Cost of living comparison
South Africa is 50.4% cheaper than United States.
If you lived in South Africa instead of United States, you would:
pay 59.9% less for restaurants
United States
|
South Africa
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.15
|
$7.74
R147.55
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.28
|
$3.92
R74.78
|
|
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.24
|
$0.87
R16.57
|
|
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.77
|
$0.65
R12.41
|
|
pay 56.2% less for groceries
United States
|
South Africa
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.17
|
$0.82
R15.60
|
|
Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.93
|
$3.09
R58.97
|
|
Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.83
|
$3.51
R66.90
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.01
|
$1.71
R32.67
|
|
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.32
|
$1.85
R35.22
|
|
Apples (1 lb) |
$2.19
|
$0.61
R11.65
|
|
Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
$0.57
R10.85
|
|
Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.93
|
$0.59
R11.27
|
|
Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.05
|
$0.59
R11.16
|
|
Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.29
|
$0.47
R8.89
|
|
Onions (1 lb) |
$1.27
|
$0.47
R8.86
|
|
pay 23.4% less for transportation
United States
|
South Africa
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.72
|
$4.65
R88.60
|
|
Monthly public transit pass |
$63.08
|
$40.67
R775.11
|
|
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$25,096.27
|
$18,011.69
R343,270.72
|
|
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.64
|
$7.53
R143.57
|
|
pay 56.8% less for housing
United States
|
South Africa
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$70.73
|
$48.06
R915.87
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,528.07
|
$341.02
R6,499.30
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,282.97
|
$317.79
R6,056.53
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$138.81
|
$80.15
R1,527.51
|
|
pay 83.5% less for childcare
United States
|
South Africa
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,137.97
|
$157.19
R2,995.71
|
|
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,943.15
|
$3,082.89
R58,754.36
|
|
pay 56.7% less for entertainment and sports
United States
|
South Africa
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.19
|
$1.70
R32.32
|
|
Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.51
|
$1.67
R31.90
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.57
|
$2.56
R48.86
|
|
Monthly membership at local gym |
$42.79
|
$30.74
R585.79
|
|
Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.04
|
$5.40
R102.86
|
|
pay 16.1% less for clothing
United States
|
South Africa
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$45.40
|
$43.19
R823.07
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$36.73
|
$26.96
R513.75
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$79.51
|
$80.72
R1,538.31
|
|
Men's business shoes (leather) |
$109.59
|
$71.81
R1,368.57
|
|
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