Cost of living comparison

compared to

South Africa vs. French Polynesia Cost of Living Summary

South Africa is 51.9% cheaper than French Polynesia overall.

Restaurants: pay 60.0% less in South Africa
Groceries: pay 54.1% less in South Africa
Transportation: pay 34.1% less in South Africa
Housing: pay 53.3% less in South Africa
Childcare: pay 62.0% less in South Africa
Entertainment and Sports: pay 57.6% less in South Africa
Clothing: pay 42.4% less in South Africa

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

South Africa vs. French Polynesia Cost Breakdown

If you lived in South Africa instead of French Polynesia, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 60.0% less for restaurants

	French Polynesia	South Africa
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$17.45 CFPF1,796	$9.33 ZAR159.73	-46.5%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$13.03 CFPF1,341	$5.11 ZAR87.49	-60.8%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$2.80 CFPF288	$1.03 ZAR17.65	-63.2%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$2.65 CFPF272	$0.80 ZAR13.74	-69.6%
Average			-60.0%

French Polynesia vs. South Africa - Cost of restaurants

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pay 54.1% less for groceries

	French Polynesia	South Africa
Bread 1 loaf	$0.78 CFPF81	$1.00 ZAR17.16	+28.1%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$13.05 CFPF1,343	$3.88 ZAR66.47	-70.2%
Milk (1 gallon)	$6.30 CFPF648	$4.37 ZAR74.79	-30.6%
Eggs 1 dozen	$8.38 CFPF862	$2.33 ZAR39.93	-72.2%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$7.66 CFPF788	$2.13 ZAR36.52	-72.1%
Apples (1 lb)	$2.37 CFPF244	$0.73 ZAR12.46	-69.2%
Bananas (1 lb)	$1.22 CFPF126	$0.65 ZAR11.16	-46.6%
Oranges (1 lb)	$2.66 CFPF274	$0.68 ZAR11.70	-74.3%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$3.60 CFPF370	$0.71 ZAR12.14	-80.3%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$1.37 CFPF140	$0.59 ZAR10.02	-57.1%
Onions (1 lb)	$1.22 CFPF126	$0.60 ZAR10.27	-50.9%
Average			-54.1%

French Polynesia vs. South Africa - Cost of groceries

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pay 34.1% less for transportation

	French Polynesia	South Africa
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$5.87 CFPF604	$4.92 ZAR84.25	-16.1%
Monthly public transit pass	??	$56.18 ZAR961.29
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$19,575.51 CFPF2,014,378	$21,394.82 ZAR366,106.47	+9.3%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$205.54 CFPF21,151	$9.34 ZAR159.79	-95.5%
Average			-34.1%

French Polynesia vs. South Africa - Cost of transportation

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pay 53.3% less for housing

	French Polynesia	South Africa
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$107.34 CFPF11,045	$39.36 ZAR673.48	-63.3%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$1,382.49 CFPF142,262	$404.16 ZAR6,915.94	-70.8%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$1,076.62 CFPF110,788	$361.59 ZAR6,187.51	-66.4%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$100.79 CFPF10,371	$88.13 ZAR1,508.04	-12.6%
Average			-53.3%

French Polynesia vs. South Africa - Cost of housing

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pay 62.0% less for childcare

	French Polynesia	South Africa
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$489.39 CFPF50,359	$173.48 ZAR2,968.50	-64.6%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$9,787.76 CFPF1,007,189	$3,962.11 ZAR67,799.29	-59.5%
Average			-62.0%

French Polynesia vs. South Africa - Cost of childcare

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pay 57.6% less for entertainment and sports

	French Polynesia	South Africa
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$4.53 CFPF466	$2.18 ZAR37.27	-51.9%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$4.37 CFPF450	$2.05 ZAR35.06	-53.1%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$12.14 CFPF1,249	$2.96 ZAR50.72	-75.6%
Monthly membership at local gym	$70.94 CFPF7,299	$30.26 ZAR517.83	-57.3%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$13.70 CFPF1,410	$6.85 ZAR117.19	-50.0%
Average			-57.6%

French Polynesia vs. South Africa - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 42.4% less for clothing

	French Polynesia	South Africa
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$105.95 CFPF10,902	$50.74 ZAR868.31	-52.1%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$84.22 CFPF8,667	$32.75 ZAR560.46	-61.1%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$128.36 CFPF13,209	$94.19 ZAR1,611.79	-26.6%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$116.57 CFPF11,995	$81.80 ZAR1,399.67	-29.8%
Average			-42.4%

French Polynesia 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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