Cost of living comparison
United States is 97.5% more expensive than South Africa.
If you lived in United States instead of South Africa, you would:
pay 74.8% more for restaurants
|
South Africa
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$9.30
R122.86
|
$14.25
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$4.56
R60.31
|
$7.75
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.03
R13.65
|
$1.90
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.80
R10.55
|
$1.53
|
|
pay 97.7% more for groceries
|
South Africa
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$0.98
R12.94
|
$2.71
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$3.71
R48.98
|
$5.56
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.22
R55.81
|
$3.22
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.09
R27.65
|
$2.30
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$2.47
R32.60
|
$4.18
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.76
R9.99
|
$2.07
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.68
R8.95
|
$0.75
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.74
R9.82
|
$1.88
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.68
R8.99
|
$1.94
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.53
R6.94
|
$1.24
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.53
R7.03
|
$1.25
|
|
pay 29.5% more for transportation
|
South Africa
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.34
R57.40
|
$2.62
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$44.53
R588.36
|
$63.05
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$20,553.81
R271,548.69
|
$23,189.08
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$8.27
R109.32
|
$16.83
|
|
pay 96.5% more for housing
|
South Africa
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.03
R872.36
|
$67.11
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$465.23
R6,146.40
|
$1,225.46
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$389.59
R5,147.15
|
$1,034.80
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$82.93
R1,095.64
|
$128.68
|
|
pay 3.9 times more for childcare
|
South Africa
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$210.33
R2,778.79
|
$891.12
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$4,155.26
R54,897.68
|
$15,195.09
|
|
pay 92.6% more for entertainment and sports
|
South Africa
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$2.11
R27.89
|
$4.52
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$2.03
R26.79
|
$4.18
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$3.11
R41.08
|
$7.90
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$35.66
R471.08
|
$39.67
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$6.54
R86.36
|
$11.58
|
|
pay 3.4% less for clothing
|
South Africa
|
United States
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.96
R686.49
|
$43.02
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$34.51
R455.92
|
$35.26
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$90.37
R1,193.97
|
$75.54
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$80.93
R1,069.18
|
$95.31
|
|
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