Cost of living comparison
Russia is 19.2% cheaper than South Africa overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 26.3% less in Russia
- Groceries
-
pay 23.8% less in Russia
- Transportation
-
pay 36.5% less in Russia
- Housing
-
pay 40.1% less in Russia
- Childcare
-
pay 17.5% more in Russia
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 23.2% less in Russia
- Clothing
-
pay 2.0% less in Russia
Expenses including housing, transportation, restaurants, groceries, entertainment and sports, and clothing are lower in Russia.
If you lived in Russia instead of South Africa, you would:
pay 26.3% less for restaurants
|
South Africa
|
Russia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$8.97
ZAR160.40
|
$6.51
RUB510.99
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.77
ZAR85.29
|
$4.14
RUB325.22
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.95
ZAR17.06
|
$0.80
RUB62.62
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.74
ZAR13.25
|
$0.38
RUB30.17
|
|
pay 23.8% less for groceries
|
South Africa
|
Russia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.99
ZAR17.71
|
$0.47
RUB36.78
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.67
ZAR65.70
|
$3.72
RUB291.64
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.20
ZAR75.06
|
$3.07
RUB241.16
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.23
ZAR39.81
|
$1.21
RUB95.06
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.03
ZAR36.26
|
$1.66
RUB129.99
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.68
ZAR12.10
|
$0.54
RUB42.52
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.62
ZAR11.04
|
$0.55
RUB43.28
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.64
ZAR11.48
|
$0.71
RUB56.02
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.70
ZAR12.49
|
$0.89
RUB69.56
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.55
ZAR9.90
|
$0.22
RUB16.98
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.61
ZAR10.88
|
$0.21
RUB16.35
|
|
pay 36.5% less for transportation
|
South Africa
|
Russia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.99
ZAR89.19
|
$2.12
RUB166.30
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$52.31
ZAR935.19
|
$17.67
RUB1,386.71
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$20,607.77
ZAR368,415.56
|
$26,642.44
RUB2,091,282.99
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$8.55
ZAR152.83
|
$4.15
RUB325.76
|
|
pay 40.1% less for housing
|
South Africa
|
Russia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$41.37
ZAR739.58
|
$5.97
RUB468.95
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$382.55
ZAR6,839.11
|
$304.49
RUB23,901.04
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$326.35
ZAR5,834.28
|
$210.86
RUB16,550.99
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$80.40
ZAR1,437.32
|
$64.94
RUB5,097.31
|
|
pay 17.5% more for childcare
|
South Africa
|
Russia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$174.12
ZAR3,112.77
|
$190.09
RUB14,921.20
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$4,033.53
ZAR72,109.42
|
$5,074.52
RUB398,321.58
|
|
pay 23.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
South Africa
|
Russia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.11
ZAR37.68
|
$1.42
RUB111.67
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.88
ZAR33.66
|
$1.67
RUB131.14
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.90
ZAR51.92
|
$2.10
RUB164.66
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$29.50
ZAR527.40
|
$28.15
RUB2,209.96
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$6.62
ZAR118.37
|
$3.97
RUB311.88
|
|
pay 2.0% less for clothing
|
South Africa
|
Russia
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$47.72
ZAR853.03
|
$51.85
RUB4,069.82
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$32.06
ZAR573.14
|
$33.92
RUB2,662.65
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$90.39
ZAR1,615.93
|
$76.53
RUB6,006.93
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$81.37
ZAR1,454.64
|
$75.61
RUB5,935.09
|
|
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Russia 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.