Cost of living comparison
compared to
Benin vs. South Africa Cost of Living Summary
Benin is 2.8% more expensive than South Africa overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 12.4% less in Benin
- Groceries
-
pay 38.5% more in Benin
- Transportation
-
pay 14.2% less in Benin
- Housing
-
pay 12.9% more in Benin
- Childcare
-
pay 12.4% more in Benin
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 49.2% more in Benin
- Clothing
-
pay 67.1% less in Benin
The cost of entertainment and sports, groceries, housing, and childcare in Benin are more expensive than in South Africa. Expenses including clothing, transportation, and restaurants are lower in Benin.
Benin vs. South Africa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Benin instead of South Africa, you would:
pay 12.4% less for restaurants
|
South Africa
|
Benin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$9.33
ZAR159.73
|
$3.56
F CFA2,014
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.11
ZAR87.49
|
$6.23
F CFA3,525
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.03
ZAR17.65
|
$0.93
F CFA529
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.80
ZAR13.74
|
$0.80
F CFA453
|
|
South Africa vs. Benin - Cost of restaurants
pay 38.5% more for groceries
|
South Africa
|
Benin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.00
ZAR17.16
|
$1.60
F CFA906
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.88
ZAR66.47
|
$4.90
F CFA2,770
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.37
ZAR74.79
|
$10.90
F CFA6,164
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.33
ZAR39.93
|
$2.42
F CFA1,368
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.13
ZAR36.52
|
$2.36
F CFA1,336
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.73
ZAR12.46
|
$1.62
F CFA914
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
ZAR11.16
|
$0.85
F CFA480
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.68
ZAR11.70
|
$0.62
F CFA350
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.71
ZAR12.14
|
$0.74
F CFA419
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.59
ZAR10.02
|
$0.67
F CFA381
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.60
ZAR10.27
|
$0.67
F CFA381
|
|
South Africa vs. Benin - Cost of groceries
pay 14.2% less for transportation
|
South Africa
|
Benin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.92
ZAR84.25
|
$4.13
F CFA2,337
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$56.18
ZAR961.29
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$21,394.82
ZAR366,106.47
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$9.34
ZAR159.79
|
$8.19
F CFA4,633
|
|
South Africa vs. Benin - Cost of transportation
pay 12.9% more for housing
|
South Africa
|
Benin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$39.36
ZAR673.48
|
$50.45
F CFA28,537
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$404.16
ZAR6,915.94
|
$211.44
F CFA119,604
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$361.59
ZAR6,187.51
|
$142.45
F CFA80,575
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$88.13
ZAR1,508.04
|
$204.24
F CFA115,531
|
|
South Africa vs. Benin - Cost of housing
pay 12.4% more for childcare
|
South Africa
|
Benin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$173.48
ZAR2,968.50
|
$136.51
F CFA77,218
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$3,962.11
ZAR67,799.29
|
$5,786.92
F CFA3,273,365
|
|
South Africa vs. Benin - Cost of childcare
pay 49.2% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Africa
|
Benin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.18
ZAR37.27
|
$1.07
F CFA604
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.05
ZAR35.06
|
$5.94
F CFA3,357
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.96
ZAR50.72
|
$3.56
F CFA2,014
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$30.26
ZAR517.83
|
$47.48
F CFA26,858
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$6.85
ZAR117.19
|
$8.90
F CFA5,036
|
|
South Africa vs. Benin - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 67.1% less for clothing
|
South Africa
|
Benin
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.74
ZAR868.31
|
$17.81
F CFA10,072
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$32.75
ZAR560.46
|
$8.90
F CFA5,036
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$94.19
ZAR1,611.79
|
$8.90
F CFA5,036
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$81.80
ZAR1,399.67
|
$48.97
F CFA27,698
|
|
South Africa vs. Benin - 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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