Cost of living comparison

Gambia

compared to

South Africa

South Africa vs. Gambia Cost of Living Summary

South Africa is 5.6 times more expensive than Gambia overall.

Restaurants: pay 2.0% less in South Africa
Groceries: pay 13.5% more in South Africa
Transportation: pay 4.6 times more in South Africa
Housing: pay 3.5 times more in South Africa
Childcare: pay 26.9 times more in South Africa
Entertainment and Sports: pay 26.7% more in South Africa
Clothing: pay 14.5% less in South Africa

The cost of childcare, transportation, housing, entertainment and sports, and groceries in South Africa are more expensive than in Gambia. Expenses including clothing and restaurants are lower in South Africa. Notably, childcare, transportation, and housing are significantly more expensive in South Africa.

South Africa vs. Gambia Cost Breakdown

If you lived in South Africa instead of Gambia, you would:

Display currency: USD

pay 2.0% less for restaurants

	Gambia	South Africa
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant	$4.96 GMD357.41	$8.97 ZAR164.10	+80.7%
Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar	$6.29 GMD453.15	$4.77 ZAR87.25	-24.2%
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz)	$1.66 GMD119.77	$0.95 ZAR17.46	-42.6%
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz)	$0.95 GMD68.31	$0.74 ZAR13.55	-21.9%
Average			-2.0%

Gambia vs. South Africa - Cost of restaurants

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pay 13.5% more for groceries

	Gambia	South Africa
Bread 1 loaf	$0.65 GMD46.99	$0.99 ZAR18.12	+51.8%
Local cheese (8 oz)	$3.15 GMD226.57	$3.67 ZAR67.22	+16.8%
Milk (1 gallon)	$5.21 GMD374.84	$4.20 ZAR76.79	-19.4%
Eggs 1 dozen	$1.99 GMD143.50	$2.23 ZAR40.73	+11.7%
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb)	$1.27 GMD91.35	$2.03 ZAR37.10	+59.9%
Apples (1 lb)	$0.95 GMD68.51	$0.68 ZAR12.38	-28.9%
Bananas (1 lb)	$0.58 GMD41.87	$0.62 ZAR11.29	+6.1%
Oranges (1 lb)	$0.85 GMD60.90	$0.64 ZAR11.74	-24.1%
Tomatoes (1 lb)	$0.63 GMD45.68	$0.70 ZAR12.78	+10.1%
Potatoes (1 lb)	$0.42 GMD30.45	$0.55 ZAR10.13	+30.9%
Onions (1 lb)	$0.45 GMD32.73	$0.61 ZAR11.13	+33.9%
Average			+13.5%

Gambia vs. South Africa - Cost of groceries

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pay 4.6 times more for transportation

	Gambia	South Africa
Gasoline (1 gallon)	$4.01 GMD288.86	$4.99 ZAR91.24	+24.3%
Monthly public transit pass	$6.55 GMD471.60	$52.31 ZAR956.77	+698.6%
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition)	$2,727.27 GMD196,363.63	$20,607.77 ZAR376,916.06	+655.6%
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles)	$5.94 GMD427.97	$8.55 ZAR156.36	+43.8%
Average			+355.6%

Gambia vs. South Africa - Cost of transportation

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pay 3.5 times more for housing

	Gambia	South Africa
Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl	$46.62 GMD3,356.64	$41.37 ZAR756.65	-11.3%
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area	$102.56 GMD7,384.32	$382.55 ZAR6,996.91	+273.0%
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center	$52.91 GMD3,809.79	$326.35 ZAR5,968.89	+516.8%
Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating	$24.06 GMD1,732.62	$80.40 ZAR1,470.48	+234.1%
Average			+253.1%

Gambia vs. South Africa - Cost of housing

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pay 26.9 times more for childcare

	Gambia	South Africa
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly	$6.99 GMD503.50	$174.12 ZAR3,184.59	+2389.9%
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters	$139.86 GMD10,069.93	$4,033.53 ZAR73,773.21	+2784.0%
Average			+2586.9%

Gambia vs. South Africa - Cost of childcare

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pay 26.7% more for entertainment and sports

	Gambia	South Africa
Domestic/local beer (1 pint)	$3.32 GMD239.02	$2.11 ZAR38.55	-36.5%
Cappuccino in mid-range area	$2.08 GMD149.95	$1.88 ZAR34.44	-9.6%
Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar	$1.71 GMD123.36	$2.90 ZAR53.12	+69.5%
Monthly membership at local gym	$24.48 GMD1,762.24	$29.50 ZAR539.56	+20.5%
Movie ticket to theater/cinema	$3.50 GMD251.75	$6.62 ZAR121.10	+89.4%
Average			+26.7%

Gambia vs. South Africa - Cost of entertainment and sports

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pay 14.5% less for clothing

	Gambia	South Africa
Regular jeans Levi's brand	$56.00 GMD4,032.00	$47.72 ZAR872.71	-14.8%
Regular dress from H&M or similar store	$44.34 GMD3,192.48	$32.06 ZAR586.36	-27.7%
Running shoes Nike or Adidas	$99.43 GMD7,158.96	$90.39 ZAR1,653.21	-9.1%
Men's business shoes (leather)	$86.99 GMD6,263.28	$81.37 ZAR1,488.20	-6.5%
Average			-14.5%

Gambia vs. South Africa - Cost of clothing

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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: March 2025

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