Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Africa vs. Tuvalu Cost of Living Summary
South Africa is 12.4% more expensive than Tuvalu overall.
South Africa vs. Tuvalu Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Africa instead of Tuvalu, you would:
pay 24.0% more for restaurants
|
Tuvalu
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.39
A$4.89
|
$10.21
ZAR170.09
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.00
A$7.21
|
$5.91
ZAR98.44
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.50
A$3.60
|
$1.08
ZAR18.05
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.50
A$3.60
|
$0.84
ZAR13.91
|
|
Tuvalu vs. South Africa - Cost of restaurants
pay (unknown) more for groceries
|
Tuvalu
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
?? |
$1.07
ZAR17.76
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) | ?? |
$4.08
ZAR67.99
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) | ?? |
$4.58
ZAR76.23
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
?? |
$2.56
ZAR42.69
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | ?? |
$2.31
ZAR38.53
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) | ?? |
$0.81
ZAR13.53
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) | ?? |
$0.74
ZAR12.25
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) | ?? |
$0.79
ZAR13.07
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | ?? |
$0.77
ZAR12.83
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) | ?? |
$0.64
ZAR10.73
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) | ?? |
$0.66
ZAR10.96
|
Tuvalu vs. South Africa - Cost of groceries
pay (unknown) more for transportation
|
Tuvalu
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | ?? |
$5.49
ZAR91.41
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass | ?? |
$65.15
ZAR1,085.05
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | ?? |
$32,517.32
ZAR542K
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? |
$7.35
ZAR122.38
|
Tuvalu vs. South Africa - Cost of transportation
pay 53.3% more for housing
|
Tuvalu
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
?? |
$38.93
ZAR648.44
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$318.09
A$458.40
|
$421.37
ZAR7,017.97
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$212.06
A$305.60
|
$369.24
ZAR6,149.80
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
?? |
$105.57
ZAR1,758.25
|
|
Tuvalu vs. South Africa - Cost of housing
pay (unknown) more for childcare
|
Tuvalu
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | ?? |
$199.53
ZAR3,323.26
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | ?? |
$4,917.78
ZAR81,906.05
|
Tuvalu vs. South Africa - Cost of childcare
pay 40.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
Tuvalu
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$3.00
A$4.32
|
$2.25
ZAR37.49
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.00
A$7.21
|
$2.25
ZAR37.54
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
?? |
$3.16
ZAR52.64
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym | ?? |
$31.59
ZAR526.14
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | ?? |
$7.32
ZAR121.88
|
|
Tuvalu vs. South Africa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay (unknown) more for clothing
|
Tuvalu
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
?? |
$52.66
ZAR877.03
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
?? |
$34.13
ZAR568.42
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
?? |
$99.75
ZAR1,661.36
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) | ?? |
$86.61
ZAR1,442.45
|
Tuvalu vs. South Africa - 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: October 2026
Change currency:
Compare further: Tuvalu vs. South Africa
Salary Calculator · Free tool
What salary would you need in South Africa?
→
Quality of Life Comparison · 9 statistics
Make 2.8 times more money in South Africa
→
Size Comparison · See true size
Tuvalu is about 46,888 times smaller than South Africa.
→
Moving from Tuvalu to South Africa · 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 South Africa or Tuvalu. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.