What It Costs to Send Money to South Africa from the US
In the 2024 Q3 World Bank Remittance Prices Worldwide quarterly survey, sending USD 200 from the United States to South Africa carried a median total cost of 7.77% and an average total cost of 7.77% of the amount sent. Total cost, as defined in that survey, combines the transfer fee charged by the provider with the exchange-rate margin applied to the transaction, both expressed together as a percentage of the USD 200 send amount.
Across the 17 providers surveyed in that same 2024 Q3 snapshot, the range of total costs ran from a low of 4.98% to a high of 11.37%. The cheapest surveyed provider in the 2024 Q3 data was WorldRemit, at 4.98% total cost for the USD 200 amount. Because this reflects a dated quarterly survey, the ranking and individual provider costs may have changed since that data was collected.
Costs within this corridor can vary depending on the payment method used, such as bank account or card, and the payout method available to the recipient. The send amount also affects the percentage cost in some cases. The World Bank survey is updated each quarter, so figures shift over time. The per-provider table below shows the individual dated survey quotes from the 2024 Q3 data for reference.
Surveyed providers (2024 Q3)
| Provider | Type | Pay-out | Speed (surveyed) | Total cost, $200 | Total cost, $500 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WorldRemit | MTO | Internet | Next day | 4.98% | 4.38% |
| WorldRemit | MTO | Internet | Next day | 5.14% | 4.54% |
| WorldRemit | MTO | Internet | Less than one hour | 5.89% | 4.39% |
| Wise | MTO | Internet | 3-5 days | 5.96% | 3.42% |
| Western Union | MTO | Agent | Less than one hour | 5.98% | 3.58% |
| Xoom | MTO | Internet | Same day | 6.66% | 5.16% |
| Xoom | MTO | Internet | Same day | 7.17% | 7.16% |
| Xoom | MTO | Internet | Same day | 7.17% | 7.16% |
| MoneyGram | MTO | Internet | Less than one hour | 7.77% | 6.57% |
| Western Union | MTO | Internet | 3-5 days | 7.78% | 6.48% |
| Wise | MTO | Internet | 3-5 days | 7.82% | 3.47% |
| WorldRemit | MTO | Internet | Next day | 7.98% | 7.38% |
| WorldRemit | MTO | Internet | Less than one hour | 9.08% | 7.58% |
| Wise | MTO | Internet | 3-5 days | 9.84% | 7.29% |
Total cost = transfer fee + exchange-rate margin, as a percent of the amount sent, at the two surveyed send amounts ($200 / $500). Surveyed prices, not live quotes.
Estimate your transfer cost →Source: The World Bank, Remittance Prices Worldwide, available at http://remittanceprices.worldbank.org (CC BY 4.0). Figures are from the 2024 Q3 survey — surveyed prices, not live quotes.