65	-69.9%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$2.64 KYD2.19	$0.80 ZAR13.74	-69.6%
Average			-66.3%

Cayman Islands vs. South Africa - Cost of restaurants

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pay 70.9% less for groceries

	Cayman Islands	South Africa
Bread 1 loaf	$5.68 KYD4.72	$1.00 ZAR17.16	-82.3%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$5.40 KYD4.49	$3.88 ZAR66.47	-28.1%
Milk (1 gallon)	$11.94 KYD9.92	$4.37 ZAR74.79	-63.4%
Eggs 1 dozen	$7.93 KYD6.59	$2.33 ZAR39.93	-70.6%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$7.20 KYD5.98	$2.13 ZAR36.52	-70.3%
Apples (1 lb)	$4.75 KYD3.95	$0.73 ZAR12.46	-84.7%
Bananas (1 lb)	$2.05 KYD1.70	$0.65 ZAR11.16	-68.2%
Oranges (1 lb)	$3.53 KYD2.93	$0.68 ZAR11.70	-80.6%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$3.46 KYD2.88	$0.71 ZAR12.14	-79.5%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$2.40 KYD2.00	$0.59 ZAR10.02	-75.6%
Onions (1 lb)	$2.51 KYD2.09	$0.60 ZAR10.27	-76.1%
Average			-70.9%

Cayman Islands vs. South Africa - Cost of groceries

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pay 14.9% less for transportation

	Cayman Islands	South Africa
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$6.42 KYD5.34	$4.92 ZAR84.25	-23.4%
Monthly public transit pass	$29.99 KYD24.92	$56.18 ZAR961.29	+87.3%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$35,985.79 KYD29,903.12	$21,394.82 ZAR366,106.47	-40.5%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$55.34 KYD45.98	$9.34 ZAR159.79	-83.1%
Average			-14.9%

Cayman Islands vs. South Africa - Cost of transportation

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pay 75.5% less for housing

	Cayman Islands	South Africa
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$110.43 KYD91.76	$39.36 ZAR673.48	-64.4%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$2,734.92 KYD2,272.64	$404.16 ZAR6,915.94	-85.2%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$1,947.14 KYD1,618.02	$361.59 ZAR6,187.51	-81.4%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$305.30 KYD253.69	$88.13 ZAR1,508.04	-71.1%
Average			-75.5%

Cayman Islands vs. South Africa - Cost of housing

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pay 85.7% less for childcare

	Cayman Islands	South Africa
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$1,591.04 KYD1,322.11	$173.48 ZAR2,968.50	-89.1%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$22,294.31 KYD18,525.90	$3,962.11 ZAR67,799.29	-82.2%
Average			-85.7%

Cayman Islands vs. South Africa - Cost of childcare

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pay 72.7% less for entertainment and sports

	Cayman Islands	South Africa
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$8.40 KYD6.98	$2.18 ZAR37.27	-74.1%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$6.53 KYD5.43	$2.05 ZAR35.06	-68.6%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$14.39 KYD11.96	$2.96 ZAR50.72	-79.4%
Monthly membership at local gym	$147.84 KYD122.85	$30.26 ZAR517.83	-79.5%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$17.99 KYD14.95	$6.85 ZAR117.19	-61.9%
Average			-72.7%

Cayman Islands vs. South Africa - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 38.1% less for clothing

	Cayman Islands	South Africa
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$74.97 KYD62.30	$50.74 ZAR868.31	-32.3%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$70.47 KYD58.56	$32.75 ZAR560.46	-53.5%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$127.28 KYD105.77	$94.19 ZAR1,611.79	-26.0%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$137.95 KYD114.63	$81.80 ZAR1,399.67	-40.7%
Average			-38.1%

Cayman Islands vs. South Africa - Cost of clothing

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The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you. We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025

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