Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Africa vs. Madrid Cost of Living Summary
South Africa is 44.1% cheaper than Madrid.
- Restaurants
-
pay 58.8% less in South Africa
- Groceries
-
pay 37.3% less in South Africa
- Transportation
-
pay 23.7% less in South Africa
- Housing
-
pay 42.5% less in South Africa
- Childcare
-
pay 72.0% less in South Africa
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 45.5% less in South Africa
- Clothing
-
pay 29.1% less in South Africa
Expenses including childcare, restaurants, entertainment and sports, housing, groceries, and clothing are lower in South Africa.
South Africa vs. Madrid Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Africa instead of Madrid, you would:
pay 58.8% less for restaurants
|
Madrid
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.10
€15.55
|
$9.33
ZAR157.99
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.68
€10.03
|
$5.11
ZAR86.54
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.13
€2.69
|
$1.03
ZAR17.46
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.19
€1.88
|
$0.80
ZAR13.59
|
|
Madrid vs. South Africa - Cost of restaurants
pay 37.3% less for groceries
|
Madrid
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.71
€1.47
|
$1.00
ZAR16.97
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.25
€6.22
|
$3.88
ZAR65.75
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.61
€3.96
|
$4.37
ZAR73.98
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.36
€2.88
|
$2.33
ZAR39.49
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.05
€3.48
|
$2.13
ZAR36.12
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.18
€1.01
|
$0.73
ZAR12.33
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.02
€0.88
|
$0.65
ZAR11.04
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.19
€1.03
|
$0.68
ZAR11.57
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.26
€1.08
|
$0.71
ZAR12.00
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.94
€0.81
|
$0.59
ZAR9.91
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.01
€0.87
|
$0.60
ZAR10.16
|
|
Madrid vs. South Africa - Cost of groceries
pay 23.7% less for transportation
|
Madrid
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$7.08
€6.08
|
$4.92
ZAR83.33
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$45.84
€39.37
|
$56.18
ZAR950.86
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$38,541.72
€33,100.05
|
$21,394.82
ZAR362,135.06
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.23
€13.94
|
$9.34
ZAR158.05
|
|
Madrid vs. South Africa - Cost of transportation
pay 42.5% less for housing
|
Madrid
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$34.54
€29.66
|
$39.36
ZAR666.17
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,540.98
€1,323.41
|
$404.16
ZAR6,840.92
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,118.82
€960.85
|
$361.59
ZAR6,120.39
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$153.78
€132.07
|
$88.13
ZAR1,491.68
|
|
Madrid vs. South Africa - Cost of housing
pay 72.0% less for childcare
|
Madrid
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$673.20
€578.15
|
$173.48
ZAR2,936.29
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$13,119.76
€11,267.39
|
$3,962.11
ZAR67,063.83
|
|
Madrid vs. South Africa - Cost of childcare
pay 45.5% less for entertainment and sports
|
Madrid
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.50
€3.86
|
$2.18
ZAR36.86
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$3.20
€2.75
|
$2.05
ZAR34.68
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.01
€6.02
|
$2.96
ZAR50.17
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.05
€43.85
|
$30.26
ZAR512.21
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$11.68
€10.03
|
$6.85
ZAR115.92
|
|
Madrid vs. South Africa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 29.1% less for clothing
|
Madrid
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$98.88
€84.92
|
$50.74
ZAR858.89
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.27
€35.44
|
$32.75
ZAR554.38
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$107.49
€92.31
|
$94.19
ZAR1,594.31
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$125.44
€107.73
|
$81.80
ZAR1,384.49
|
|
Madrid 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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