Cost of living comparison
compared to
Port Elizabeth vs. United States Cost of Living Summary
Port Elizabeth is 43.7% cheaper than United States overall.
- Restaurants
-
pay 52.0% less in Port Elizabeth
- Groceries
-
pay 46.4% less in Port Elizabeth
- Transportation
-
pay 28.6% less in Port Elizabeth
- Housing
-
pay 51.1% less in Port Elizabeth
- Childcare
-
pay 83.2% less in Port Elizabeth
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 49.8% less in Port Elizabeth
- Clothing
-
pay 5.3% more in Port Elizabeth
Expenses including childcare, restaurants, housing, entertainment and sports, groceries, and transportation are lower in Port Elizabeth.
Port Elizabeth vs. United States Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Port Elizabeth instead of United States, you would:
pay 52.0% less for restaurants
|
United States
|
Port Elizabeth
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.45
|
$10.80
ZAR181.27
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.12
|
$5.13
ZAR86.04
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.56
|
$1.13
ZAR19.01
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
|
$0.92
ZAR15.47
|
|
United States vs. Port Elizabeth - Cost of restaurants
pay 46.4% less for groceries
|
United States
|
Port Elizabeth
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.56
|
$1.02
ZAR17.17
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.50
|
$3.95
ZAR66.28
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.97
|
$4.34
ZAR72.88
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.27
|
$2.86
ZAR48.05
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.41
|
$2.23
ZAR37.49
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.37
|
$0.79
ZAR13.33
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.78
|
$0.69
ZAR11.59
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.04
|
$0.72
ZAR12.06
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.21
|
$0.74
ZAR12.50
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.34
|
$0.72
ZAR12.15
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$0.52
ZAR8.68
|
|
United States vs. Port Elizabeth - Cost of groceries
pay 28.6% less for transportation
|
United States
|
Port Elizabeth
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.41
|
$5.01
ZAR84.02
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$65.85
|
$34.86
ZAR584.90
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,336.38
|
$16,075.49
ZAR269,730.85
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.61
|
$6.38
ZAR107.07
|
|
United States vs. Port Elizabeth - Cost of transportation
pay 51.1% less for housing
|
United States
|
Port Elizabeth
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.97
|
$45.80
ZAR768.43
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,664.59
|
$606.14
ZAR10,170.50
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,416.15
|
$455.18
ZAR7,637.54
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$150.19
|
$91.03
ZAR1,527.32
|
|
United States vs. Port Elizabeth - Cost of housing
pay 83.2% less for childcare
|
United States
|
Port Elizabeth
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,387.27
|
$169.97
ZAR2,851.99
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,196.46
|
$4,925.10
ZAR82,638.35
|
|
United States vs. Port Elizabeth - Cost of childcare
pay 49.8% less for entertainment and sports
|
United States
|
Port Elizabeth
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.84
|
$2.62
ZAR43.99
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.15
|
$2.17
ZAR36.35
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.90
|
$3.08
ZAR51.72
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$51.45
|
$30.31
ZAR508.52
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$13.64
|
$10.08
ZAR169.19
|
|
United States vs. Port Elizabeth - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 5.3% more for clothing
|
United States
|
Port Elizabeth
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$51.08
|
$67.99
ZAR1,140.80
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.81
|
$38.39
ZAR644.20
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.56
|
$99.87
ZAR1,675.75
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$112.04
|
$92.19
ZAR1,546.84
|
|
United States vs. Port Elizabeth - 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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