Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Africa vs. San Diego Cost of Living Summary
South Africa is 56.4% cheaper than San Diego.
- Restaurants
-
pay 63.9% less in South Africa
- Groceries
-
pay 52.8% less in South Africa
- Transportation
-
pay 25.9% less in South Africa
- Housing
-
pay 70.5% less in South Africa
- Childcare
-
pay 88.2% less in South Africa
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 66.6% less in South Africa
- Clothing
-
pay 26.6% less in South Africa
Expenses including childcare, housing, entertainment and sports, restaurants, groceries, and clothing are lower in South Africa.
South Africa vs. San Diego Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Africa instead of San Diego, you would:
pay 63.9% less for restaurants
|
San Diego
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$21.00
|
$9.33
ZAR157.99
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$15.00
|
$5.11
ZAR86.54
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.03
|
$1.03
ZAR17.46
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.50
|
$0.80
ZAR13.59
|
|
San Diego vs. South Africa - Cost of restaurants
pay 52.8% less for groceries
|
San Diego
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.57
|
$1.00
ZAR16.97
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.36
|
$3.88
ZAR65.75
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.78
|
$4.37
ZAR73.98
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.84
|
$2.33
ZAR39.49
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.07
|
$2.13
ZAR36.12
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.22
|
$0.73
ZAR12.33
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$0.65
ZAR11.04
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.91
|
$0.68
ZAR11.57
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.26
|
$0.71
ZAR12.00
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.42
|
$0.59
ZAR9.91
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.12
|
$0.60
ZAR10.16
|
|
San Diego vs. South Africa - Cost of groceries
pay 25.9% less for transportation
|
San Diego
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.76
|
$4.92
ZAR83.33
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$72.00
|
$56.18
ZAR950.86
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,965.00
|
$21,394.82
ZAR362,135.06
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.40
|
$9.34
ZAR158.05
|
|
San Diego vs. South Africa - Cost of transportation
pay 70.5% less for housing
|
San Diego
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$82.19
|
$39.36
ZAR666.17
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$3,033.00
|
$404.16
ZAR6,840.92
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,538.64
|
$361.59
ZAR6,120.39
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$205.84
|
$88.13
ZAR1,491.68
|
|
San Diego vs. South Africa - Cost of housing
pay 88.2% less for childcare
|
San Diego
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,750.00
|
$173.48
ZAR2,936.29
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$28,750.00
|
$3,962.11
ZAR67,063.83
|
|
San Diego vs. South Africa - Cost of childcare
pay 66.6% less for entertainment and sports
|
San Diego
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$2.18
ZAR36.86
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.90
|
$2.05
ZAR34.68
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$12.00
|
$2.96
ZAR50.17
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$73.21
|
$30.26
ZAR512.21
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$17.50
|
$6.85
ZAR115.92
|
|
San Diego vs. South Africa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 26.6% less for clothing
|
San Diego
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$60.72
|
$50.74
ZAR858.89
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$58.44
|
$32.75
ZAR554.38
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$105.68
|
$94.19
ZAR1,594.31
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$126.25
|
$81.80
ZAR1,384.49
|
|
San Diego 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 San Diego. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.