Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Africa vs. Northern Mariana Islands Cost of Living Summary
South Africa is 30.6% cheaper than Northern Mariana Islands overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 38.3% less in South Africa
- Groceries
-
pay 57.0% less in South Africa
- Transportation
-
pay 36.3% less in South Africa
- Housing
-
pay 38.7% less in South Africa
- Childcare
-
pay 34.0% less in South Africa
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 43.6% less in South Africa
- Clothing
-
pay 33.6% more in South Africa
Expenses including groceries, entertainment and sports, housing, restaurants, transportation, and childcare are lower in South Africa.
South Africa vs. Northern Mariana Islands Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Africa instead of Northern Mariana Islands, you would:
pay 38.3% less for restaurants
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$11.50
|
$9.33
ZAR159.73
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.00
|
$5.11
ZAR87.49
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.67
|
$1.03
ZAR17.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.32
|
$0.80
ZAR13.74
|
|
Northern Mariana Islands vs. South Africa - Cost of restaurants
pay 57.0% less for groceries
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.33
|
$1.00
ZAR17.16
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) | ?? |
$3.88
ZAR66.47
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.44
|
$4.37
ZAR74.79
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$6.33
|
$2.33
ZAR39.93
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.00
|
$2.13
ZAR36.52
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.99
|
$0.73
ZAR12.46
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.00
|
$0.65
ZAR11.16
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.99
|
$0.68
ZAR11.70
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | ?? |
$0.71
ZAR12.14
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.95
|
$0.59
ZAR10.02
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.03
|
$0.60
ZAR10.27
|
|
Northern Mariana Islands vs. South Africa - Cost of groceries
pay 36.3% less for transportation
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.49
|
$4.92
ZAR84.25
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass | ?? |
$56.18
ZAR961.29
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,999.00
|
$21,394.82
ZAR366,106.47
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$21.41
|
$9.34
ZAR159.79
|
|
Northern Mariana Islands vs. South Africa - Cost of transportation
pay 38.7% less for housing
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$60.00
|
$39.36
ZAR673.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$625.00
|
$404.16
ZAR6,915.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$450.00
|
$361.59
ZAR6,187.51
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$254.42
|
$88.13
ZAR1,508.04
|
|
Northern Mariana Islands vs. South Africa - Cost of housing
pay 34.0% less for childcare
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | ?? |
$173.48
ZAR2,968.50
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$6,000.00
|
$3,962.11
ZAR67,799.29
|
|
Northern Mariana Islands vs. South Africa - Cost of childcare
pay 43.6% less for entertainment and sports
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$2.18
ZAR37.27
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.12
|
$2.05
ZAR35.06
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
?? |
$2.96
ZAR50.72
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$47.50
|
$30.26
ZAR517.83
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$8.00
|
$6.85
ZAR117.19
|
|
Northern Mariana Islands vs. South Africa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 33.6% more for clothing
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$30.00
|
$50.74
ZAR868.31
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$40.00
|
$32.75
ZAR560.46
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$70.00
|
$94.19
ZAR1,611.79
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$55.00
|
$81.80
ZAR1,399.67
|
|
Northern Mariana Islands vs. South Africa - Cost of clothing
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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