Cost of living comparison

compared to

Brazil vs. South Africa Cost of Living Summary

Brazil is 15.3% cheaper than South Africa overall.

Restaurants
pay 11.3% less in Brazil
Groceries
pay 6.8% less in Brazil
Transportation
pay 19.0% less in Brazil
Housing
pay 29.8% less in Brazil
Childcare
pay 63.2% more in Brazil
Entertainment and Sports
pay 11.2% less in Brazil
Clothing
pay 1.8% more in Brazil

The cost of childcare and clothing in Brazil are more expensive than in South Africa. Expenses including housing, transportation, restaurants, entertainment and sports, and groceries are lower in Brazil.

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Brazil vs. South Africa Cost Breakdown

If you lived in Brazil instead of South Africa, you would:

pay 11.3% less for restaurants

 
South Africa
Brazil
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant $10.21
ZAR168.45
$6.38
R$32.28
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
 $5.91
ZAR97.49
$7.64
R$38.69
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) $1.08
ZAR17.88
$1.24
R$6.29
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pay 6.8% less for groceries

 
South Africa
Brazil
Bread
1 loaf
 $1.07
ZAR17.59
$1.68
R$8.52
Local cheese (8 oz) $4.08
ZAR67.33
$4.73
R$23.94
Milk (1 gallon) $4.58
ZAR75.49
$4.09
R$20.72
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pay 19.0% less for transportation

 
South Africa
Brazil
Gasoline (1 gallon) $5.49
ZAR90.53
$4.74
R$23.98
Monthly public transit pass $65.15
ZAR1,074.55
$45.86
R$232.15
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) $32,517.32
ZAR536K
$23,586.89
R$119K
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pay 29.8% less for housing

 
South Africa
Brazil
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
 $38.93
ZAR642.17
$20.44
R$103.47
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area $421.37
ZAR6,950.09
$357.22
R$1,808.43
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center $369.24
ZAR6,090.32
$237.92
R$1,204.46
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pay 63.2% more for childcare

 
South Africa
Brazil
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly $199.53
ZAR3,291.11
$316.73
R$1,603.45
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters $4,917.78
ZAR81,113.80
$8,251.15
R$41,771.44
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pay 11.2% less for entertainment and sports

 
South Africa
Brazil
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) $2.25
ZAR37.13
$2.00
R$10.12
Cappuccino in mid-range area $2.25
ZAR37.18
$2.02
R$10.23
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
 $3.16
ZAR52.13
$2.46
R$12.44
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pay 1.8% more for clothing

 
South Africa
Brazil
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
 $52.66
ZAR868.55
$54.36
R$275.19
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
 $34.13
ZAR562.92
$50.01
R$253.16
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
 $99.75
ZAR1,645.29
$87.76
R$444.28
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We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world. Sources: MyLifeElsewhere's cost-of-living dataset (prices updated October 2026). How we calculate this

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Compare further: South Africa vs. Brazil

Salary Calculator · Free tool
What salary would you need in Brazil?
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Quality of Life Comparison · 21 statistics
Be 81.6% less likely to be unemployed in Brazil
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Size Comparison · See true size
South Africa is about 7 times smaller than Brazil.
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Moving from South Africa to Brazil · UN DESA 2020
2,014 people born in South Africa live in Brazil.
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City Size Comparison · See true size
Compare the size of Johannesburg vs Sao Paulo
→
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