Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Africa vs. Texas Cost of Living Summary
South Africa is 43.8% cheaper than Texas.
- Restaurants
-
pay 55.2% less in South Africa
- Groceries
-
pay 42.6% less in South Africa
- Transportation
-
pay 4.8% less in South Africa
- Housing
-
pay 57.2% less in South Africa
- Childcare
-
pay 82.8% less in South Africa
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 51.5% less in South Africa
- Clothing
-
pay 12.8% less in South Africa
Expenses including childcare, housing, restaurants, entertainment and sports, groceries, and clothing are lower in South Africa.
South Africa vs. Texas Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Africa instead of Texas, you would:
pay 55.2% less for restaurants
|
Texas
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.98
|
$9.33
ZAR157.99
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.11
|
$5.11
ZAR86.54
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.59
|
$1.03
ZAR17.46
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.02
|
$0.80
ZAR13.59
|
|
Texas vs. South Africa - Cost of restaurants
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pay 42.6% less for groceries
|
Texas
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.07
|
$1.00
ZAR16.97
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.88
|
$3.88
ZAR65.75
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.57
|
$4.37
ZAR73.98
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.65
|
$2.33
ZAR39.49
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.05
|
$2.13
ZAR36.12
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.11
|
$0.73
ZAR12.33
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.70
|
$0.65
ZAR11.04
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.85
|
$0.68
ZAR11.57
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.71
|
$0.71
ZAR12.00
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.19
|
$0.59
ZAR9.91
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.22
|
$0.60
ZAR10.16
|
|
Texas vs. South Africa - Cost of groceries
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pay 4.8% less for transportation
|
Texas
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.80
|
$4.92
ZAR83.33
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$64.85
|
$56.18
ZAR950.86
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$31,437.50
|
$21,394.82
ZAR362,135.06
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.56
|
$9.34
ZAR158.05
|
|
Texas vs. South Africa - Cost of transportation
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pay 57.2% less for housing
|
Texas
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$72.71
|
$39.36
ZAR666.17
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,350.67
|
$404.16
ZAR6,840.92
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,182.99
|
$361.59
ZAR6,120.39
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$155.66
|
$88.13
ZAR1,491.68
|
|
Texas vs. South Africa - Cost of housing
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pay 82.8% less for childcare
|
Texas
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,189.70
|
$173.48
ZAR2,936.29
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,910.43
|
$3,962.11
ZAR67,063.83
|
|
Texas vs. South Africa - Cost of childcare
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pay 51.5% less for entertainment and sports
|
Texas
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.30
|
$2.18
ZAR36.86
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.29
|
$2.05
ZAR34.68
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.91
|
$2.96
ZAR50.17
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$39.46
|
$30.26
ZAR512.21
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.00
|
$6.85
ZAR115.92
|
|
Texas vs. South Africa - Cost of entertainment and sports
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pay 12.8% less for clothing
|
Texas
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.84
|
$50.74
ZAR858.89
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.75
|
$32.75
ZAR554.38
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$90.62
|
$94.19
ZAR1,594.31
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$119.01
|
$81.80
ZAR1,384.49
|
|
Texas vs. South Africa - Cost of clothing
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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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cost of living in United States vs. South Africa.
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