Cost of living comparison
compared to
Polokwane vs. South Africa Cost of Living Summary
Polokwane is 12.2% cheaper than South Africa overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.4% more in Polokwane
- Groceries
-
pay 4.9% more in Polokwane
- Transportation
-
pay 21.6% less in Polokwane
- Housing
-
pay 20.8% less in Polokwane
- Childcare
-
pay 33.0% less in Polokwane
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 11.1% less in Polokwane
- Clothing
-
pay 5.9% less in Polokwane
The cost of groceries and restaurants in Polokwane are more expensive than in South Africa. Expenses including childcare, transportation, housing, entertainment and sports, and clothing are lower in Polokwane.
Polokwane vs. South Africa Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Polokwane instead of South Africa, you would:
pay 2.4% more for restaurants
|
South Africa
|
Polokwane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$9.33
ZAR157.99
|
$11.47
ZAR194.10
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$5.11
ZAR86.54
|
$4.93
ZAR83.46
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.03
ZAR17.46
|
$0.89
ZAR15.04
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.80
ZAR13.59
|
$0.84
ZAR14.14
|
|
South Africa vs. Polokwane - Cost of restaurants
pay 4.9% more for groceries
|
South Africa
|
Polokwane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.00
ZAR16.97
|
$1.11
ZAR18.73
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.88
ZAR65.75
|
$3.66
ZAR61.95
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.37
ZAR73.98
|
$4.73
ZAR80.12
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.33
ZAR39.49
|
$2.37
ZAR40.14
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.13
ZAR36.12
|
$1.76
ZAR29.79
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.73
ZAR12.33
|
$0.78
ZAR13.27
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
ZAR11.04
|
$0.72
ZAR12.11
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.68
ZAR11.57
|
$0.72
ZAR12.14
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.71
ZAR12.00
|
$0.80
ZAR13.51
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.59
ZAR9.91
|
$0.66
ZAR11.14
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.60
ZAR10.16
|
$0.66
ZAR11.11
|
|
South Africa vs. Polokwane - Cost of groceries
pay 21.6% less for transportation
|
South Africa
|
Polokwane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.92
ZAR83.33
|
$4.82
ZAR81.55
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$56.18
ZAR950.86
|
$28.67
ZAR485.26
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$21,394.82
ZAR362,135.06
|
$14,334.37
ZAR242,627.92
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$9.34
ZAR158.05
|
$9.12
ZAR154.31
|
|
South Africa vs. Polokwane - Cost of transportation
pay 20.8% less for housing
|
South Africa
|
Polokwane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$39.36
ZAR666.17
|
$35.26
ZAR596.86
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$404.16
ZAR6,840.92
|
$272.35
ZAR4,609.93
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$361.59
ZAR6,120.39
|
$191.12
ZAR3,235.04
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$88.13
ZAR1,491.68
|
$94.17
ZAR1,594.01
|
|
South Africa vs. Polokwane - Cost of housing
pay 33.0% less for childcare
|
South Africa
|
Polokwane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$173.48
ZAR2,936.29
|
$172.01
ZAR2,911.54
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$3,962.11
ZAR67,063.83
|
$1,376.10
ZAR23,292.28
|
|
South Africa vs. Polokwane - Cost of childcare
pay 11.1% less for entertainment and sports
|
South Africa
|
Polokwane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.18
ZAR36.86
|
$1.66
ZAR28.14
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.05
ZAR34.68
|
$2.24
ZAR37.94
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.96
ZAR50.17
|
$2.58
ZAR43.67
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$30.26
ZAR512.21
|
$19.64
ZAR332.40
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$6.85
ZAR115.92
|
$7.31
ZAR123.74
|
|
South Africa vs. Polokwane - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 5.9% less for clothing
|
South Africa
|
Polokwane
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.74
ZAR858.89
|
$43.58
ZAR737.59
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$32.75
ZAR554.38
|
$35.36
ZAR598.48
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$94.19
ZAR1,594.31
|
$76.45
ZAR1,294.02
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$81.80
ZAR1,384.49
|
$82.87
ZAR1,402.76
|
|
South Africa vs. Polokwane - 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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