Moving to Australia from South Africa
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from South Africa to Australia — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from South Africa to Australia, you would find that Australia is 2.7 times more expensive than South Africa overall. A ZAR1,223,766 salary in South Africa would need to be roughly A$202,958 in Australia to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Canberra averages 67°F vs 77°F in Pretoria, making it significantly cooler.
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How your spending power changes when you relocate from South Africa to Australia.
What does your salary buy?
ZAR1,223,766 → A$202,958
To maintain the same standard of living in Australia
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 2.2 times more
Groceries
pay 87.4% more
Transportation
pay 41.1% more
Housing
pay 2.1 times more
Childcare
pay 6.0 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 3.6 times more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Australia cost about 73% more than cities in South Africa.
Compare cities head-to-head
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from South Africa to Australia, and how the trend has changed.
people moved from South Africa to Australia · OECD (latest data available)
Who's moving to Australia?
Top countries of origin for Australia's foreign-born residents.
- 1,285,149
- 653,232
- 611,266
- 579,264
- 286,303
- 269,812
- · · ·
-
8.199,690
South Africa
Key Indicator Comparison
How South Africa and Australia stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
per 100,000 people per year
per 100,000 people per year
Australia performs significantly better than South Africa across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
annual government + private spending per person
affects wait times and access to care
WHO index from 0–100 measuring essential service access
share of adults with obesity
per 100,000 people — a proxy for mental health support
Australia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though South Africa leads in healthcare spending per person.
What about the environment?
deaths attributable to air pollution per 100k people
tonnes of CO₂ emitted per person per year
South Africa generally does better on environment, though Australia leads in air pollution deaths.
Will I have good infrastructure?
fixed broadband subscriptions — key for remote work
higher means greater strain on freshwater supply
annual consumption — reflects grid capacity
share of households with internet
Australia performs significantly better than South Africa across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
the highest marginal rate on personal income
share of people below the poverty line
Australia generally does better on employment & economy, though South Africa leads in top income tax rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
deaths per 1,000 live births — lower is better
government spending on education as % of GDP
Australia generally does better on family life, though South Africa leads in education spending.
Data: South African Revenue Service, The World Factbook, United Nations SDG Indicators, World Bank
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Pretoria | Canberra |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 83°/64°F (28°/18°C) | 80°/54°F (26°/12°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/48°F (22°/9°C) | 61°/39°F (16°/4°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 72°/47°F (22°/8°C) | 56°/35°F (13°/1°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 79°/60°F (26°/15°C) | 73°/47°F (23°/9°C) |
View all months
| Month | Pretoria | Canberra |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 84°/65°F (29.0°/18.1°C) | 82°/55°F (27.7°/13.0°C) |
| Feb | 84°/64°F (28.7°/18.0°C) | 81°/55°F (27.0°/12.9°C) |
| Mar | 81°/62°F (27.3°/16.6°C) | 76°/51°F (24.4°/10.7°C) |
| Apr | 77°/56°F (24.8°/13.1°C) | 68°/44°F (19.8°/6.6°C) |
| May | 72°/48°F (22.4°/8.7°C) | 60°/38°F (15.4°/3.1°C) |
| Jun | 67°/41°F (19.6°/5.2°C) | 54°/34°F (12.1°/0.9°C) |
| Jul | 68°/42°F (19.8°/5.3°C) | 52°/32°F (11.2°/-0.2°C) |
| Aug | 72°/47°F (22.3°/8.2°C) | 55°/34°F (12.9°/1.0°C) |
| Sep | 76°/53°F (24.4°/11.8°C) | 61°/38°F (16.0°/3.1°C) |
| Oct | 77°/57°F (25.2°/14.0°C) | 67°/43°F (19.2°/6.0°C) |
| Nov | 79°/60°F (26.0°/15.4°C) | 72°/47°F (22.4°/8.5°C) |
| Dec | 82°/63°F (27.9°/17.0°C) | 79°/52°F (26.0°/11.2°C) |
South African Weather Service
Bureau of MeteorologyVisitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between South Africa and Australia. To live, work, or study long-term in Australia, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check Australia's immigration authority.
South Africa passport holder visiting Australia
Visa Required
Australia passport holder visiting South Africa
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Australia than South Africa?
Day-to-day costs in Australia run about 88% higher than South Africa on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Australia?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a ZAR1,223,766 comparable salary, that's around A$50,740 in Australia for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Australia?
With 35.1 fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 people, Australia can support video calls in major cities. The hard part is paperwork — visa category, employer policy on overseas staff, and tax residency in South Africa and Australia.
Is Australia safe for expats?
Australia performs significantly better than South Africa across all safety metrics. The homicide rate in Australia is 0.8 per 100,000 people, compared to 45.5 in South Africa.
How is healthcare in Australia compared to South Africa?
Australia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though South Africa leads in healthcare spending per person. There are 39.8 doctors per 10,000 people in Australia, compared to 8.1 in South Africa. Australia scores 87 on the WHO universal health coverage index (South Africa: 71).
What's the weather like in Australia compared to South Africa?
The average high temperature in Canberra is 67°F, compared to 77°F in Pretoria. Canberra receives around 24.8 in of rainfall per year, while Pretoria gets 27.0 in.
What language do they speak in Australia?
The official language in Australia is English. In South Africa, the official languages are Afrikaans, English, Northern Sotho, Southern Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu.
Compare further: South Africa vs. Australia
At a Glance
ZA
|
AU
|
|
|---|---|---|
| Population | 57,516,665 | 26,141,369 |
| Currency | South African Rand (ZAR) | Australian Dollar (A$) |
| Languages | Afrikaans, English, Northern Sotho, Southern Ndebele, Southern Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu | English |
| Driving side | Left | Left |
| Calling code | +27 | +61 |
| Time zones | 1 | 8 |
| Emergency number | 10111 | 000 |