Cost of living in South Africa
Are you moving to South Africa? Do you know how much money you will need there to maintain your current standard of living?
Find out what is the real equivalent in South Africa of your current salary and improve your chances of a happy relocation.
Get a salary calculation for:
| Food | ||
|---|---|---|
| Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district | R 109 | |
| Combo meal in fast food restaurant (Big Mac Meal or similar) | R 59 | |
| 500 gr (1 lb.) of boneless chicken breast | R 41 | |
| 1 liter (1 qt.) of whole fat milk | R 14 | |
| 12 eggs, large | R 34 | |
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of tomatoes | R 18 | |
| 500 gr (16 oz.) of local cheese | R 63 | |
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of apples | R 22 | |
| 1 kg (2 lb.) of potatoes | R 20 | |
| 0.5 l (16 oz) domestic beer in the supermarket | R 18 | |
| 1 bottle of red table wine, good quality | R 90 | |
| 2 liters of Coca-Cola | R 17 | |
| Bread for 2 people for 1 day | R 12 | |
| Housing | ||
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 Sqft) furnished accommodation in EXPENSIVE area | R 14,953 | |
| Monthly rent for 85 m2 (900 Sqft) furnished accommodation in NORMAL area | R 9,618 | |
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 2 people in 85m2 flat | R 1,361 | |
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 Sqft) furnished studio in EXPENSIVE area | R 11,079 | |
| Monthly rent for a 45 m2 (480 Sqft) furnished studio in NORMAL area | R 7,123 | |
| Utilities 1 month (heating, electricity, gas ...) for 1 person in 45 m2 (480 Sqft) studio | R 803 | |
| Internet 8 Mbps (1 month) | R 650 | |
| 40” flat screen TV | R 5,714 | |
| Microwave 800/900 Watt (Bosch, Panasonic, LG, Sharp, or equivalent brands) | R 1,462 | |
| Laundry detergent (3 l. ~ 100 oz.) | R 85 | |
| Hourly rate for cleaning help | R 77 | |
| Clothes | ||
| 1 pair of jeans (Levis 501 or similar) | R 812 | |
| 1 summer dress in a High Street Store (Zara, H&M or similar retailers) | R 611 | |
| 1 pair of sport shoes (Nike, Adidas, or equivalent brands) | R 1,303 | |
| 1 pair of men’s leather business shoes | R 1,286 | |
| Transportation | ||
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 TSI 150 CV (or equivalent), with no extras, new | R 297,908 | |
| 1 liter (1/4 gallon) of gas | R 15 | |
| Monthly ticket public transport | R 677 | |
| Personal Care | ||
| Cold medicine for 6 days (Tylenol, Frenadol, Coldrex, or equivalent brands) | R 71 | |
| 1 box of antibiotics (12 doses) | R 190 | |
| Short visit to private Doctor (15 minutes) | R 445 | |
| 1 box of 32 tampons (Tampax, OB, ...) | R 48 | |
| Deodorant, roll-on (50ml ~ 1.5 oz.) | R 33 | |
| Hair shampoo 2-in-1 (400 ml ~ 12 oz.) | R 52 | |
| 4 rolls of toilet paper | R 27 | |
| Tube of toothpaste | R 17 | |
| Standard men's haircut in expat area of the city | R 137 | |
| Entertainment | ||
| Basic dinner out for two in neighborhood pub | R 337 | |
| 2 tickets to the movies | R 167 | |
| 2 tickets to the theater (best available seats) | R 797 | |
| Dinner for two at an Italian restaurant in the expat area including appetisers, main course, wine and dessert | R 532 | |
| 1 cocktail drink in downtown club | R 62 | |
| Cappuccino in expat area of the city | R 29 | |
| 1 beer in neighbourhood pub (500ml or 1pt.) | R 30 | |
| iPad Wi-Fi 128GB | R 7,977 | |
| 1 min. of prepaid mobile tariff (no discounts or plans) | R 1.90 | |
| 1 month of gym membership in business district | R 575 | |
| 1 package of Marlboro cigarettes | R 42 | |
Map of Cost of Living in South Africa
This map shows only the top cities in South Africa. We also have on this page a list of all the cities available in Expatistan.
