Cost of living comparison
compared to
Palau vs. South Africa Cost of Living Summary
Palau is 82.9% more expensive than South Africa overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 47.4% more in Palau
- Groceries
-
pay 3.4 times more in Palau
- Transportation
-
pay 9.5% more in Palau
- Housing
-
pay 2.2 times more in Palau
- Childcare
-
pay 18.1% less in Palau
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 2.1 times more in Palau
- Clothing
-
pay 69.6% more in Palau
The cost of groceries, housing, entertainment and sports, clothing, restaurants, and transportation in Palau are more expensive than in South Africa. Notably, groceries, housing, and entertainment and sports are significantly more expensive in Palau.
Palau vs. South Africa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Palau instead of South Africa, you would:
pay 47.4% more for restaurants
|
South Africa
|
Palau
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$9.33
ZAR159.73
|
$12.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.11
ZAR87.49
|
$10.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.03
ZAR17.65
|
$1.37
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.80
ZAR13.74
|
$1.07
|
|
South Africa vs. Palau - Cost of restaurants
pay 3.4 times more for groceries
|
South Africa
|
Palau
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.00
ZAR17.16
|
$3.44
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.88
ZAR66.47
|
$5.00
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.37
ZAR74.79
|
$9.97
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.33
ZAR39.93
|
$5.97
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.13
ZAR36.52
|
$6.30
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.73
ZAR12.46
|
$2.40
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
ZAR11.16
|
$1.00
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.68
ZAR11.70
|
$2.50
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.71
ZAR12.14
|
$7.50
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.59
ZAR10.02
|
$2.09
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.60
ZAR10.27
|
$1.50
|
|
South Africa vs. Palau - Cost of groceries
pay 9.5% more for transportation
|
South Africa
|
Palau
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.92
ZAR84.25
|
$6.75
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$56.18
ZAR961.29
|
?? | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$21,394.82
ZAR366,106.47
|
$17,500.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$9.34
ZAR159.79
|
?? | |
South Africa vs. Palau - Cost of transportation
pay 2.2 times more for housing
|
South Africa
|
Palau
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$39.36
ZAR673.48
|
$129.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$404.16
ZAR6,915.94
|
$750.00
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$361.59
ZAR6,187.51
|
$550.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$88.13
ZAR1,508.04
|
?? | |
South Africa vs. Palau - Cost of housing
pay 18.1% less for childcare
|
South Africa
|
Palau
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$173.48
ZAR2,968.50
|
$200.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$3,962.11
ZAR67,799.29
|
$1,920.00
|
|
South Africa vs. Palau - Cost of childcare
pay 2.1 times more for entertainment and sports
|
South Africa
|
Palau
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.18
ZAR37.27
|
$1.50
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.05
ZAR35.06
|
$4.08
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.96
ZAR50.72
|
$11.25
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$30.26
ZAR517.83
|
$55.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$6.85
ZAR117.19
|
?? | |
South Africa vs. Palau - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 69.6% more for clothing
|
South Africa
|
Palau
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.74
ZAR868.31
|
$62.50
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$32.75
ZAR560.46
|
$52.50
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$94.19
ZAR1,611.79
|
$147.50
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$81.80
ZAR1,399.67
|
$195.00
|
|
South Africa vs. Palau - 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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