Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Africa vs. Alabama Cost of Living Summary
South Africa is 37.6% cheaper than Alabama.
- Restaurants
-
pay 50.4% less in South Africa
- Groceries
-
pay 44.3% less in South Africa
- Transportation
-
pay 3.4% more in South Africa
- Housing
-
pay 48.8% less in South Africa
- Childcare
-
pay 79.4% less in South Africa
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 48.4% less in South Africa
- Clothing
-
pay 4.4% more in South Africa
The cost of clothing and transportation in South Africa are more expensive than in Alabama. Expenses including childcare, restaurants, housing, entertainment and sports, and groceries are lower in South Africa.
South Africa vs. Alabama Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Africa instead of Alabama, you would:
pay 50.4% less for restaurants
|
Alabama
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.75
|
$9.33
ZAR157.99
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.36
|
$5.11
ZAR86.54
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.07
|
$1.03
ZAR17.46
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.85
|
$0.80
ZAR13.59
|
|
Alabama vs. South Africa - Cost of restaurants
pay 44.3% less for groceries
|
Alabama
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.26
|
$1.00
ZAR16.97
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.23
|
$3.88
ZAR65.75
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.69
|
$4.37
ZAR73.98
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.58
|
$2.33
ZAR39.49
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.89
|
$2.13
ZAR36.12
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.45
|
$0.73
ZAR12.33
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
$0.65
ZAR11.04
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.76
|
$0.68
ZAR11.57
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$0.71
ZAR12.00
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.33
|
$0.59
ZAR9.91
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.33
|
$0.60
ZAR10.16
|
|
Alabama vs. South Africa - Cost of groceries
pay 3.4% more for transportation
|
Alabama
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.84
|
$4.92
ZAR83.33
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$50.00
|
$56.18
ZAR950.86
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$30,098.54
|
$21,394.82
ZAR362,135.06
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.41
|
$9.34
ZAR158.05
|
|
Alabama vs. South Africa - Cost of transportation
pay 48.8% less for housing
|
Alabama
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$63.63
|
$39.36
ZAR666.17
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,036.37
|
$404.16
ZAR6,840.92
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$847.06
|
$361.59
ZAR6,120.39
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$144.14
|
$88.13
ZAR1,491.68
|
|
Alabama vs. South Africa - Cost of housing
pay 79.4% less for childcare
|
Alabama
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,146.13
|
$173.48
ZAR2,936.29
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,177.33
|
$3,962.11
ZAR67,063.83
|
|
Alabama vs. South Africa - Cost of childcare
pay 48.4% less for entertainment and sports
|
Alabama
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.96
|
$2.18
ZAR36.86
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.95
|
$2.05
ZAR34.68
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.76
|
$2.96
ZAR50.17
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$41.81
|
$30.26
ZAR512.21
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.07
|
$6.85
ZAR115.92
|
|
Alabama vs. South Africa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 4.4% more for clothing
|
Alabama
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$39.67
|
$50.74
ZAR858.89
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$35.87
|
$32.75
ZAR554.38
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$79.77
|
$94.19
ZAR1,594.31
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$102.17
|
$81.80
ZAR1,384.49
|
|
Alabama 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: December 2025
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