The color of each marker corresponds with the Cost of Living in the city. Red markers show more expensive cities, green ones show cheaper cities.
Moving the mouse on top of a city will show its name and the Cost of Living Index of that city.
What is the Cost of Living Index? To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a
central reference city (that happens to be Prague).
Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the
database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.
Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.
Cost of Living Ranking in South Africa
(top cities by data quality)
| Ranking | City | Price Index * |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | Potgietersrus | 157 |
| 2nd | Pretoria | 122 |
| 3rd | Johannesburg | 112 |
| 4th | Carletonville | 107 |
| 5th | Cape Town | 100 |
| 6th | Orkney | 95 |
| 7th | Durban | 92 |
| 8th | Polokwane | 91 |
| 9th | Port Elizabeth | 87 |
| 10th | Bloemfontein | 77 |
Price Index:
To calculate each city's Price Index value, we start by assigning a value of 100 to a central reference city (that happens to be Prague). Once the reference point has been established, the Price Index value of every other city in the database is calculated by comparing their cost of living to the cost of living in Prague.Therefore, if a city has a Price Index of 134, that means that living there is 34% more expensive than living in Prague.
Are you moving to South Africa? Do you know how much money you will need there to maintain your current standard of living?
Find out what is the real equivalent in South Africa of your current salary and improve your chances of a happy relocation.
Get a salary calculation for:
List of all cities available in South Africa
Recent Comparisons
- Cost of living in Durban is 36% cheaper than in Jönköping
- Cost of living in Pretoria is 23% more expensive than in Cape Town
- Cost of living in Johannesburg is 51% cheaper than in London
- Cost of living in Cape Town is 12% cheaper than in Johannesburg
- Cost of living in Cape Town is 17% cheaper than in São Paulo
- Cost of living in Cape Town is 56% cheaper than in London
- Cost of living in Johannesburg is about the same as in Funchal
- Cost of living in Johannesburg is 21% more expensive than in Durban
- Cost of living in Johannesburg is 82% more expensive than in Madras
- Cost of living in Johannesburg is 28% cheaper than in Las Vegas, Nevada
- Cost of living in Johannesburg is 45% cheaper than in Los Angeles, California
- Cost of living in Port Elizabeth is 49% cheaper than in Cambridge
- Cost of living in Johannesburg is 40% cheaper than in Dubai
- Cost of living in Port Elizabeth is 54% cheaper than in Dubai
- Cost of living in Johannesburg is 48% more expensive than in Bangalore
- Cost of living in Pietermaritzburg is 65% cheaper than in San Francisco, California
- Cost of living in Pretoria is 20% more expensive than in Prague
- Cost of living in Johannesburg is 43% more expensive than in Santiago de Cali
- Cost of living in Johannesburg is 51% more expensive than in Istanbul
- Cost of living in Johannesburg is 9% more expensive than in Prague
Compare other countries
Recent Prices Added
- Monthly rent - 85 m2 furnished accommodation in expensive area in Johannesburg costs R 10,500 (2 days ago)
- 1 liter of whole fat milk in Cape Town costs R 17 (2 days ago)
- 500 g of boneless chicken breast in Cape Town costs R 54 (2 days ago)
- Combo meal in fast food restaurant (big mac meal or similar) in Cape Town costs R 50 (2 days ago)
- Basic lunchtime menu (including a drink) in the business district in Cape Town costs R 120 (2 days ago)
- Volkswagen golf 1.4 tsi 150 cv (or equivalent), with no extras, new in Cape Town costs R 330,000 (2 days ago)
- 1 liter of gasoline in Cape Town costs R 17 (3 days ago)
- Monthly rent - 85 m2 furnished accommodation in expensive area in Johannesburg costs R 5,000 (4 days ago)
- Monthly rent - 85 m2 furnished accommodation in expensive area in Johannesburg costs R 7,500 (5 days ago)
- Public transport in Johannesburg costs R 1,400 (5 days ago)