Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Africa vs. Estonia Cost of Living Summary
South Africa is 25.0% cheaper than Estonia overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 50.8% less in South Africa
- Groceries
-
pay 11.5% less in South Africa
- Transportation
-
pay 10.9% more in South Africa
- Housing
-
pay 14.9% less in South Africa
- Childcare
-
pay 38.1% less in South Africa
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 46.5% less in South Africa
- Clothing
-
pay 24.0% less in South Africa
Expenses including restaurants, entertainment and sports, childcare, clothing, housing, and groceries are lower in South Africa.
South Africa vs. Estonia Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Africa instead of Estonia, you would:
pay 50.8% less for restaurants
|
Estonia
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$13.63
€11.75
|
$9.33
ZAR159.73
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.93
€8.56
|
$5.11
ZAR87.49
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.58
€2.23
|
$1.03
ZAR17.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.18
€1.88
|
$0.80
ZAR13.74
|
|
Estonia vs. South Africa - Cost of restaurants
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 11.5% less for groceries
|
Estonia
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.28
€1.11
|
$1.00
ZAR17.16
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.53
€4.77
|
$3.88
ZAR66.47
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.31
€3.72
|
$4.37
ZAR74.79
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.73
€2.35
|
$2.33
ZAR39.93
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.89
€3.36
|
$2.13
ZAR36.52
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.88
€0.76
|
$0.73
ZAR12.46
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.68
€0.58
|
$0.65
ZAR11.16
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.06
€0.91
|
$0.68
ZAR11.70
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.39
€1.20
|
$0.71
ZAR12.14
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.40
€0.35
|
$0.59
ZAR10.02
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.42
€0.36
|
$0.60
ZAR10.27
|
|
Estonia vs. South Africa - Cost of groceries
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 10.9% more for transportation
|
Estonia
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.33
€6.32
|
$4.92
ZAR84.25
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$25.79
€22.24
|
$56.18
ZAR961.29
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,161.47
€25,146.72
|
$21,394.82
ZAR366,106.47
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$10.92
€9.42
|
$9.34
ZAR159.79
|
|
Estonia vs. South Africa - Cost of transportation
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 14.9% less for housing
|
Estonia
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$31.93
€27.53
|
$39.36
ZAR673.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$492.59
€424.78
|
$404.16
ZAR6,915.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$379.46
€327.21
|
$361.59
ZAR6,187.51
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$222.79
€192.12
|
$88.13
ZAR1,508.04
|
|
Estonia vs. South Africa - Cost of housing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 38.1% less for childcare
|
Estonia
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$228.27
€196.84
|
$173.48
ZAR2,968.50
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$8,312.32
€7,167.94
|
$3,962.11
ZAR67,799.29
|
|
Estonia vs. South Africa - Cost of childcare
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 46.5% less for entertainment and sports
|
Estonia
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.35
€4.62
|
$2.18
ZAR37.27
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.98
€3.43
|
$2.05
ZAR35.06
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$6.50
€5.61
|
$2.96
ZAR50.72
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.48
€44.39
|
$30.26
ZAR517.83
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$9.63
€8.30
|
$6.85
ZAR117.19
|
|
Estonia vs. South Africa - Cost of entertainment and sports
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
pay 24.0% less for clothing
|
Estonia
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$106.25
€91.62
|
$50.74
ZAR868.31
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.64
€35.91
|
$32.75
ZAR560.46
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$89.02
€76.76
|
$94.19
ZAR1,611.79
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$113.75
€98.09
|
$81.80
ZAR1,399.67
|
|
Estonia vs. South Africa - Cost of clothing
Improve prices ·
Change currency (USD)
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 Estonia. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.