Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Africa vs. North Carolina Cost of Living Summary
South Africa is 44.3% cheaper than North Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 51.8% less in South Africa
- Groceries
-
pay 50.0% less in South Africa
- Transportation
-
pay 7.9% less in South Africa
- Housing
-
pay 55.8% less in South Africa
- Childcare
-
pay 85.1% less in South Africa
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 52.3% less in South Africa
- Clothing
-
pay 7.5% less in South Africa
Expenses including childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, groceries, and transportation are lower in South Africa.
South Africa vs. North Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Africa instead of North Carolina, you would:
pay 51.8% less for restaurants
|
North Carolina
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.06
|
$9.33
ZAR157.99
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.47
|
$5.11
ZAR86.54
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.28
|
$1.03
ZAR17.46
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.82
|
$0.80
ZAR13.59
|
|
North Carolina vs. South Africa - Cost of restaurants
pay 50.0% less for groceries
|
North Carolina
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.79
|
$1.00
ZAR16.97
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.80
|
$3.88
ZAR65.75
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.73
|
$4.37
ZAR73.98
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.98
|
$2.33
ZAR39.49
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.20
|
$2.13
ZAR36.12
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.47
|
$0.73
ZAR12.33
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.71
|
$0.65
ZAR11.04
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$0.68
ZAR11.57
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$0.71
ZAR12.00
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.74
|
$0.59
ZAR9.91
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.80
|
$0.60
ZAR10.16
|
|
North Carolina vs. South Africa - Cost of groceries
pay 7.9% less for transportation
|
North Carolina
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.98
|
$4.92
ZAR83.33
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$60.67
|
$56.18
ZAR950.86
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,588.64
|
$21,394.82
ZAR362,135.06
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.99
|
$9.34
ZAR158.05
|
|
North Carolina vs. South Africa - Cost of transportation
pay 55.8% less for housing
|
North Carolina
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$72.77
|
$39.36
ZAR666.17
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,488.15
|
$404.16
ZAR6,840.92
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,261.77
|
$361.59
ZAR6,120.39
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$132.31
|
$88.13
ZAR1,491.68
|
|
North Carolina vs. South Africa - Cost of housing
pay 85.1% less for childcare
|
North Carolina
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,261.89
|
$173.48
ZAR2,936.29
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,633.15
|
$3,962.11
ZAR67,063.83
|
|
North Carolina vs. South Africa - Cost of childcare
pay 52.3% less for entertainment and sports
|
North Carolina
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.12
|
$2.18
ZAR36.86
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.82
|
$2.05
ZAR34.68
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.77
|
$2.96
ZAR50.17
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$48.40
|
$30.26
ZAR512.21
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.98
|
$6.85
ZAR115.92
|
|
North Carolina vs. South Africa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 7.5% less for clothing
|
North Carolina
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.30
|
$50.74
ZAR858.89
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.76
|
$32.75
ZAR554.38
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$88.37
|
$94.19
ZAR1,594.31
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$111.01
|
$81.80
ZAR1,384.49
|
|
North Carolina 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 North Carolina. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.