Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Africa vs. Canada Cost of Living Summary
South Africa is 40.8% cheaper than Canada overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 48.6% less in South Africa
- Groceries
-
pay 45.4% less in South Africa
- Transportation
-
pay 13.6% less in South Africa
- Housing
-
pay 47.6% less in South Africa
- Childcare
-
pay 71.6% less in South Africa
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 49.8% less in South Africa
- Clothing
-
pay 9.3% less in South Africa
Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, restaurants, housing, groceries, and transportation are lower in South Africa.
South Africa vs. Canada Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Africa instead of Canada, you would:
pay 48.6% less for restaurants
|
Canada
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.68
CA$23.07
|
$9.33
ZAR157.99
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.26
CA$14.18
|
$5.11
ZAR86.54
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.01
CA$2.77
|
$1.03
ZAR17.46
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.66
CA$2.30
|
$0.80
ZAR13.59
|
|
Canada vs. South Africa - Cost of restaurants
pay 45.4% less for groceries
|
Canada
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.50
CA$3.46
|
$1.00
ZAR16.97
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.32
CA$7.36
|
$3.88
ZAR65.75
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$8.12
CA$11.23
|
$4.37
ZAR73.98
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.44
CA$4.75
|
$2.33
ZAR39.49
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.30
CA$7.33
|
$2.13
ZAR36.12
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.78
CA$2.46
|
$0.73
ZAR12.33
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.66
CA$0.91
|
$0.65
ZAR11.04
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.62
CA$2.25
|
$0.68
ZAR11.57
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.77
CA$2.44
|
$0.71
ZAR12.00
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.15
CA$1.59
|
$0.59
ZAR9.91
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.14
CA$1.58
|
$0.60
ZAR10.16
|
|
Canada vs. South Africa - Cost of groceries
pay 13.6% less for transportation
|
Canada
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.22
CA$5.84
|
$4.92
ZAR83.33
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.98
CA$91.24
|
$56.18
ZAR950.86
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$24,583.45
CA$33,995.22
|
$21,394.82
ZAR362,135.06
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.38
CA$22.65
|
$9.34
ZAR158.05
|
|
Canada vs. South Africa - Cost of transportation
pay 47.6% less for housing
|
Canada
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$61.20
CA$84.63
|
$39.36
ZAR666.17
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,228.04
CA$1,698.20
|
$404.16
ZAR6,840.92
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,109.76
CA$1,534.63
|
$361.59
ZAR6,120.39
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$110.65
CA$153.02
|
$88.13
ZAR1,491.68
|
|
Canada vs. South Africa - Cost of housing
pay 71.6% less for childcare
|
Canada
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$720.23
CA$995.97
|
$173.48
ZAR2,936.29
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$12,062.51
CA$16,680.65
|
$3,962.11
ZAR67,063.83
|
|
Canada vs. South Africa - Cost of childcare
pay 49.8% less for entertainment and sports
|
Canada
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.23
CA$7.23
|
$2.18
ZAR36.86
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.65
CA$5.04
|
$2.05
ZAR34.68
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$13.37
CA$18.49
|
$2.96
ZAR50.17
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$43.26
CA$59.82
|
$30.26
ZAR512.21
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.18
CA$15.46
|
$6.85
ZAR115.92
|
|
Canada vs. South Africa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 9.3% less for clothing
|
Canada
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$53.62
CA$74.15
|
$50.74
ZAR858.89
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.27
CA$57.07
|
$32.75
ZAR554.38
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$86.13
CA$119.10
|
$94.19
ZAR1,594.31
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$103.00
CA$142.43
|
$81.80
ZAR1,384.49
|
|
Canada 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
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about South Africa or Canada. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.