Cost of living comparison

compared to

Cayman Islands vs. South Africa Cost of Living Summary

Cayman Islands is 3.9 times more expensive than South Africa overall.

Restaurants: pay 3.0 times more in Cayman Islands
Groceries: pay 4.1 times more in Cayman Islands
Transportation: pay 2.4 times more in Cayman Islands
Housing: pay 4.6 times more in Cayman Islands
Childcare: pay 7.4 times more in Cayman Islands
Entertainment and Sports: pay 3.9 times more in Cayman Islands
Clothing: pay 66.7% more in Cayman Islands

The cost of childcare, housing, groceries, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and transportation in Cayman Islands are more expensive than in South Africa. Notably, childcare, housing, and groceries are significantly more expensive in Cayman Islands.

Cayman Islands vs. South Africa Cost Breakdown

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

Display currency: USD

pay 3.0 times more for restaurants

	South Africa	Cayman Islands
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$9.33 ZAR159.73	$25.98 KYD21.59	+178.3%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$5.11 ZAR87.49	$13.39 KYD11.13	+162.0%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.03 ZAR17.65	$3.43 KYD2.85	+232.6%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.80 ZAR13.74	$2.64 KYD2.19	+228.6%
Average			+200.4%

South Africa vs. Cayman Islands - Cost of restaurants

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pay 4.1 times more for groceries

	South Africa	Cayman Islands
Bread 1 loaf	$1.00 ZAR17.16	$5.68 KYD4.72	+466.4%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$3.88 ZAR66.47	$5.40 KYD4.49	+39.1%
Milk (1 gallon)	$4.37 ZAR74.79	$11.94 KYD9.92	+173.1%
Eggs 1 dozen	$2.33 ZAR39.93	$7.93 KYD6.59	+240.0%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$2.13 ZAR36.52	$7.20 KYD5.98	+237.2%
Apples (1 lb)	$0.73 ZAR12.46	$4.75 KYD3.95	+552.0%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.65 ZAR11.16	$2.05 KYD1.70	+214.5%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.68 ZAR11.70	$3.53 KYD2.93	+415.8%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.71 ZAR12.14	$3.46 KYD2.88	+388.6%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.59 ZAR10.02	$2.40 KYD2.00	+310.3%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.60 ZAR10.27	$2.51 KYD2.09	+318.7%
Average			+305.1%

South Africa vs. Cayman Islands - Cost of groceries

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pay 2.4 times more for transportation

	South Africa	Cayman Islands
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.92 ZAR84.25	$6.42 KYD5.34	+30.5%
Monthly public transit pass	$56.18 ZAR961.29	$29.99 KYD24.92	-46.6%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$21,394.82 ZAR366,106.47	$35,985.79 KYD29,903.12	+68.2%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$9.34 ZAR159.79	$55.34 KYD45.98	+492.6%
Average			+136.2%

South Africa vs. Cayman Islands - Cost of transportation

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pay 4.6 times more for housing

	South Africa	Cayman Islands
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$39.36 ZAR673.48	$110.43 KYD91.76	+180.6%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$404.16 ZAR6,915.94	$2,734.92 KYD2,272.64	+576.7%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$361.59 ZAR6,187.51	$1,947.14 KYD1,618.02	+438.5%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$88.13 ZAR1,508.04	$305.30 KYD253.69	+246.4%
Average			+360.6%

South Africa vs. Cayman Islands - Cost of housing

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pay 7.4 times more for childcare

	South Africa	Cayman Islands
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$173.48 ZAR2,968.50	$1,591.04 KYD1,322.11	+817.2%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$3,962.11 ZAR67,799.29	$22,294.31 KYD18,525.90	+462.7%
Average			+640.0%

South Africa vs. Cayman Islands - Cost of childcare

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pay 3.9 times more for entertainment and sports

	South Africa	Cayman Islands
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$2.18 ZAR37.27	$8.40 KYD6.98	+285.5%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.05 ZAR35.06	$6.53 KYD5.43	+218.7%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$2.96 ZAR50.72	$14.39 KYD11.96	+385.7%
Monthly membership at local gym	$30.26 ZAR517.83	$147.84 KYD122.85	+388.5%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$6.85 ZAR117.19	$17.99 KYD14.95	+162.7%
Average			+288.2%

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

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pay 66.7% more for clothing

	South Africa	Cayman Islands
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$50.74 ZAR868.31	$74.97 KYD62.30	+47.7%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$32.75 ZAR560.46	$70.47 KYD58.56	+115.2%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$94.19 ZAR1,611.79	$127.28 KYD105.77	+35.1%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$81.80 ZAR1,399.67	$137.95 KYD114.63	+68.6%
Average			+66.7%

South Africa vs. Cayman Islands - 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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