Cost of living comparison
compared to
Marshall Islands vs. South Africa Cost of Living Summary
Marshall Islands is 67.8% more expensive than South Africa overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 39.3% more in Marshall Islands
- Groceries
-
pay 3.3 times more in Marshall Islands
- Transportation
-
pay 0.5% less in Marshall Islands
- Housing
-
pay 2.0 times more in Marshall Islands
- Childcare
-
pay 36.5% less in Marshall Islands
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 65.1% more in Marshall Islands
- Clothing
-
pay 27.9% less in Marshall Islands
The cost of groceries, housing, entertainment and sports, and restaurants in Marshall Islands are more expensive than in South Africa. Expenses including childcare, clothing, and transportation are lower in Marshall Islands. Notably, groceries and housing are significantly more expensive in Marshall Islands.
Marshall Islands vs. South Africa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Marshall Islands instead of South Africa, you would:
pay 39.3% more for restaurants
|
South Africa
|
Marshall Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$10.21
ZAR168.45
|
$10.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.91
ZAR97.49
|
$10.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.08
ZAR17.88
|
$1.83
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.84
ZAR13.78
|
$2.00
|
|
South Africa vs. Marshall Islands - Cost of restaurants
pay 3.3 times more for groceries
|
South Africa
|
Marshall Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.07
ZAR17.59
|
$3.40
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.08
ZAR67.33
|
$15.39
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.58
ZAR75.49
|
$8.52
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.56
ZAR42.28
|
$5.19
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.31
ZAR38.16
|
$4.99
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.81
ZAR13.40
|
$1.99
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.74
ZAR12.13
|
$3.29
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.79
ZAR12.95
|
$3.95
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.77
ZAR12.71
|
$5.79
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.64
ZAR10.62
|
$2.39
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.66
ZAR10.85
|
$2.49
|
|
South Africa vs. Marshall Islands - Cost of groceries
pay 0.5% less for transportation
|
South Africa
|
Marshall Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.49
ZAR90.53
|
$6.81
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.15
ZAR1,074.55
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,517.32
ZAR536K
|
$25,000.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$7.35
ZAR121.20
|
?? | |
South Africa vs. Marshall Islands - Cost of transportation
pay 2.0 times more for housing
|
South Africa
|
Marshall Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$38.93
ZAR642.17
|
$80.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$421.37
ZAR6,950.09
|
$775.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$369.24
ZAR6,090.32
|
$875.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$105.57
ZAR1,741.24
|
$191.13
|
|
South Africa vs. Marshall Islands - Cost of housing
pay 36.5% less for childcare
|
South Africa
|
Marshall Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$199.53
ZAR3,291.11
|
$150.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$4,917.78
ZAR81,113.80
|
$2,640.00
|
|
South Africa vs. Marshall Islands - Cost of childcare
pay 65.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Africa
|
Marshall Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.25
ZAR37.13
|
$4.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.25
ZAR37.18
|
$4.33
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.16
ZAR52.13
|
$6.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$31.59
ZAR521.05
|
$37.50
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$7.32
ZAR120.70
|
?? | |
South Africa vs. Marshall Islands - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 27.9% less for clothing
|
South Africa
|
Marshall Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.66
ZAR868.55
|
$70.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$34.13
ZAR562.92
|
$40.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$99.75
ZAR1,645.29
|
$30.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$86.61
ZAR1,428.49
|
$50.00
|
|
South Africa vs. Marshall Islands - Cost of clothing
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. Marshall Islands
Salary Calculator · Free tool
What salary would you need in Marshall Islands?
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Quality of Life Comparison · 14 statistics
Be 81.0% less likely to live below the poverty line in Marshall Islands
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Size Comparison · See true size
South Africa is about 6,735 times bigger than Marshall Islands.
→
Moving from South Africa to Marshall Islands · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→
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