Cost of living comparison
South Africa is 50.4% cheaper than United States.
If you lived in South Africa instead of United States, you would:
pay 59.9% less for restaurants
United States
|
South Africa
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.15
|
$7.74
ZAR143.30
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.28
|
$3.92
ZAR72.62
|
|
Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.24
|
$0.87
ZAR16.09
|
|
Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.77
|
$0.65
ZAR12.05
|
|
pay 56.2% less for groceries
United States
|
South Africa
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.17
|
$0.82
ZAR15.15
|
|
Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.93
|
$3.09
ZAR57.27
|
|
Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.83
|
$3.51
ZAR64.97
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.01
|
$1.71
ZAR31.73
|
|
Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.32
|
$1.85
ZAR34.20
|
|
Apples (1 lb) |
$2.19
|
$0.61
ZAR11.31
|
|
Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
$0.57
ZAR10.54
|
|
Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.93
|
$0.59
ZAR10.95
|
|
Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.05
|
$0.59
ZAR10.84
|
|
Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.29
|
$0.47
ZAR8.63
|
|
Onions (1 lb) |
$1.27
|
$0.47
ZAR8.61
|
|
pay 23.4% less for transportation
United States
|
South Africa
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.72
|
$4.65
ZAR86.05
|
|
Monthly public transit pass |
$63.08
|
$40.67
ZAR752.78
|
|
New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$25,096.27
|
$18,011.69
ZAR333,378.34
|
|
Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$16.64
|
$7.53
ZAR139.43
|
|
pay 56.8% less for housing
United States
|
South Africa
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$70.73
|
$48.06
ZAR889.48
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,528.07
|
$341.02
ZAR6,312.01
|
|
1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,282.97
|
$317.79
ZAR5,881.99
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$138.81
|
$80.15
ZAR1,483.49
|
|
pay 83.5% less for childcare
United States
|
South Africa
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,137.97
|
$157.19
ZAR2,909.38
|
|
Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,943.15
|
$3,082.89
ZAR57,061.18
|
|
pay 56.7% less for entertainment and sports
United States
|
South Africa
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.19
|
$1.70
ZAR31.39
|
|
Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.51
|
$1.67
ZAR30.98
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.57
|
$2.56
ZAR47.45
|
|
Monthly membership at local gym |
$42.79
|
$30.74
ZAR568.91
|
|
Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.04
|
$5.40
ZAR99.90
|
|
pay 16.1% less for clothing
United States
|
South Africa
|
||
---|---|---|---|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$45.40
|
$43.19
ZAR799.35
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$36.73
|
$26.96
ZAR498.94
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$79.51
|
$80.72
ZAR1,493.98
|
|
Men's business shoes (leather) |
$109.59
|
$71.81
ZAR1,329.13
|
|
Change currency:
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about South Africa or United States. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.