Cost of living comparison
United States is 2.3 times more expensive than South Africa.
If you lived in United States instead of South Africa, you would:
pay 95.4% more for restaurants
|
South Africa
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$9.05
R151.18
|
$15.20
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.11
R68.65
|
$8.21
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$0.98
R16.43
|
$2.01
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.76
R12.71
|
$1.60
|
|
pay 2.3 times more for groceries
|
South Africa
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.90
R14.95
|
$2.85
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.54
R59.13
|
$5.66
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.87
R64.55
|
$3.38
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$1.90
R31.78
|
$2.72
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.17
R36.26
|
$4.69
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.66
R10.97
|
$2.12
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.62
R10.35
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.67
R11.12
|
$1.89
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.63
R10.46
|
$1.99
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.50
R8.30
|
$1.26
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.47
R7.83
|
$1.23
|
|
pay 42.8% more for transportation
|
South Africa
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.97
R83.00
|
$4.54
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$39.98
R667.48
|
$64.19
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$20,578.10
R343,594.78
|
$24,050.13
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$8.18
R136.52
|
$16.53
|
|
pay 2.4 times more for housing
|
South Africa
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$53.70
R896.71
|
$68.65
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$402.09
R6,713.69
|
$1,446.14
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$376.67
R6,289.29
|
$1,166.13
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$88.07
R1,470.50
|
$132.57
|
|
pay 4.5 times more for childcare
|
South Africa
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$179.96
R3,004.88
|
$980.97
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$4,120.32
R68,797.42
|
$14,983.58
|
|
pay 2.2 times more for entertainment and sports
|
South Africa
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$1.83
R30.63
|
$5.14
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$1.81
R30.21
|
$4.34
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$2.88
R48.13
|
$8.25
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$35.34
R590.16
|
$40.54
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$5.88
R98.16
|
$11.80
|
|
pay 4.9% more for clothing
|
South Africa
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$47.60
R794.77
|
$44.10
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$32.21
R537.85
|
$36.31
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$90.15
R1,505.19
|
$77.71
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$77.04
R1,286.32
|
$98.75
|
|
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