Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Africa vs. Germany Cost of Living Summary
Virginia is 33.5% more expensive than Germany overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 6.8% less in South Africa
- Groceries
-
pay 51.5% more in South Africa
- Transportation
-
pay 16.9% less in South Africa
- Housing
-
pay 50.2% more in South Africa
- Childcare
-
pay 2.6 times more in South Africa
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 17.4% more in South Africa
- Clothing
-
pay 18.8% less in South Africa
The cost of childcare, groceries, housing, and entertainment and sports in Virginia are more expensive than in Germany. Expenses including clothing, transportation, and restaurants are lower in Virginia. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in Virginia.
South Africa vs. Germany Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Africa instead of Germany, you would:
pay 6.8% less for restaurants
|
Germany
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$16.25
€13.75
|
$19.95
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.88
€10.05
|
$11.32
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.29
€2.78
|
$2.59
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.93
€2.48
|
$2.23
|
|
Germany vs. South Africa - Cost of restaurants
pay 51.5% more for groceries
|
Germany
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.25
€1.91
|
$3.66
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.39
€6.25
|
$7.57
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.79
€4.05
|
$3.86
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.84
€3.25
|
$4.30
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.58
€5.57
|
$6.27
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.45
€1.23
|
$2.78
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.82
€0.69
|
$0.78
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.05
€0.89
|
$2.60
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.20
€1.86
|
$2.90
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.71
€0.60
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.72
€0.61
|
$1.56
|
|
Germany vs. South Africa - Cost of groceries
pay 16.9% less for transportation
|
Germany
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.59
€6.43
|
$3.14
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$62.94
€53.26
|
$81.69
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,651.13
€26,783.19
|
$33,360.29
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$27.45
€23.23
|
$15.32
|
|
Germany vs. South Africa - Cost of transportation
pay 50.2% more for housing
|
Germany
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$48.64
€41.16
|
$66.63
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$874.65
€740.13
|
$1,767.25
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$695.68
€588.68
|
$1,444.78
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$258.10
€218.40
|
$139.02
|
|
Germany vs. South Africa - Cost of housing
pay 2.6 times more for childcare
|
Germany
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$497.10
€420.65
|
$1,687.43
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$16,538.74
€13,995.09
|
$29,254.08
|
|
Germany vs. South Africa - Cost of childcare
pay 17.4% more for entertainment and sports
|
Germany
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.05
€4.28
|
$5.97
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.95
€3.34
|
$5.35
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.74
€8.24
|
$8.83
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$40.02
€33.86
|
$56.35
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.41
€12.19
|
$14.65
|
|
Germany vs. South Africa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 18.8% less for clothing
|
Germany
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$91.81
€77.69
|
$52.65
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$46.05
€38.97
|
$42.78
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$102.53
€86.76
|
$91.01
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$134.07
€113.45
|
$114.93
|
|
Germany 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: February 2026
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