Cost of living comparison
compared to
Republic of the Congo vs. South Africa Cost of Living Summary
Republic of the Congo is 51.7% more expensive than South Africa overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 46.3% more in Republic of the Congo
- Groceries
-
pay 93.4% more in Republic of the Congo
- Transportation
-
pay 21.1% less in Republic of the Congo
- Housing
-
pay 95.0% more in Republic of the Congo
- Childcare
-
pay 39.6% more in Republic of the Congo
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 65.8% more in Republic of the Congo
- Clothing
-
pay 11.8% less in Republic of the Congo
The cost of housing, groceries, entertainment and sports, restaurants, and childcare in Republic of the Congo are more expensive than in South Africa. Expenses including transportation and clothing are lower in Republic of the Congo. Notably, housing and groceries are significantly more expensive in Republic of the Congo.
Republic of the Congo vs. South Africa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Republic of the Congo instead of South Africa, you would:
pay 46.3% more for restaurants
|
South Africa
|
Republic of the Congo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$10.21
ZAR168.45
|
$12.13
FCFA7,083
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.91
ZAR97.49
|
$9.98
FCFA5,825
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.08
ZAR17.88
|
$1.80
FCFA1,053
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.84
ZAR13.78
|
$1.66
FCFA968
|
|
South Africa vs. Republic of the Congo - Cost of restaurants
pay 93.4% more for groceries
|
South Africa
|
Republic of the Congo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.07
ZAR17.59
|
$2.73
FCFA1,595
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$4.08
ZAR67.33
|
$6.81
FCFA3,974
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.58
ZAR75.49
|
$10.22
FCFA5,966
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.56
ZAR42.28
|
$3.01
FCFA1,755
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.31
ZAR38.16
|
$5.05
FCFA2,946
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.81
ZAR13.40
|
$1.64
FCFA958
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.74
ZAR12.13
|
$1.17
FCFA683
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.79
ZAR12.95
|
$1.96
FCFA1,145
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.77
ZAR12.71
|
$1.53
FCFA893
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.64
ZAR10.62
|
$1.27
FCFA742
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.66
ZAR10.85
|
$1.21
FCFA708
|
|
South Africa vs. Republic of the Congo - Cost of groceries
pay 21.1% less for transportation
|
South Africa
|
Republic of the Congo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$5.49
ZAR90.53
|
$5.77
FCFA3,369
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.15
ZAR1,074.55
|
$22.57
FCFA13,175
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,517.32
ZAR536K
|
$27,142.12
FCFA16M
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$7.35
ZAR121.20
|
$14.11
FCFA8,239
|
|
South Africa vs. Republic of the Congo - Cost of transportation
pay 95.0% more for housing
|
South Africa
|
Republic of the Congo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$38.93
ZAR642.17
|
$57.49
FCFA33,565
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$421.37
ZAR6,950.09
|
$1,226.62
FCFA716K
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$369.24
ZAR6,090.32
|
$458.60
FCFA268K
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$105.57
ZAR1,741.24
|
$258.05
FCFA151K
|
|
South Africa vs. Republic of the Congo - Cost of housing
pay 39.6% more for childcare
|
South Africa
|
Republic of the Congo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$199.53
ZAR3,291.11
|
$250.40
FCFA146K
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$4,917.78
ZAR81,113.80
|
$7,641.67
FCFA4M
|
|
South Africa vs. Republic of the Congo - Cost of childcare
pay 65.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Africa
|
Republic of the Congo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.25
ZAR37.13
|
$3.40
FCFA1,984
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.25
ZAR37.18
|
$4.88
FCFA2,848
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.16
ZAR52.13
|
$4.09
FCFA2,385
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$31.59
ZAR521.05
|
$59.02
FCFA34,459
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$7.32
ZAR120.70
|
$10.36
FCFA6,050
|
|
South Africa vs. Republic of the Congo - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 11.8% less for clothing
|
South Africa
|
Republic of the Congo
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.66
ZAR868.55
|
$33.75
FCFA19,704
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$34.13
ZAR562.92
|
$30.62
FCFA17,880
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$99.75
ZAR1,645.29
|
$86.67
FCFA50,598
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$86.61
ZAR1,428.49
|
$105.00
FCFA61,302
|
|
South Africa vs. Republic of the Congo - 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
Change currency:
Compare further: South Africa vs. Republic of the Congo
Salary Calculator · Free tool
What salary would you need in Republic of the Congo?
→
Quality of Life Comparison · 24 statistics
Make 61.9% less money in Republic of the Congo
→
Size Comparison · See true size
South Africa is about 3.6 times bigger than Republic of the Congo.
→
Moving from South Africa to Republic of the Congo · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
Ask the Elsewhere Community
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Republic of the Congo or South Africa. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.