Cost of living comparison

compared to

Burkina Faso vs. South Africa Cost of Living Summary

Burkina Faso is 1.4% cheaper than South Africa overall.

Restaurants
pay 5.5% less in Burkina Faso
Groceries
pay 71.4% more in Burkina Faso
Transportation
pay 5.0% more in Burkina Faso
Housing
pay 19.6% less in Burkina Faso
Childcare
pay 54.4% less in Burkina Faso
Entertainment and Sports
pay 9.2% less in Burkina Faso
Clothing
pay 0.4% less in Burkina Faso

The cost of groceries and transportation in Burkina Faso are more expensive than in South Africa. Expenses including childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and clothing are lower in Burkina Faso.

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Burkina Faso vs. South Africa Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Burkina Faso instead of South Africa, you would:

pay 5.5% less for restaurants

 
South Africa
Burkina Faso
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $10.21
ZAR168.45
$7.25
F CFA4,236
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
 $5.91
ZAR97.49
$7.25
F CFA4,236
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.08
ZAR17.88
$1.08
F CFA631
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pay 71.4% more for groceries

 
South Africa
Burkina Faso
Bread
1 loaf
 $1.07
ZAR17.59
$1.11
F CFA648
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.08
ZAR67.33
$8.54
F CFA4,983
Milk (1 gallon) $4.58
ZAR75.49
$7.59
F CFA4,433
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pay 5.0% more for transportation

 
South Africa
Burkina Faso
Gasoline (1 gallon) $5.49
ZAR90.53
$5.49
F CFA3,207
Monthly public transit pass $65.15
ZAR1,074.55
??
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $32,517.32
ZAR536K
$36,701.04
F CFA21M
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pay 19.6% less for housing

 
South Africa
Burkina Faso
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
 $38.93
ZAR642.17
$54.06
F CFA31,559
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $421.37
ZAR6,950.09
$341.40
F CFA199K
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $369.24
ZAR6,090.32
$230.45
F CFA135K
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pay 54.4% less for childcare

 
South Africa
Burkina Faso
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $199.53
ZAR3,291.11
$34.14
F CFA19,932
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $4,917.78
ZAR81,113.80
$5,974.59
F CFA3M
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pay 9.2% less for entertainment and sports

 
South Africa
Burkina Faso
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $2.25
ZAR37.13
$1.19
F CFA698
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.25
ZAR37.18
$1.99
F CFA1,163
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
 $3.16
ZAR52.13
$1.32
F CFA772
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pay 0.4% less for clothing

 
South Africa
Burkina Faso
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
 $52.66
ZAR868.55
$34.14
F CFA19,932
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
 $34.13
ZAR562.92
$51.21
F CFA29,898
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
 $99.75
ZAR1,645.29
$85.35
F CFA49,830
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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

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Compare further: South Africa vs. Burkina Faso

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