Cost of living comparison
compared to
California vs. South Africa Cost of Living Summary
California is 3.3 times more expensive than South Africa overall.
- Restaurants
- pay 2.5 times more in California
- Groceries
- pay 2.5 times more in California
- Transportation
- pay 45.0% more in California
- Housing
- pay 3.8 times more in California
- Childcare
- pay 8.5 times more in California
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 2.8 times more in California
- Clothing
- pay 18.6% more in California
California vs. South Africa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in California instead of South Africa, you would:
pay 2.5 times more for restaurants
South Africa | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $9.33 ZAR158.57 | $21.84 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $5.11 ZAR86.86 | $12.33 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $1.03 ZAR17.52 | $2.79 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $0.80 ZAR13.64 | $2.17 | |
South Africa vs. California - Cost of restaurants
pay 2.5 times more for groceries
South Africa | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $1.00 ZAR17.04 | $4.20 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $3.88 ZAR65.99 | $6.77 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $4.37 ZAR74.25 | $4.73 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $2.33 ZAR39.64 | $5.14 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $2.13 ZAR36.25 | $6.05 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $0.73 ZAR12.37 | $2.30 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.65 ZAR11.08 | $0.92 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $0.68 ZAR11.61 | $1.91 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $0.71 ZAR12.05 | $2.38 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $0.59 ZAR9.95 | $1.50 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $0.60 ZAR10.19 | $1.41 | |
South Africa vs. California - Cost of groceries
pay 45.0% more for transportation
South Africa | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.92 ZAR83.64 | $4.72 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $56.18 ZAR954.32 | $63.04 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $21,394.82 ZAR363K | $30,529.84 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $9.34 ZAR158.63 | $21.43 | |
South Africa vs. California - Cost of transportation
pay 3.8 times more for housing
South Africa | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $39.36 ZAR668.59 | $67.96 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $404.16 ZAR6,865.77 | $2,385.40 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $361.59 ZAR6,142.63 | $2,043.56 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $88.13 ZAR1,497.10 | $171.94 | |
South Africa vs. California - Cost of housing
pay 8.5 times more for childcare
South Africa | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $173.48 ZAR2,946.96 | $1,633.13 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $3,962.11 ZAR67,307.48 | $30,339.97 | |
South Africa vs. California - Cost of childcare
pay 2.8 times more for entertainment and sports
South Africa | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $2.18 ZAR37.00 | $7.31 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $2.05 ZAR34.81 | $5.58 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $2.96 ZAR50.35 | $10.92 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $30.26 ZAR514.07 | $68.02 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $6.85 ZAR116.34 | $14.99 | |
South Africa vs. California - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 18.6% more for clothing
South Africa | California | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $50.74 ZAR862.01 | $56.47 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $32.75 ZAR556.39 | $40.47 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $94.19 ZAR1,600.10 | $87.50 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $81.80 ZAR1,389.52 | $119.94 | |
South Africa vs. California - 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: June 2026
Change currency:
Compare further: South Africa vs. California
Salary Calculator · Free tool
What salary would you need in California?
→
Quality of Life Comparison · 4 statistics
Make 5.9 times more money in California
→
Size Comparison · See true size
South Africa is about 3 times bigger than California.
→
Moving from South Africa to California · Cost, visas & climate
Compare cost of living, salary and climate.
→
Compare countries by overall cost of living
See the cost of living in South Africa vs. United States. This provides a comparison of the average cost of living from cities within South Africa and United States.
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 California or South Africa. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.