Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Africa vs. Ecuador Cost of Living Summary
South Africa is 15.6% more expensive than Ecuador overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 44.5% more in South Africa
- Groceries
-
pay 9.6% more in South Africa
- Transportation
-
pay 46.3% more in South Africa
- Housing
-
pay 51.8% more in South Africa
- Childcare
-
pay 24.0% less in South Africa
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 12.2% less in South Africa
- Clothing
-
pay 6.8% less in South Africa
The cost of housing, transportation, restaurants, and groceries in South Africa are more expensive than in Ecuador. Expenses including childcare, entertainment and sports, and clothing are lower in South Africa.
South Africa vs. Ecuador Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Africa instead of Ecuador, you would:
pay 44.5% more for restaurants
|
Ecuador
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$3.56
|
$9.33
ZAR157.99
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$6.93
|
$5.11
ZAR86.54
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.91
|
$1.03
ZAR17.46
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.63
|
$0.80
ZAR13.59
|
|
Ecuador vs. South Africa - Cost of restaurants
pay 9.6% more for groceries
|
Ecuador
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.62
|
$1.00
ZAR16.97
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.11
|
$3.88
ZAR65.75
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.00
|
$4.37
ZAR73.98
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.28
|
$2.33
ZAR39.49
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.55
|
$2.13
ZAR36.12
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.83
|
$0.73
ZAR12.33
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.49
|
$0.65
ZAR11.04
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.52
|
$0.68
ZAR11.57
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.51
|
$0.71
ZAR12.00
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.57
|
$0.59
ZAR9.91
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.46
|
$0.60
ZAR10.16
|
|
Ecuador vs. South Africa - Cost of groceries
pay 46.3% more for transportation
|
Ecuador
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.52
|
$4.92
ZAR83.33
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$26.64
|
$56.18
ZAR950.86
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$23,000.00
|
$21,394.82
ZAR362,135.06
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$10.89
|
$9.34
ZAR158.05
|
|
Ecuador vs. South Africa - Cost of transportation
pay 51.8% more for housing
|
Ecuador
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$29.34
|
$39.36
ZAR666.17
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$360.30
|
$404.16
ZAR6,840.92
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$278.34
|
$361.59
ZAR6,120.39
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$38.16
|
$88.13
ZAR1,491.68
|
|
Ecuador vs. South Africa - Cost of housing
pay 24.0% less for childcare
|
Ecuador
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$233.05
|
$173.48
ZAR2,936.29
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$5,103.33
|
$3,962.11
ZAR67,063.83
|
|
Ecuador vs. South Africa - Cost of childcare
pay 12.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
Ecuador
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.01
|
$2.18
ZAR36.86
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.43
|
$2.05
ZAR34.68
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$5.75
|
$2.96
ZAR50.17
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$32.69
|
$30.26
ZAR512.21
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$6.67
|
$6.85
ZAR115.92
|
|
Ecuador vs. South Africa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 6.8% less for clothing
|
Ecuador
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$55.39
|
$50.74
ZAR858.89
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$42.48
|
$32.75
ZAR554.38
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$97.41
|
$94.19
ZAR1,594.31
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$76.05
|
$81.80
ZAR1,384.49
|
|
Ecuador 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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