Cost of living comparison
compared to
South Africa vs. United States Cost of Living Summary
South Africa is 47.1% cheaper than United States overall.
- Restaurants
- pay 56.4% less in South Africa
- Groceries
- pay 49.2% less in South Africa
- Transportation
- pay 12.8% less in South Africa
- Housing
- pay 58.6% less in South Africa
- Childcare
- pay 85.2% less in South Africa
- Entertainment and Sports
- pay 56.8% less in South Africa
- Clothing
- pay 10.4% less in South Africa
South Africa vs. United States Cost Breakdown
If you lived in South Africa instead of United States, you would:
pay 56.4% less for restaurants
United States | South Africa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $19.45 | $9.33 ZAR158.57 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $11.12 | $5.11 ZAR86.86 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.56 | $1.03 ZAR17.52 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.00 | $0.80 ZAR13.64 | |
United States vs. South Africa - Cost of restaurants
pay 49.2% less for groceries
United States | South Africa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $3.56 | $1.00 ZAR17.04 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $6.50 | $3.88 ZAR65.99 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $3.97 | $4.37 ZAR74.25 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $4.27 | $2.33 ZAR39.64 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $5.41 | $2.13 ZAR36.25 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.37 | $0.73 ZAR12.37 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $0.78 | $0.65 ZAR11.08 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $2.04 | $0.68 ZAR11.61 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.21 | $0.71 ZAR12.05 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.34 | $0.59 ZAR9.95 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.38 | $0.60 ZAR10.19 | |
United States vs. South Africa - Cost of groceries
pay 12.8% less for transportation
United States | South Africa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $3.41 | $4.92 ZAR83.64 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $65.85 | $56.18 ZAR954.32 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $32,336.38 | $21,394.82 ZAR363K | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $17.61 | $9.34 ZAR158.63 | |
United States vs. South Africa - Cost of transportation
pay 58.6% less for housing
United States | South Africa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $68.97 | $39.36 ZAR668.59 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $1,664.59 | $404.16 ZAR6,865.77 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,416.15 | $361.59 ZAR6,142.63 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $150.19 | $88.13 ZAR1,497.10 | |
United States vs. South Africa - Cost of housing
pay 85.2% less for childcare
United States | South Africa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,387.27 | $173.48 ZAR2,946.96 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $23,196.46 | $3,962.11 ZAR67,307.48 | |
United States vs. South Africa - Cost of childcare
pay 56.8% less for entertainment and sports
United States | South Africa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $5.84 | $2.18 ZAR37.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.15 | $2.05 ZAR34.81 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $9.90 | $2.96 ZAR50.35 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $51.45 | $30.26 ZAR514.07 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $13.64 | $6.85 ZAR116.34 | |
United States vs. South Africa - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 10.4% less for clothing
United States | South Africa | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $51.08 | $50.74 ZAR862.01 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $41.81 | $32.75 ZAR556.39 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $87.56 | $94.19 ZAR1,600.10 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $112.04 | $81.80 ZAR1,389.52 | |
United States 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: June 2026
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