Cost of living comparison
compared to
Northern Mariana Islands vs. South Africa Cost of Living Summary
Northern Mariana Islands is 74.6% more expensive than South Africa overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 70.8% more in Northern Mariana Islands
- Groceries
-
pay 2.7 times more in Northern Mariana Islands
- Transportation
-
pay 71.2% more in Northern Mariana Islands
- Housing
-
pay 80.0% more in Northern Mariana Islands
- Childcare
-
pay 51.4% more in Northern Mariana Islands
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 99.8% more in Northern Mariana Islands
- Clothing
-
pay 19.3% less in Northern Mariana Islands
The cost of groceries, entertainment and sports, housing, transportation, restaurants, and childcare in Northern Mariana Islands are more expensive than in South Africa. Notably, groceries, entertainment and sports, and housing are significantly more expensive in Northern Mariana Islands.
Northern Mariana Islands vs. South Africa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Northern Mariana Islands instead of South Africa, you would:
pay 70.8% more for restaurants
|
South Africa
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$9.33
ZAR157.52
|
$11.50
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.11
ZAR86.28
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.03
ZAR17.41
|
$1.67
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.80
ZAR13.55
|
$1.32
|
|
South Africa vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.7 times more for groceries
|
South Africa
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.00
ZAR16.92
|
$3.33
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.88
ZAR65.55
|
?? | |
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.37
ZAR73.76
|
$8.44
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.33
ZAR39.37
|
$6.33
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.13
ZAR36.01
|
$6.00
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.73
ZAR12.29
|
$2.99
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
ZAR11.00
|
$1.00
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.68
ZAR11.53
|
$2.99
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.71
ZAR11.97
|
?? | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.59
ZAR9.88
|
$0.95
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.60
ZAR10.12
|
$1.03
|
|
South Africa vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of groceries
pay 71.2% more for transportation
|
South Africa
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.92
ZAR83.08
|
$5.49
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$56.18
ZAR948.01
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$21,394.82
ZAR361,047.35
|
$36,999.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$9.34
ZAR157.58
|
$21.41
|
|
South Africa vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of transportation
pay 80.0% more for housing
|
South Africa
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$39.36
ZAR664.17
|
$60.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$404.16
ZAR6,820.37
|
$625.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$361.59
ZAR6,102.01
|
$450.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$88.13
ZAR1,487.20
|
$254.42
|
|
South Africa vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of housing
pay 51.4% more for childcare
|
South Africa
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$173.48
ZAR2,927.47
|
?? | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$3,962.11
ZAR66,862.39
|
$6,000.00
|
|
South Africa vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of childcare
pay 99.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Africa
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.18
ZAR36.75
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.05
ZAR34.58
|
$5.12
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.96
ZAR50.02
|
?? | |
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$30.26
ZAR510.68
|
$47.50
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$6.85
ZAR115.57
|
$8.00
|
|
South Africa vs. Northern Mariana Islands - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 19.3% less for clothing
|
South Africa
|
Northern Mariana Islands
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.74
ZAR856.31
|
$30.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$32.75
ZAR552.72
|
$40.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$94.19
ZAR1,589.52
|
$70.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$81.80
ZAR1,380.33
|
$55.00
|
|
South Africa vs. Northern Mariana Islands - 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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