Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Africa vs. Louisiana Cost of Living Summary
South Africa is 38.1% cheaper than Louisiana.
- Restaurants
-
pay 51.5% less in South Africa
- Groceries
-
pay 45.9% less in South Africa
- Transportation
-
pay 9.4% more in South Africa
- Housing
-
pay 51.8% less in South Africa
- Childcare
-
pay 75.8% less in South Africa
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 51.4% less in South Africa
- Clothing
-
pay 0.5% more in South Africa
The cost of transportation and clothing in South Africa are more expensive than in Louisiana. Expenses including childcare, housing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and groceries are lower in South Africa.
South Africa vs. Louisiana Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Africa instead of Louisiana, you would:
pay 51.5% less for restaurants
|
Louisiana
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.83
|
$9.33
ZAR157.99
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.87
|
$5.11
ZAR86.54
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.30
|
$1.03
ZAR17.46
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.78
|
$0.80
ZAR13.59
|
|
Louisiana vs. South Africa - Cost of restaurants
pay 45.9% less for groceries
|
Louisiana
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.15
|
$1.00
ZAR16.97
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.85
|
$3.88
ZAR65.75
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.56
|
$4.37
ZAR73.98
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.65
|
$2.33
ZAR39.49
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.74
|
$2.13
ZAR36.12
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.16
|
$0.73
ZAR12.33
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.70
|
$0.65
ZAR11.04
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$0.68
ZAR11.57
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.06
|
$0.71
ZAR12.00
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.37
|
$0.59
ZAR9.91
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.15
|
$0.60
ZAR10.16
|
|
Louisiana vs. South Africa - Cost of groceries
pay 9.4% more for transportation
|
Louisiana
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.83
|
$4.92
ZAR83.33
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$40.33
|
$56.18
ZAR950.86
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,200.86
|
$21,394.82
ZAR362,135.06
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$14.34
|
$9.34
ZAR158.05
|
|
Louisiana vs. South Africa - Cost of transportation
pay 51.8% less for housing
|
Louisiana
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.41
|
$39.36
ZAR666.17
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,187.61
|
$404.16
ZAR6,840.92
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,038.89
|
$361.59
ZAR6,120.39
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$135.82
|
$88.13
ZAR1,491.68
|
|
Louisiana vs. South Africa - Cost of housing
pay 75.8% less for childcare
|
Louisiana
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,395.06
|
$173.48
ZAR2,936.29
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$11,044.44
|
$3,962.11
ZAR67,063.83
|
|
Louisiana vs. South Africa - Cost of childcare
pay 51.4% less for entertainment and sports
|
Louisiana
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.01
|
$2.18
ZAR36.86
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.05
|
$2.05
ZAR34.68
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.87
|
$2.96
ZAR50.17
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$43.48
|
$30.26
ZAR512.21
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.22
|
$6.85
ZAR115.92
|
|
Louisiana vs. South Africa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 0.5% more for clothing
|
Louisiana
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$45.45
|
$50.74
ZAR858.89
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.17
|
$32.75
ZAR554.38
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$75.03
|
$94.19
ZAR1,594.31
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$95.92
|
$81.80
ZAR1,384.49
|
|
Louisiana 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:
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the
cost of living in United States vs. South Africa.
This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within United States and South Africa.
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 Louisiana. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.