Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Africa vs. United Arab Emirates Cost of Living Summary
South Africa is 28.1% cheaper than United Arab Emirates overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 8.8% more in South Africa
- Groceries
-
pay 13.0% less in South Africa
- Transportation
-
pay 9.3% more in South Africa
- Housing
-
pay 56.2% less in South Africa
- Childcare
-
pay 58.3% less in South Africa
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 59.7% less in South Africa
- Clothing
-
pay 27.9% less in South Africa
The cost of transportation and restaurants in South Africa are more expensive than in United Arab Emirates. Expenses including entertainment and sports, childcare, housing, clothing, and groceries are lower in South Africa.
South Africa vs. United Arab Emirates Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Africa instead of United Arab Emirates, you would:
pay 8.8% more for restaurants
|
United Arab Emirates
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$7.91
AED29.06
|
$9.33
ZAR159.73
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$8.65
AED31.75
|
$5.11
ZAR87.49
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$1.04
AED3.83
|
$1.03
ZAR17.65
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$0.50
AED1.85
|
$0.80
ZAR13.74
|
|
United Arab Emirates vs. South Africa - Cost of restaurants
pay 13.0% less for groceries
|
United Arab Emirates
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$1.47
AED5.39
|
$1.00
ZAR17.16
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.36
AED19.68
|
$3.88
ZAR66.47
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$6.96
AED25.56
|
$4.37
ZAR74.79
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.81
AED10.34
|
$2.33
ZAR39.93
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.68
AED13.51
|
$2.13
ZAR36.52
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$0.98
AED3.59
|
$0.73
ZAR12.46
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.75
AED2.75
|
$0.65
ZAR11.16
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$0.73
AED2.69
|
$0.68
ZAR11.70
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$0.59
AED2.15
|
$0.71
ZAR12.14
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$0.48
AED1.76
|
$0.59
ZAR10.02
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$0.53
AED1.93
|
$0.60
ZAR10.27
|
|
United Arab Emirates vs. South Africa - Cost of groceries
pay 9.3% more for transportation
|
United Arab Emirates
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.91
AED10.69
|
$4.92
ZAR84.25
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$53.10
AED195.00
|
$56.18
ZAR961.29
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$40,680.12
AED149,397.75
|
$21,394.82
ZAR366,106.47
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$8.50
AED31.21
|
$9.34
ZAR159.79
|
|
United Arab Emirates vs. South Africa - Cost of transportation
pay 56.2% less for housing
|
United Arab Emirates
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$101.41
AED372.42
|
$39.36
ZAR673.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,438.18
AED5,281.71
|
$404.16
ZAR6,915.94
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$990.79
AED3,638.67
|
$361.59
ZAR6,187.51
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$122.67
AED450.49
|
$88.13
ZAR1,508.04
|
|
United Arab Emirates vs. South Africa - Cost of housing
pay 58.3% less for childcare
|
United Arab Emirates
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$497.28
AED1,826.25
|
$173.48
ZAR2,968.50
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$8,164.49
AED29,984.10
|
$3,962.11
ZAR67,799.29
|
|
United Arab Emirates vs. South Africa - Cost of childcare
pay 59.7% less for entertainment and sports
|
United Arab Emirates
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$10.43
AED38.31
|
$2.18
ZAR37.27
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.99
AED18.32
|
$2.05
ZAR35.06
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$6.23
AED22.88
|
$2.96
ZAR50.72
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$75.55
AED277.45
|
$30.26
ZAR517.83
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.19
AED48.44
|
$6.85
ZAR117.19
|
|
United Arab Emirates vs. South Africa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 27.9% less for clothing
|
United Arab Emirates
|
South Africa
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$75.04
AED275.58
|
$50.74
ZAR868.31
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$59.50
AED218.51
|
$32.75
ZAR560.46
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$105.66
AED388.03
|
$94.19
ZAR1,611.79
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$106.53
AED391.23
|
$81.80
ZAR1,399.67
|
|
United Arab Emirates 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
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about South Africa or United Arab Emirates. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.