Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Africa vs. South Carolina Cost of Living Summary
South Africa is 42.1% cheaper than South Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 57.2% less in South Africa
- Groceries
-
pay 48.9% less in South Africa
- Transportation
-
pay 3.6% more in South Africa
- Housing
-
pay 56.6% less in South Africa
- Childcare
-
pay 83.2% less in South Africa
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 46.9% less in South Africa
- Clothing
-
pay 5.8% less in South Africa
Expenses including childcare, restaurants, housing, groceries, entertainment and sports, and clothing are lower in South Africa.
South Africa vs. South Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Africa instead of South Carolina, you would:
pay 57.2% less for restaurants
|
South Carolina
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.17
|
$9.33
ZAR157.99
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.16
|
$5.11
ZAR86.54
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.65
|
$1.03
ZAR17.46
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.13
|
$0.80
ZAR13.59
|
|
South Carolina vs. South Africa - Cost of restaurants
pay 48.9% less for groceries
|
South Carolina
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.44
|
$1.00
ZAR16.97
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.99
|
$3.88
ZAR65.75
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.54
|
$4.37
ZAR73.98
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.18
|
$2.33
ZAR39.49
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.64
|
$2.13
ZAR36.12
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.64
|
$0.73
ZAR12.33
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
$0.65
ZAR11.04
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.49
|
$0.68
ZAR11.57
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.31
|
$0.71
ZAR12.00
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
$0.59
ZAR9.91
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$0.60
ZAR10.16
|
|
South Carolina vs. South Africa - Cost of groceries
pay 3.6% more for transportation
|
South Carolina
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.88
|
$4.92
ZAR83.33
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$46.17
|
$56.18
ZAR950.86
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,190.90
|
$21,394.82
ZAR362,135.06
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.34
|
$9.34
ZAR158.05
|
|
South Carolina vs. South Africa - Cost of transportation
pay 56.6% less for housing
|
South Carolina
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.47
|
$39.36
ZAR666.17
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,589.94
|
$404.16
ZAR6,840.92
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,366.92
|
$361.59
ZAR6,120.39
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$141.20
|
$88.13
ZAR1,491.68
|
|
South Carolina vs. South Africa - Cost of housing
pay 83.2% less for childcare
|
South Carolina
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,346.85
|
$173.48
ZAR2,936.29
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,168.15
|
$3,962.11
ZAR67,063.83
|
|
South Carolina vs. South Africa - Cost of childcare
pay 46.9% less for entertainment and sports
|
South Carolina
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.29
|
$2.18
ZAR36.86
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.17
|
$2.05
ZAR34.68
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.67
|
$2.96
ZAR50.17
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$32.75
|
$30.26
ZAR512.21
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.71
|
$6.85
ZAR115.92
|
|
South Carolina vs. South Africa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 5.8% less for clothing
|
South Carolina
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.06
|
$50.74
ZAR858.89
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$35.86
|
$32.75
ZAR554.38
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$84.43
|
$94.19
ZAR1,594.31
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.81
|
$81.80
ZAR1,384.49
|
|
South Carolina vs. South Africa - 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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